Inflexible drive to stay on schedule caused the greatest airline disaster of all time. When we consider taking our Macs onto big water, the ability to evaluate conditions, regardless of a weather report, and say, nope, we're not going out today, is simply good seamanship. Experience teaches that tur...

A MacX is a great boat for enjoying the San Juan Islands and I’ve made several trips both with my wife, other family members and solo. Check out my Youtube video featuring the islands: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J4ES4-P0Ug When wife and I travel, we like to spend several days at one spot rather...

I bought LED lights at West Marine two summers ago, back them into the river without disconnecting and they've held up just fine. I also had a ground lug welded to the trailer. Since then, I've avoided a lot of lights work, lights don't work stress.

Check out my Youtube vid to see very simple rigging and flying of an a-sail on my 1998 MacX.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OxykDlvc1M

An A-sail is easy to handle and a lot of fun in light air.

Hi Jeff, Seems to me, the original post was about wind speeds for getting acquainted with sailing the Mac. I see you’re in Victoria BC which is a wonderful place to have a Mac. I have had my X up their several times after crossing from Port Angeles and have been west to Sooke Harbor twice, including...

There is some talk about a one design Mac fleet participating in SYSCO (Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon) races. I thought I would toss out the question to Portland area sailors on this board. Anyone interested in racing? If three or more boats are available, a separate start / class will be offer...

Sailing single handed to wind in a breeze of 20-21 mph with gusts of 26-30 (17kn, gusts to 25.5kn) in protected waters is a lot of fun with a reefed main and standard jib. While Mac X & M models are not race boats, there is no reason not to join informal or ‘beer can races’. But first, skippers ...

An asymmetrical spinnaker (A-sail) delivers most of the performance and all of the beauty of a regular spinnaker with a fraction of the effort. This is what you need to fly an a-sail from your Mac: An a-sail A tack line; about ten inches of line shackled to the forestay base Sheets twice your boat’s...

Thanks for the nice comments. It’s great to get a boost with yesterday being the worst day of the year; take out for the winter day. :( As for flying an a-sail solo, it is pretty easy. Anyone comfortable with single handed sailing and who doesn’t mid clambering around on the cabin top should be fine...

A video about sailing my 1998 Mac 26x, ‘Meet My Boat 3’, is finally finished. The first few minutes are about sailing in light air with an asymmetric spinnaker and show rigging, trim, raising and dousing. The video concludes with sailing under main and jib in winds around 15 knots, running, reaching...

Yep, as Highlander posted; sheet out. In the conditions you describe, a reefed main and standard jib should have worked well. Even so, a quick hand on the mainsheet is necessary. As you sailed in the lee of the anchored boats, you were somewhat sheltered, but out of the wind shadow, a gust can hit w...

Flying my Doyle jib and full batten mainsail to wind, I reef when the boat is consistently heeled over 30 degrees because the Mac makes too much leeway. I don’t have an anemometer, but a good rule of thumb is that when white caps begin to blow up on flat water with no current, the wind speed is arou...

Mods are a function of how you wish to enjoy your boat. I prefer to keep it simple primarily to maximize sailing potential. Every racer knows that weight is the enemy of performance. And of course, if you don’t buy it, it won’t cost you! That said, safety comes first. Beyond the legal basics, I have...

That is a beautiful image and a reminder that all of us who heed the call to sea and river and lake are blessed.

Getting the kids into sailing is job one. Well done! Of course, nothing beats racing and the saying that whenever two or more sailboats are on the water, it’s a race, is too true. My experience is that in winds over 10 knots, the jib outperforms a semi-furled 150 Genoa; upwind, that is. The 150 is g...