Reef Guide — When to Reef

Reef Guide answers the question every gust makes you ask: is it time yet? REEF FOR THE GUSTS, NOT THE AVERAGE Enter the mean wind and the gust. The recommendation weights toward the gust, not the average — because that is the load your rig actually feels, and a wide spread between mean and gust is exactly what a simple average hides. NO INSTRUMENTS? READ THE BOAT The rail buried and staying there. Steering to spill wind rather than to steer. Weather helm creeping in. Five signs that work as well as any anemometer, for the boats that do not carry one. YOUR BOAT'S OWN CHART Generic thresholds are a starting point, not your boat. Log the wind every time you actually reef, and this becomes a personal chart for your specific hull, rig and crew. WORKS OFFLINE No GPS, no account, no signal. The generic thresholds are a starting point for a mid-size cruising monohull upwind — not your boat, your sea state, or your crew. Reef earlier in steep seas or with a tired crew. The skipper decides.