We have been watching the GRIB file forecasts that indicate increasing winds tonight and the next few days. In anticipation of that, we decided to put a reef in both the roller furling mainsail and jib, while it was still daylight.

The Jib, however, would not cooperate, as there was an override on the roller furling drum. This would be the result of unrolling the jib without maintaining sufficient tension on the furling line.

So we had to remove the headsail the old fashioned way - dropping it to the deck - while I tried, and eventually succeeded, in untangling the line on the furling drum.

The lesson learned is this: always reef with plenty of extra time before you HAVE to. We were fortunate to have 2 hours to drop the sail, sort out the problem, and rehoist the sail, before it got dark and windy.

It is now night time, and we have been sailing with a double reef in both the jib and the mainsail, yet we are nevertheless maintaining 6 knots speed.