And quite frankly, the sense of accomplishment and confidence you will have when you have navigated your vessel through your first heavy weather, successfully reefed sail and made it to the safe side of the storm to see the sun shine again, can not be overstated. In olden days the first reef was known as the ‘slab’ and this term has rattled down over the years to describe the various methods of slab reefing. Actually the terminology surrounding this whole subject is vague, with different definitions describing different methods in different parts of the world. Usually, the words ‘line’, ‘pennant’ or ‘pendant’ are interchangeable and describe the various ropes used in lowering and securing the sail. On this dive, the currents were so strong that the divers unhooked and just went with the flow to avoid any risks like losing regulators or masks Each reef point on the main sail should have its own hook; it is advisable to rig each hook with a tight lashing or to protect it with neoprene to prevent impact on the boom. You will note that your sail looks a bit smaller and perhaps even a bit awkward with all that extra fabric bunched up at the bottom and a bare pole at the top.

When attaching yourself to the reef hook, use a sturdy attachment point that is strong enough to support your weight.Avoid putting too much weight on the hook or pulling too hard on the reef. This can cause damage to the surrounding ecosystem and potentially harm the wildlife that lives there. No line stretch - Textiles stretch under load. In a pennant system, line stretch is unavoidable and contributes to a loss of performance. A reefing hook avoids this, ensuring mainsail shape is stable and maintained.A classic scene at Palau’s Blue Corner: Getting in front of the divers to hook in makes sure there aren’t any bubble streams in the image Look for a spot on the reef suitable for anchoring a reef hook. This should be an area that is away from delicate coral or other sensitive organisms and should be strong enough to withstand the force of the current. 2-Deploy the reef hook Affordable and powerful electric winch handle Ewincher has recently introduced their new electric winch handle - Ewincher SE, which stands for Special Edition. At a first glance it's difficult to find the difference from Ewincher 2, but somehow the price is considerably lower. Posted on 7 Sep Defending your boat Currents: The ultimate double-edged sword of underwater photography. They often bring nutrient-rich waters and a plethora of life such as schooling fish, sharks, and bright coral. But they can also make it pretty difficult to dive in, let alone operate a bulky underwater camera. Here a single line is reeved as shown in the drawing below. This is a simple and inexpensive arrangement, making it a predictable favourite among boat manufacturers and sailmakers looking for an easy option. Unfortunately, the cumulative friction can make for heavy going – firstly in taking in the reef and later when it comes to shaking it out again. It looks like an attractive arrangement and might serve acceptably on the smallest boats or those which only expect to take a very occasional reef;

I also have seen skippers confuse their halyards with in-mast roller furlers with cataclysmic results. Getting to Palau and gearing up for the long-awaited diving experience of a lifetime is best done with the right equipment but there is one piece of scuba diving equipment, you might be familiar with, and therefore we would like to introduce it here: The Reef hook! In this article we will explain more about: The type of current that you have no chance of fighting for any amount of time is exactly when the reef hook is the most useful. If you were to try and maintain your position without a reef hook in these currents, you would burn through your breathing gas in no time. You would be exhausted and, CO2 will build up increasing the odds you get bend.Shaking the reef out literally becomes a matter of shaking the knot out, and raising the sail all the way. Once the reef hook is securely anchored, attach yourself to it by clipping your safety line or another attachment point to the hook. Be sure to use a strong and secure attachment point, and avoid putting too much weight on the hook or pulling too hard on the reef. 4-Observe the environment