solo sailing and setting the main

[phil0044]

I just recently bought a 2008 MacGregor and have had trouble setting the main single-handed. The boat sits high on the water and doesn't want to stay facing the wind while I attach the main, put in the battons, and hoist the sail. Any suggestions?

[davidbagnall]

Congrats on the Mac

You mention putting in battons. Do you take them out each time? If so don't bother they are fine left in.

If you want to have some control of your boat when raising the main while single handing this is what I do. I raise the jib first and put the boat into Heave To (do a search on this site if you don't know how to do it) which gives me all the time I need to raise the main etc. Another tick I use if I want just to keep the bow in the wind for a short while is to use a sea anchor off the bow. This is the one I use but I guess you should be able to find similar closer to you. http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemd ... lutePage=1 I also find that setting the sea anchor off the stern while at anchor tends to reduce the swinging at anchor.
Cheers
Dave

[Wind Chime]

I solo sail a lot myself.

I have all sheets, halyards, tack lines, down-haul, etc. run aft to the cockpit. Even the bow dock lines.

- I leave the battons in all year. (take them out at end of year only)
- The mainsail is always attached on the mast (exept if trailoring)
- I take both sail covers off before leaving the dock.
- motor into wind and keep in gear but at low idle, tie off stearing so it stays into wind.
- main goes up in probably 10 seconds in cockpit. (1 pull per/second, 3 feet per/pull = 30feet)
- if windy, I put the single jiffy-reef in the main at the dock before I leave (easier to shakeout than put-in)

Good luck, have fun, and be safe!

[ronacarme]

Ditto Wind Chime, except I don't have lines (except sheets of course) led to the cockpit, and my steering is stiff enuf not to need tying off to hold course.
A Spinlock mainsail feeder guides the luffrope of the main smoothly and reliably into the mast groove, so the main goes up as fast as you can pull the halyard and the boat does not have steer itself for more than a minute or two.
Ron

[phil0044]

I should have stated that I trailer the boat, so I'm putting up the mast each time I sail and attaching the main sail. I tried to heave to, but it didn't seem to work, thats why I thought the boat sitting high in the water was overriding the jenny set at heave to. I'll give it another go next sailing trip.

[davidbagnall]

I trailer my boat as well and I haven't bothered running all lines aft so I'm up on deck just like you. I have never had a problem putting my X into heave to but I couldn't imagine that it would be different for a M. Have you installed a topping lift? If not you should put it on your "to do list" as it makes life soooo much easier.

[K9Kampers]

As for "attaching the main", this is best done right after raising the mast, whether on the trailer before launching or at the dock. Mastraising & attaching mainsail on openwater is best done at anchor - unless there is no wind at all. Having the main already tied off on the boom and at the ready is far easier than trying to do it all while "in irons". Even so, sometimes I drift & start sailing before I've got the main cleated!

[atzserv]

I have an 06 26M. The Heave-to is a wonderful tool. I don't know why it didn't work for you but keep trying, it is worth the effort. I get an amazing stress level drop once heaved-to and makes raising the main alot easier. I added lines aft and that helps also. If winds are high enough I have to go around 4 knots to stay into the wind and that is with an autopilot and in limited areas it uses up water quick. I read about others and one even said the heave-to puts the bow into the wind. I find this is not true, but I have a boomkicker and I ease the boomvang and mainsheet out all the way and I just shake the main as it is raising to get the battens past the swept back spreaders. Once raised letting the sheet that is backwinding the genoa free and setting the line on the other side, the boat is now moving and the main needs setting and you are on your way, just too cool. Lowering the main I heave-to also. It gives you lots of time to secure the main peacefully and stress free. I got the speedyrigger dvds and at the end of the one dvd Jeff shows the heave-to procedure, I adopted it instantly !!, Thanks Jeff. The way I remember what to do is whatever the backwinded genoa direction the sail is pointing I turn the wheel the other way, there will be a little movement of the boat for a few seconds while it finds its settling point but you will know when you have done it right for sure.

Good luck with your new boat.

Gary

[c130king]

I ditto the recommendation to put the sail on the mast ready to raise either on the trailer or tied up to a dock. But obviously it can be done while moving.

I have sail slugs so I don't have to feed the bolt rope into the slot...this is a must do, very easy, and very cheap mod in my opinion. Makes raising/lowering the main a breeze. Lots of threads on this.

My halyards are led to the cockpit so it only takes about 10-15 seconds max to raise the main. Motoring at about 2-3 kts my will just point into the wind long enough to do this. I just bought a "Poor Man's Autopilot" from KH Marine...haven't installed yet...this should help hold the heading...at least I hope it will. But many seem to just use a bungee to tied off the steering.

I have never tried to Heave To yet...it is only my list of things to learn.

Good Luck,
Jim

[Oskar 26M]

Fitting sail slugs and lazy jacks make raising and lowering the main single handed a lot easier. The slugs can be connected to the mast while the sail is down, along with the mainsail halyard. Then it is just an easy pull on the halyard to raise the sail. Lazy jacks make dropping the main a lot easier too.

[opie]

Remember to use a sail-stop in the groove to prevent the sail lugs from coming out when you lower the sail for reefing or any other reason.

[bubba]

A couple weeks ago My wife and I were coming into Fairhaven near Bellimgham and a blue hull M was going out and starting to raise the main sail while the boat was on a broad reach and the main was not luffing, and the wind was from the NW at 8 mph. Was that you phil0044 ? That looked scarry. Do you use your motor to keep the boat into the wind and waves? It was choppie and someone was on the deck by the mast trying to raise the wind filled main without using the winch.
If that was you, you need the basic lessons BWY offers, before you get out in the average Bellimgham bay's 5 to 6 ft swells before bad trouble finds you. Sorry we had a dinner to go to and had to break down our M and trailor it across the Cascades or we could have tried to help.
The day we went out we had at least 5 ft swells and 22 mph wind so we only put up the 3rd reef about 14 ft of sail, we averaged 4.5 mph on a broad reach (a very easy sail with min splash, my wife who was skippering that day) and as we turned north by Lummy Island we averaged 7.5 down wind only on the 3rd reef and maby half the jib.
We hope to be back in a couple weeks to visit our friends on Lummy island. Is Fairhaven's dry storage where you keep your blue M ? I saw 3 Mac's at there dry storage. We liked parking our truck and trailor there, it is free parking for 7 days and longer with arraingements from the ferry dock folks, also the parking lot is a favirite parking place for the border patrol keeping vandolism down.

[2BonC]

Doe to my limited sailors English I didn´t know what was ment by "heave to".
After googling I found a very clear demo, here.



ModsEdit: resolving the URL
Great video! ~fc

[tangentair]

Phil
I too trailer and unless I am not thinking clearly, I have the main all rigged and ready to pull up before I leave the dock. I also try to remember to spray the slugs/track with sailkote slippery stuff to aid in it going all the way up. The last thing I want (though I have had on far to many occassions) is to be out there trying to head into the wind (I also keep the engine running to make headway into the wind) clear tangled lines (after I rig the sail, I like to hook a small bunge from the halyard down to the reefing point IF THERE ARE NO WAVES and someone can quickly remove it once we are clear of the launch site - but I always snug the halyards to keep them from tangling) and get the sails up without loosing someone overboard. The suggestions here are right on, I would just add that if you haven't run your lines aft, do so and that way you can prep your sails before launch and raise them without ever leaving the security of the cockpit.

[bubba]

If phil's Mac is the one I saw he does not have sluggs or an auto feed for the main, and the main sheet was not left loose and the boat started sailing before the main was half way up. Lots of additions to do. Maby some advice for a boat with no sluggs and no main sail auto feed setup in 10 mph breeze.