Sails and Reefing

When I got the boat in 2024, the mainsail was probably original, and the 135% roller furling Genoa was only a bit younger. I spent $750 getting the roller-furling Genoa repaired and a new luff sewn on. The mainsail was still in surprisingly good condition but was too baggy. I bought a used stock mainsail from Bacon Sails in Maryland, which is in good overall condition and is still nice and flat.

                                            New jib and new-used mainsail in >10 knots

The Harken Mk 3 roller furler is an upgrade from the standard Catalina fitment and works well. I did spend a lot of time installing some new roller fairleads for the furling line. However, none of the reefing on the mainsail was working when I bought the boat. As I mainly sail solo in windy San Francisco Bay, this was one of my first priorities. I experimented with the standard Catalina single line reefing and found it to be too slow, and with too much friction. I installed independent reefing lines with clutches for the first and second reef at the mainsail luff, and a 3rd line with its own clutch for the clew which can be unclipped and moved for first or second reef. So, this gives me slab reefing using one cabin-top winch for the luff, and the other cabin-top winch for the clew of the mainsail. Reefing this way is smooth and powerful for both the first and second reef. This is crucial for me as a solo sailor in the windy Bay, and allows me to pull in the mainsail reefs irrespective of conditions. 

My reefing setup is entirely shaped by the Bay weather. In Summer (when I sail the most) the wind is blowing a true 20 knots most afternoons if you are sailing in the area between the Golden Gate Bridge and a line towards Point Blunt on Angel Island. That means a constant 20 knot breeze, regularly gusting to 25 knots or more. If you are sailing to windward at 5 knots, that is 25 knots apparent wind speed, gusting to 30 knots. This is really different to most sailing towns, and I am often perplexed by descriptions by Catalina sailors about how perfectly sized the rig is and how easy it is to sail. That might be true in San Diego, or the Chesapeake, but not SF Bay. My opinion of the rig size is that it is designed to be fully powered up at 10 knots true wind speed with the 130% Genoa. Many folk sail with plenty of rail meat which would extend that to 15 knots. 

                                                    New Ullman 90% Jib in >10 knots

Single handed, the boat is a joy with all sails powered up in a 10 knot breeze, but needs the first mainsail reef and some jib furled in at 15 knots. In 20 knots, it needs both mainsail reefs and a smaller jib (remember this is single handed). What became clear to me early on, is that the standard head sails are just too large for Summer SF Bay conditions, particularly, as the sail shape is poor when partially furled.  

                                        New Ullman Jib in 10-15 knots apparent in Half Moon Bay

To fix this, I bought a brand new Ullman 90% furling jib (224 sq ft), and I use it for the Summer months. I switch to the 130% Genoa for the Winter, when I am much more likely to encounter low wind days (ironic, right?). The 90% jib will still fill and pull in a 5 knot breeze, and really comes into its own around 15 knots. At 20 knots it still needs to be rolled in a bit, but nothing like what the 135% requires. 

On a typical Summer afternoon, I can comfortably sail the boat in the 20 - 25 knot gusting conditions on my own without over-exerting myself. I will have wound in two reefs on the mainsail, and a roll or two on the 90% jib depending how strong the gusts are.

Costs:

$721       Genoa repair Hood Sails Sausalito

$750       Newer used Catalina 320 mainsail

$1695     Brand new Ullman 90% jib (got a good deal)

$?           Reefing rigging and hardware (quite a bit)

$3,166    Total (minimum)