Reefing and strange Rams horns.....

[Windrider]

I’ve recently been lucky enough to buy a top hat after over a year of admiring it. I am now of course finding a few details I’m unsure of and would love to pick the group’s brains if I may. Specifically, the first time I went to reef I noticed there were no rams horns on the mast to take the reefing ring in the sail. All there was instead were a couple of hooks with a line leading to the cockpit (a bit frayed) as you can see in the picture. Can anyone tell me are these hooks what passes for ramen horns, or are they something else entirely.
Many thanks!

[Phillip]

Windrider,

Betting here I can say "how is WA these days"?

Those hooks are your horns that would be on the boom but with a line going back to the cockpit you can adjust the tension.
The other line I presume is to tighten the leach down onto the boom for that reef. I see one on the port side as well for the second reef point.

Does that work?

[Windrider]

Ha ha, yes indeed! We’re hoping it’s just a 3 day lockdown....

Many thanks for the reply and the info Phillip; I didn’t want to reef with those hooks and rely on them just in case they weren’t intended for that purpose! I really appreciate it

All the best
David

[Tales]

Hi David,
The lines will only hold the sail down but not forward and when the leech reefing line is pulled on there will be too much load on the slugs on the luff.
There is a hook on the starboard side of the mast, perhaps the line has to be lead through it so that it will pull forward and down?
Cheers,
Tom