Crikey! That looks like a hefty old boat. As I see it you have a number of options. You say the main boom is 7 to 8 feet above the
deck but it doesnt look quite so high off the coachroof. Can't see the mizzen boom so clearly.
Easiest & cheapest is to fit a stackpack with lazyjacks, & also mast steps up to within reach of the boom on both masts. You then fit six reefing lines on the
mainsail for 1st, 2nd & 3rd reef. 3 new lines to pull down on the luff, and the 3 separate (existing?) lines for the leech. (You might only need 1 or 2
reefs for the mizzen?)
These lines can run back to the
cockpit or be operated at the mast, as you choose. At the mast will mean a
lot less friction in the system. Make sure your sail slides are well lubricated (McLube Sailcote) & you can use the 3rd reef line as a downhaul when dropping the sail (or you could fit a downhaul line to the headboard, maybe running within the reef line rings? - that way you could get the sail all the way down while staying on the deck.)
Your stackpack is your built in
sail cover, but you still need access to it at the start & end of the weekend so as to zip it up & also fit the bonnet around the mast to cover the front of the sail. Thats what the mast steps are for & hopefully you can reach up to the zip from the coachroof or
cockpit seats?
You may choose/need to tie a cord to the zip slider to give extra length to reach it. If you do that, I strongly suggest you fit 2 zips to the stackpack, one for the front half, one for the back half of the stackpack, arranged so that when the sail is UP, the zip sliders & their cords are in the middle of the boom, so there is no chance of them getting caught up in the reefing line when reefing & then pulled right inside the boom (also breaking the zip & maybe jamming the reef line). I wish I had done it that way myself the first time....
2nd option & definitely would be my favourite is to do that as above but also retrofit your sails so they are fully battened, with roller cars on the track. Your sails will drop like venetian blinds - you wont need any downhauls. Dont grab the moving halliard (even if you are wearing gloves.)
Your other options are going to be the most expensive - to retrofit either in-mast or i-boom furling systems. I'm guessing you will also need new sails for either of those options.
Hope that helps.