Sail Handling Basics - Hoisting, Trimming & Reefing Sails

Prerequisites

This lesson builds on earlier Competent Crew topics. Before starting you should:

• Know the basic parts of the boat and the names of the spars and standing rigging (mast, boom, forestay, backstay, shrouds).
• Be able to tie a bowline, a round turn and two half hitches, and cleat a line correctly (from the Knots and Ropework lesson).
• Understand the points of sail, the no-go zone and the tacking and gybing calls (from the Points of Sail and Steering lesson).
• Have completed the yacht's safety brief, including how to clip on and where the winch handles live.

No previous sailing experience is required beyond this course; the Competent Crew certificate is aimed at complete beginners aged 16 and over.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you should be able to:

• Name the parts of a mainsail and headsail and the lines that control them (halyards, sheets, reefing lines, furling line).
• Prepare, hoist, lower and stow the mainsail safely as part of the crew.
• Unfurl, furl and, on boats with hanked sails, hoist and lower a headsail.
• Use a winch safely: load it correctly, tail, grind, ease and release, including self-tailing winches.
• Recognise and clear a riding turn (override) safely.
• Take part in slab (jiffy) reefing of the mainsail and reef a furling headsail.
• Use sail ties and stow sails so they are secure.

• Bend on a mainsail and a headsail, and know how sails are stored, protected and cared for.
• Handle sheets and halyards correctly during tacking and gybing, and name the crew calls and actions.
• Explain when to reef or change headsail, and the hazards of sail handling (boom, flogging sails, winches, falls from the foredeck).

These cover the RYA Competent Crew syllabus items "Sail handling: bending on, hoisting and lowering sails, reefing, use of winches and jammers/clutches, stowing sails" and "Ropework: handling sheets and halyards", and the related practical items on working on deck, safety and crew communication. The Competent Crew course is a practical course with no formal exam, but the instructor will observe that you can do each of these items safely and without being prompted, and many are worth rehearsing on the pontoon before you go afloat.

The Sails and Their Parts

Every triangular sail has three corners and three edges with the same names. Learning them makes every instruction on deck instantly clear.

The diagram below shows the mainsail. Note the battens (stiffening strips in pockets across the leech) and the headboard at the top.

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The headsail is set on the forestay. A genoa is a large headsail whose clew overlaps the mast; a jib is smaller and does not overlap. On older or racing boats the luff is clipped to the forestay with hanks; on most modern cruising yachts it is rolled round the forestay on a roller-furling system. The diagram below shows the parts of the headsail.

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The control lines

• Halyards raise sails. They run from the head of the sail up to a sheave at the masthead, down inside the mast and usually back to the cockpit via a clutch.
• Sheets control the angle of a sail to the wind. The mainsheet attaches to the boom; there are two headsail sheets, one each side. The one in use is the working (or active) sheet; the other is the lazy sheet.
• Outhaul tensions the foot of the mainsail along the boom.
• Kicker (vang) pulls the boom down, stopping it lifting on a reach or run.
• Topping lift holds the end of the boom up when the mainsail is down.
• Reefing lines (pennants) pull the mainsail down to the boom at the reef points.
• Furling line rolls the headsail away round the forestay.

Types of sail you will meet

• Mainsail: the sail on the mast and boom. On a cruising yacht it may be a conventional battened sail, stowed in a stack pack or on lazy jacks (lines that guide the sail onto the boom as it drops), or rolled into an in-mast or in-boom furling system.
• Genoa: a large overlapping headsail for light to moderate winds; often 110 to 150 percent of the foretriangle.
• Working jib: a smaller non-overlapping headsail for stronger winds; easier to tack.
• Storm jib and trysail: small, strong sails in bright colours for survival conditions, normally only carried on offshore yachts.
• Cruising chute, gennaker and spinnaker: light-weather downwind sails flown from the bow. You will normally meet these only on later courses, but the skipper may brief you on them.

Sails are made of woven polyester (often sold under the trade name Dacron) or laminates. They are strong in tension but weaken with ultraviolet light, chafe and repeated flogging, so good sail handling is also sail care.

Bending on the sails

"Bending on" means fitting the sail to the boat. It is usually done once at the start of a season or the start of a trip, but you may be asked to help.

Mainsail

1. Check the boom is secured with the topping lift, the kicker slack and the mainsheet tied off.
2. Feed the luff slides or slugs into the mast track (or the bolt rope into the groove), starting at the gate in the track. Keep the sail on the boom side and avoid twisting.
3. Attach the tack to the gooseneck with the pin or shackle, and the clew to the outhaul car on the boom. Pull out the outhaul only enough to take wrinkles out of the foot.
4. Slot the battens into their pockets (the tension from the sail pushes them in) and check the elastic or ties hold them in.
5. Attach the halyard shackle to the headboard. Check it is not twisted and that its shackle pin is seized or secured with a locking clip.
6. Thread the reefing lines through their cringles and check each end is stopped with a figure of eight knot or properly attached, so it cannot run out of a block.

Headsail

1. For a roller-furling headsail, feed the luff tape into the foil's groove at the bottom, using the feeder, and hoist the halyard as you go. Attach the tack to the drum.
2. For a hanked sail, clip the hanks on one at a time from the bottom.
3. Tie the sheets to the clew with bowlines, or use sheet shackles, and lead them to the correct fairleads, outside the shrouds and inside the guardrails.
4. Check the halyard is not wrapped around the forestay.

Always tie the sheets on with stopper knots in the tails, so a sheet cannot be pulled out through a block when the sail flogs.

Halyards, clutches and winches

The diagram below shows how a halyard is routed: up the mast over the masthead sheave, down to the deck, through a clutch (a lever-operated jammer) and onto a winch. The clutch holds the line under load so the winch can be freed for other jobs.

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Clutch rules: never open a clutch on a loaded line unless the line is wrapped on a winch and you are holding the tail. A clutch released under load lets the line run out violently, burning hands and dropping the sail. Close the clutch before you take the line off the winch.

Winches

A winch is a geared drum that lets one person control loads of several hundred kilograms. Used correctly it is safe; used carelessly it can crush fingers or tear skin.

Loading a winch

Rope always goes on clockwise (viewed from above): almost all yacht winches turn clockwise only. Put the rope on from the bottom of the drum, coming in from the direction of the load. The diagram below shows the correct direction and the number of turns.

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Too few turns and the rope slips; too many and turns are more likely to ride over each other. When tacking, take in slack hand over hand with two or three turns, then add turns before the load comes on and grind in the last part.

Tailing and grinding

Tailing means pulling the free end of the rope (the tail) so the turns grip the drum. Grinding means turning the winch handle. On a standard winch one person tails while another grinds; on a self-tailing winch the rope is fed round the drum, over the stripper arm and into the toothed jaw at the top, which grips it so one person can grind with both hands.

The diagram below shows grinding a self-tailing winch.

Step by step:

1. Load the rope clockwise with enough turns for the load.
2. Pull in as much as you can by hand first: it is much faster than grinding.
3. Feed the tail into the self-tailing jaw (or have someone tail).
4. Insert the handle and push it fully home until it locks. A handle that is not fully seated can jump out.
5. Grind with smooth full circles. Most winches have two speeds: one direction of the handle is fast and light, the other slow and powerful. The drum still turns clockwise either way.
6. When trimmed, take the handle out immediately and stow it in its pocket.
7. Coil or flake the tail so it can run freely.

The photograph below shows a winch with a rope wrapped clockwise (viewed from above) and the handle being fitted or removed. Notice that the turns lie neatly, one beside the other, with the load rope entering at the bottom, and that the cleat on the right shows a proper cleated tail: this is what a tidy, safe winch looks like.

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Image: WClarke, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Easing and releasing

To ease a sheet under load, keep the rope on the winch, take the tail out of the self-tailer, and with one palm flat against the turns on the drum, let the rope surge round a little at a time. Keep your hand well back from where the rope comes on to the drum. To release completely (as in a tack), take the turns off with an upward flick of the tail, keeping fingers clear.

Riding turns (overrides)

A riding turn happens when the incoming part of the rope climbs over the turns already on the drum, jamming them solid so the line can neither be eased nor pulled in. The usual cause is the line coming on to the drum at too steep an angle, or tension being lost in the tail while grinding. The diagram below shows crossed turns and the correction.

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To clear it:

1. Shout "Override!" and stop grinding.
2. Take the load off the jammed line. Tie a rolling hitch with a spare line onto the loaded part of the sheet, lead it to another winch and wind it in until the original sheet goes slack. Alternatively, on a headsail, the helm may luff up to reduce load.
3. With the load off, unwind the crossed turns.
4. Re-load the winch correctly and ease the spare line off.

Never try to pull out a riding turn with your fingers under load, and never put your hand between the rope and the drum.

Hoisting the Mainsail

The mainsail is hoisted with the boat head to wind so the sail stays slack and does not fill while going up. This is normally done under engine just outside the marina. The diagram below shows the sequence.

Preparation

1. Remove the sail cover (or unzip the lazy bag) and stow it.
2. Check the halyard is attached to the headboard with the shackle pin done up (on a snap shackle, check it has clicked shut). Check the halyard is clear of spreaders and other halyards by looking up.
3. Check the mainsheet and kicker are eased and the reefing lines are slack, otherwise the leech cannot rise.
4. Leave the sail ties on until the boat is head to wind and the helm says "Hoist".

Hoisting

1. Helm motors slowly head to wind and calls "Ready to hoist".
2. Crew removes the sail ties and stows them in a pocket or bag, not on deck.
3. One crew pulls the halyard at the mast (fast, hand over hand) while another tails it through the clutch at the cockpit. Once it gets heavy, put it on the winch and grind the last part.
4. Watch the sail as it goes up: stop if anything snags. The commonest snags are a batten caught under a lazy jack, a reefing line not eased, or the topping lift fouling the leech.
5. Hoist until the luff is taut and small horizontal creases at the mast just disappear. The top batten should be roughly parallel to the boom.
6. Close the clutch, take the line off the winch and coil the tail.
7. Ease the topping lift (if fitted) so the sail, not the topping lift, holds the boom up.
8. Call "Main is up" so the helm knows they can bear away and sail.

Lowering and Stowing the Mainsail

The diagram below shows the dropping sequence: head to wind, release under control, gather the sail and tie it.

1. Take up the topping lift so the boom does not drop into the cockpit when the sail comes down.
2. Helm turns head to wind (usually under engine) and calls "Drop the main".
3. Put two turns of the halyard on a winch, open the clutch, and ease the halyard hand over hand. Do not let it run free; it can jam in the mast and the shackle can come down on someone's head.
4. Crew at the boom pull the luff down and flake the sail neatly from side to side on top of the boom (or let it fall into the lazy bag).
5. Secure the sail with ties straight away.
6. Clip the halyard shackle to a suitable point and tension the halyard so it does not slap against the mast.

The diagram below shows sail ties holding the stowed main to the boom.

Tie sail ties with a slipped reef knot or a simple wrap and tuck so they can be released quickly. A loose sail in a breeze flogs and can blow open, damaging the cloth and giving the boat a lot of windage.

The Headsail

Roller furling

Most cruising yachts have the headsail permanently hoisted and rolled round the forestay. A drum at the bottom of the forestay carries the furling line, which leads aft to the cockpit. The diagram below shows the drum.

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To unfurl (let out):

1. Check both sheets are led correctly and the lazy sheet is free.
2. Release the furling line from its clutch or cleat, keeping a turn round a winch or cleat so it does not run out too fast.
3. Pull on the working sheet. The sail unrolls; let the furling line pay out under control.
4. When the sail is fully out, trim the sheet for your point of sail and close the furling-line clutch.

To furl (roll in):

1. Ideally bear away to a broad reach so the main blankets the headsail, or head up so it luffs; never furl a fully loaded sail.
2. Ease the working sheet steadily while someone pulls the furling line. Keep a little tension on the sheet so the sail rolls tightly.
3. Roll until the sail has two or three turns of sheet round it, then cleat the furling line and the sheets.

If the furling line becomes very hard to pull, stop. Do not put it on a winch and force it; check for a halyard wrapped round the forestay, a riding turn on the drum or a sheet caught.

Reefing a furling headsail

Partially furling the headsail reduces its area. Ease the sheet, pull in the furling line until the desired amount is rolled away, then cleat the furling line and re-trim. Because the clew rises and moves forward as the sail is rolled, the sheet lead car usually needs to be moved forward to keep the sail's shape; check that the top and bottom luff telltales break at the same time when heading up.

Hanked-on headsails

On boats with hanked sails the headsail is hoisted and lowered like the main:

1. Bring the bag to the foredeck and tie it on. Attach the tack to the stemhead fitting.
2. Clip the hanks on the forestay from the bottom up, making sure the luff is not twisted.
3. Tie the sheets to the clew with bowlines and lead them back outside everything to the correct fairleads.
4. Attach the halyard to the head and check it runs clear.
5. Hoist with the bow into the wind or on a broad reach where the main blankets it, then sheet in.

The diagram below shows a common problem when changing or hoisting headsails: the halyard twisted around the forestay.

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Before attaching any halyard, look up and check that it runs straight from the masthead to the head of the sail without wrapping round the forestay or crossing another halyard. On a roller-furling boat, a slack spinnaker or spare halyard can also wrap round the furled genoa when the sail is rolled ("halyard wrap"), jamming the furler.

Sheet lead

The headsail sheet passes through a fairlead (often on a car on a track) on its way to the winch. The fairlead position controls how the sheet pulls on the clew. As a guide, the sheet extended forward should point roughly at the middle of the luff. If the lead is too far forward, the leech is pulled too tight and the foot goes loose; if it is too far aft, the foot is pulled tight and the top of the sail twists open and luffs early. At Competent Crew level you will be asked to move the car when the skipper requests it; on many boats the cars are marked with the usual positions for the full and reefed headsail.

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Working the Sheets: Tacking and Gybing

Most of your time as crew is spent handling sheets in manoeuvres. The RYA expects you to take your part without fuss.

Tacking

The helm calls "Ready about?". You answer "Ready" only when you are ready: the working headsail sheet on the winch with the right number of turns, the lazy sheet flaked and free to run, and your fingers and feet clear. At "Lee-oh" (or "Helm's alee") the helm steers through the wind. As the headsail starts to flap, release the working sheet with turns off the winch, and pull in the new working sheet by hand until the sail fills, then put it on the winch and grind or let the helm direct the final trim. Do not let the old sheet run out of control: it can whip and wrap itself round things.

Gybing

A gybe takes the stern through the wind with the sail filled, so the boom swings fast across the boat and can cause injury or damage. The helm calls "Stand by to gybe". The crew move the weight and head to the safe side of the cockpit and clear of the mainsheet. The mainsheet is hauled in by hand until the boom is near the centreline, the helm steers through the gybe, and the sheet is then eased quickly and smoothly. On a controlled gybe the boom hardly slams across. An accidental gybe is dangerous; for that reason, many boats rig a preventer, a line from the boom end led forward to a bow cleat and back to the cockpit, when running for a long period. Only the skipper decides when to rig one, and it must be released before any gybe.

Safety points:

• Always duck, or stay out of the sweep of the boom, in a gybe.
• Do not put your hand inside the bight of the mainsheet or a sheet in a block.
• Stay clipped on when moving to the foredeck to change a sail.

Stowing and Looking After Sails

• Never let a sail flog. Flogging (flapping) wears the stitching and cloth faster than almost anything else. Trim or lower the sail, or turn head to wind, rather than leaving a flapping sail.
• Flake or roll a lowered mainsail neatly along the boom, or into the stack pack, so it does not crease along the same lines. Use sail ties or the cover, and make sure the cover is fixed with all fasteners done up.
• Fit the UV strip on a furling headsail (the strip on leech and foot of the sail) and keep it facing outwards when furled; it protects the cloth from ultraviolet light.
• Chafe: check where the sail touches the shrouds, spreader ends, guardrails or anything else, and tape or pad sharp edges (split pins, cotter pins, sharp bolts).
• Wash and dry: salt crystals cut stitching. When you can, rinse sails with fresh water and dry before long storage.
• Report damage: a small tear or loose stitching is simple to repair now and may grow to ruin the sail in the next blow.

When to Reef or Change Down

Crew often notice the first signs before the skipper does. Tell the skipper when:

• the boat is heeled more than about 20 to 25 degrees and still gaining wind;
• the helm needs a lot of weight to hold course (heavy weather helm), or the boat keeps rounding up;
• the spray and noise are making conversation difficult;
• the forecast shows the wind is building.

As a very rough guide for a cruising yacht:

These numbers vary hugely by boat, crew and sea state; the skipper decides.

Reefing the Mainsail

Reefing means reducing sail area when the wind increases. The boat becomes more upright, easier to steer, faster and much safer. The time to reef is when you first think about it: it is easy in Force 4, hard in Force 6. Typical cruising yachts take the first reef at about 15 to 18 knots apparent wind, and the second at about 20 to 25 knots, but follow the skipper's instructions for your boat.

Slab reefing (also called jiffy reefing) pulls a section of the mainsail down to the boom. Each reef has a pair of reinforced holes (reef cringles): one on the luff, which becomes the new tack, and one on the leech, which becomes the new clew. A row of small reef points or eyelets across the sail between them can be used to tidy the loose cloth.

The four diagrams below show the procedure step by step.

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Reefing procedure

1. Prepare. Skipper briefs the crew. Everyone on deck clips on. Take up the topping lift (if fitted) so the boom does not drop. Ease the kicker.
2. Depower. Helm heads up to a close-hauled course or head to wind (often with the engine running slowly ahead to hold the bow up). Ease the mainsheet until the main is flapping. The headsail can stay drawing on many boats, which keeps the boat steady.
3. Ease the halyard. Release the main halyard under control on the winch and lower until the luff cringle of the reef you want reaches the boom. Many halyards are marked for each reef.
4. Secure the new tack. Hook the cringle over the ram's horn at the gooseneck, or on a single-line reefing system pull the luff reefing line tight.
5. Re-tension the halyard. Winch the halyard until the luff is taut again and close the clutch. Doing this before pulling down the clew stops the sail slipping off the horn.
6. Pull down the new clew. Winch in the leech reefing line until the leech cringle is pulled down tight to the boom and slightly aft. The new foot should be tight.
7. Tidy. Tie the reef points around the loose cloth only (not round the boom on a loose-footed sail; tied round the boom they can tear the sail if the reefing line slips).
8. Sail on. Ease the topping lift, tension the kicker, sheet in and bear away onto course. Coil all tails.

Shaking out a reef is the reverse: head up, untie the reef points first (always), ease the reefing line, ease off the tack, hoist the halyard to full luff tension.

Worked Example: Reefing at Sea

You are sailing close-hauled on starboard tack in a 34-foot yacht under full main and full genoa. The wind has built from 12 to 19 knots apparent; the boat is heeling 25 degrees and the helm is fighting weather helm. The skipper calls for the first reef. The diagram below summarises the sequence used.

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00:00 Skipper: "We are going to put in the first reef. Ben on the helm, Sara at the mast, you on the mainsheet and halyard." Everyone clips on to the jackstay or cockpit strong points.

00:20 You take up the topping lift two turns on the winch until the boom lifts slightly, and ease the kicker.

00:40 Ben heads up to about 35 degrees off the wind with the engine in gear at low revs; the genoa still draws and keeps the boat steady. You ease the mainsheet about a metre: the main flogs gently.

01:00 You put two turns of the main halyard on the winch, open the clutch and ease. Sara at the mast pulls the luff down until the first-reef cringle reaches the gooseneck and hooks it on the ram's horn. She calls "Tack on!"

01:30 You winch the halyard up until the luff is tight and close the clutch.

01:50 You put the first-reef line on the winch and grind until the leech cringle is snug down on the boom. Sara calls "Clew down!"

02:20 Ben bears away back on course, you trim the mainsheet and ease the topping lift. Heel drops to 15 degrees, speed stays at 6 knots, and the tiller feels light. Sara ties the reef points loosely round the bundled foot.

02:50 All tails coiled, handles stowed. Skipper: "Well done, that's the first reef in."

Worked Example: Hoisting the Main and Getting Under Way

This is a typical sequence on the pontoon and just outside the harbour, in a 10 metre yacht with a roller-furling genoa and a slab-reefed main on lazy jacks.

1. At the berth. Remove the mainsail cover and tie it away, take off the sail ties, check the halyard runs clear and is clipped to the headboard, check the mainsheet is slack and the kicker eased.
2. Leaving the harbour. Under engine, go into open water head to wind. Skipper: "We will hoist the main." The crew clip on; you tail and a second crew member hoists.
3. Hoisting. The halyard runs up with 4 to 6 pulls, about 12 metres of halyard for a 12 metre luff. At about the last metre it becomes hard; put the halyard on the winch with 2 turns and grind until the luff creases just disappear. Close the clutch.
4. Check. Look up: the sail slides run freely, no batten has caught on the lazy jacks, the head is tight to the masthead.
5. Fall off. The helm bears away to a close reach, and the crew sheet in the main. Ease the kicker or adjust it as needed.
6. Unroll the genoa. Release the furling line while pulling the working sheet. At 5 to 6 knots of wind the genoa unrolls quickly. Cleat the furling line.
7. Check the whole set-up and coil all tails.

A winch gives a mechanical advantage of roughly 10:1 to 40:1 depending on size and gear, which is why a modest effort on the handle can tension a halyard that you could never hold by hand. It is also why the clutch must be closed before you stop winching: the load will run the line out of your hands.

Exam Tips: What the Instructor Looks For

• You announce what you are doing and wait for a reply before easing a sail or opening a clutch.
• You keep a hand for yourself, wear a lifejacket and clip on when instructed.
• You handle ropes neatly: coiled tails, no rope in the cockpit sole, clean winch turns.
• You ask if you are not sure rather than guess. Instructors prefer a question to a mistake.
• You are aware of the boom and others' fingers.
• You can name every line and every part of a sail without having to point.

Common Mistakes

• Hoisting with the sail ties still on or the mainsheet tight. The sail tears or jams. Always check: cover off, ties off, mainsheet and kicker eased, reefing lines slack.
• Hoisting with the boat not head to wind. The sail fills, battens catch on the lazy jacks or shrouds and the halyard becomes very heavy. Ask the helm to adjust.
• Opening a clutch on a loaded line without the line on a winch. It runs out uncontrollably. Wrap the winch first.
• Winding the winch the wrong way or putting the rope on anticlockwise. The rope slips off. Clockwise, from the bottom, every time.
• Riding turns. Keep tension on the tail, load the drum from the bottom and stop as soon as one appears. Never put fingers in.
• Leaving the winch handle in the winch. It can be flung out or a sheet can catch it. Remove it every time.
• Forcing a jammed furling line onto a winch. It can break the furler. Stop, look, and find the cause.
• Reefing too late. Waiting until the boat is overpowered makes every step heavier and more dangerous. Reef early, and shake out when the wind drops.
• Tying reef points round the boom. On loose-footed mains this tears the sail if the reefing line slips. Tie round the bunched sail only.
• Letting the boom drop when lowering the main. It can hit people in the cockpit. Take up the topping lift first.

Safety Notes

• Keep fingers, hair and clothing well clear of winch drums and of the point where the rope enters a clutch or block.
• Wear sailing gloves when handling sheets and halyards under load.
• Never stand in the bight (loop) of a line under load: if something breaks or slips, the line straightens instantly.
• When working at the mast in any sea, clip on and keep one hand for yourself.
• A flogging headsail clew and sheets can strike hard enough to injure; keep heads clear of a flogging sail.
• Always tell the helm what you are about to do, and wait for an acknowledgement before letting a sail go.

Summary

• Every sail has a head, tack, clew, luff, leech and foot. Halyards hoist sails, sheets control their angle.
• Load winches clockwise from the bottom, with more turns for higher loads. Push the handle fully home, grind smoothly, and remove the handle afterwards.
• Clear riding turns by taking the load off with a rolling hitch and another winch; never with fingers under load.
• Hoist and lower the main head to wind, with mainsheet and kicker eased and topping lift set. Check for snags and secure with sail ties immediately.
• Unfurl by releasing the furling line under control and pulling the sheet; furl by easing the sheet while pulling the furling line. Never force a jammed furler.
• Check halyards run clear of the forestay before hoisting.
• Slab reefing: depower, ease halyard, secure new tack, re-tension halyard, pull down new clew, tidy, sail on. Reef early.

Check Your Understanding

1. Name the three corners of a sail and say what attaches to each on a headsail.

Answer: Head (halyard), tack (stemhead fitting or furling drum), clew (sheets).

2. Which way do you load a sheet onto a yacht winch, and how many turns would you use for a heavily loaded genoa sheet?

Answer: Clockwise viewed from above, from the bottom of the drum. Four to five turns for a heavy load.

3. You are tailing a genoa sheet and notice that the incoming rope has climbed over the turns and jammed. What do you shout and what do you do?

Answer: Shout "Override!" and stop grinding. Take the load off the jammed sheet with a rolling hitch on a spare line led to another winch (or luff up to reduce load), then unwind the crossed turns once they are slack. Never put fingers into the turns under load.

4. Give four checks before hoisting the mainsail.

Answer: Boat head to wind; cover off and sail ties removed; halyard attached securely and running clear aloft; mainsheet, kicker and reefing lines eased. (Also: topping lift set, crew clear of the boom.)

5. Why should you never open a halyard clutch without the line on a winch?

Answer: The load in the line would make it run out uncontrollably, burning hands, dropping the sail or boom and possibly letting the shackle fall from aloft.

6. The furling line suddenly becomes very hard to pull. What should you do?

Answer: Stop pulling and look for the cause, such as a halyard wrapped round the forestay, a riding turn on the drum or a sheet caught. Do not put it on a winch and force it.

7. Put these reefing steps in the correct order: pull down new clew; ease the halyard; depower by heading up and easing mainsheet; secure the new tack; re-tension the halyard; tidy reef points and sail on.

Answer: Depower; ease the halyard; secure the new tack; re-tension the halyard; pull down the new clew; tidy reef points and sail on.

8. Why should reef points be tied round the gathered sail and not round the boom?

Answer: If the reefing line slips or stretches, the load would come onto the reef points; tied round the boom they can tear the sail. Round the loose cloth only, they just keep it tidy.

9. When is the right time to reef?

Answer: As soon as you first think it might be needed, typically when the boat starts to heel excessively and develops heavy weather helm. Reefing is far easier and safer before the boat is overpowered, and it is simple to shake a reef out later.

10. Before lowering the mainsail, why should the topping lift be taken up?

Answer: So that the boom is held up when the sail no longer supports it; otherwise the boom drops into the cockpit and can hit crew.

11. What is the purpose of a preventer, and when must it be released?

Answer: A preventer is a line from the boom end led forward and back to the cockpit, to stop an accidental gybe when running. It must be released before a deliberate gybe, and only the skipper decides when to rig or release it.

12. Name four signs that it is time to reef or change down a headsail.

Answer: Excessive heel (more than 20 to 25 degrees); heavy weather helm and the boat rounding up; the sails flogging or slamming as the boat is over-pressed; a forecast of building wind; crew becoming uncomfortable or soaked. Reef early, before the boat is overpowered.