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OK, I know that we should all reef early and often, but if you are like me, sometimes you are already getting heavier winds when it dawns on you to pull down the reef.

Pulling down the reef during a fast run can be no fun.

Especially because the Catalina-installed reef lines have only marginal force to be able to both pull the main sail DOWN, and then also BACK.

So, I constructed a simple block and tackle to grab and pull, lowering the main into a position where the Catalina-installed reef lines can take over and finish the job of final position.

The result is a well reefed sail that you can pull down even under some load.

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