1st pics & Magnificent Maiden Voyage!

[Doug W]

FINALLY!!!! Although I was prepared to sail in snow, I drove up to Nebraska to pick up my and we had a perfect break in the weather. Warm for November, Dry, clear with nice wind!

The guys at Super Sport were great! I tell you, the tow-beast never looked so good! Here, Gary is helping me rig her for the first time at Johnson Lake:



Winds were mild but picked up in the afternoon! Yes, we could have let the sheets out on the main and genny but this was toooo much fun!!!
Close hulled on a port tack:


This was a nice touch by the Marina:


We put her through speed and manuverability paces then raised both Genoa and Main taking her through all points of sail with me steering or working the sheets. All in All, a successful and Magnificent maiden voyage of-->un-named M<--!!!
Now.... to name her! I've still got a half dozen names floating around my head! I drove her home feeling truly humbled to have such a great boat!

Cheers!!!
Doug

[rfrye94760]

Doug
She's a beauty, congratulations!
Bob

[Doug W]

Thanks! I was smitten the moment I saw her. I'm sure everyone else was like that too when they first laid eyes on their boat!

[NiceAft]

Doug,

You made me smile.

Nice Aft is sitting in my driveway, high and dry on her trailer. I haven't yet stoked up the energy to place the tarp on her, and finally put her to sleep for the winter, when here you come and post with enough energy to power a large city. Thanks, I needed that I am truly glad that your maiden voyage was such a good one. Just think what the spring will bring.

Best of luck with the naming, and be sure to let us know what the final choice is.


Ray

[c130king]

Congrats!!

A question about your first pic...did you trailer or back her down the ramp with the motor down?

Just wondering.

Cheers,
Jim

[puggsy]

Nice!...looks just like my ex...SEAHORSE...now the fun starts...ALL THE MODS....YAHOO!

[FLembo18]

Best of luck with your new 2010 Mac (Blue), life is good ! I enjoyed looking at your 1st sail pic's and to see that you had a grand time on the water.

[Finn]

Hello Doug,

I can still remember that feeling on the first day. Congratulations on your first grand day sailing. I wish you many happy hours ahead.

Finn

[Québec 1]

Congratulations,
You will continue to Have a good time on your boat and the first sail is always a hoot, no matter what happens. I bought my boat in Stockton Springs Main on the 11th of May 2008 and went out for 4 days with my 16 year old son for four days this is what it looked like when I came back to trailer my sailor and drive back to Canada.
Q1
http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/ii12 ... nt=b70.flv

[Doug W]

this is what it looked like when I came back to trailer my sailor and drive back to Canada.
Q1
http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/ii12 ... nt=b70.flv

Wow, Q1! Did you end up wading in and walking it onto the trailer? That pier/dock was a long way from the ramp and your trailer!

I was fortunate, light winds with no real current. The dock was a few feet from the edge of the ramp. Even then, I'm glad that nobody was on the ramp or in the cove waiting. The wind was blowing her away from the ramp side of the dock. I do not have a depth finder yet so being cautious, I brought her in DB up and one rudder down. It took me 5 or 6 tries to get her in and the stern swung into the dock so that Gary from Super Sport could hop out with the lines. She kept blowing away from the dock. I can see I'll be practicing in all sorts of conditions before the season starts up in earnest.

We walked her onto the trailer without even trying to drive onto the trailer. I believe that I'll run a line from each guide post to the winch post when putting onto the trailer in the future to help prevent it slipping sideways!

[Doug W]

Congrats!!

A question about your first pic...did you trailer or back her down the ramp with the motor down?

Just wondering.

Cheers,
Jim

I backed it in with the motor about 1/2 way up, ballast valve open. Was surprised that there was an inch of water in the cone in the vberth when the ballast was full. Putting her in was the easy part. Getting back onto the trailer was challenging; far more difficult than my old 19' runabout. Hats off to everyone who can do it in more adverse conditions!!!

Doug

[Québec 1]

this is what it looked like when I came back to trailer my sailor and drive back to Canada.
Q1
http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/ii12 ... nt=b70.flv

Wow, Q1! Did you end up wading in and walking it onto the trailer? That pier/dock was a long way from the ramp and your trailer!

I was fortunate, light winds with no real current. The dock was a few feet from the edge of the ramp. Even then, I'm glad that nobody was on the ramp or in the cove waiting. The wind was blowing her away from the ramp side of the dock. I do not have a depth finder yet so being cautious, I brought her in DB up and one rudder down. It took me 5 or 6 tries to get her in and the stern swung into the dock so that Gary from Super Sport could hop out with the lines. She kept blowing away from the dock. I can see I'll be practicing in all sorts of conditions before the season starts up in earnest.

We walked her onto the trailer without even trying to drive onto the trailer. I believe that I'll run a line from each guide post to the winch post when putting onto the trailer in the future to help prevent it slipping sideways!

Nah, just motored her on to the trailer. Once I got the boat half way onto the trailer it would not go any farther ....no matter how hard I powered the motor. Eventually I realized the dagger board was still sticking out just enough to hook up on the trailer, so I hauled the DB up . Then I trailer-ed it and found it was not forward enough on the trailer so I had to back up .dump the boat back in the water and re trailer it. Didn't get my feet wet and had no problem hauling it back home over the Appalacian mountains to Canada with my Buick. I'll never forget it!
Q1

p.s. by the way this is what a 6 year old blue hull which was well maintained looks like!

[c130king]

I was just wondering when I saw your motor down. Water inside the damn in the V-Berth is not a big deal. If you want, insert the plug and then mop up the half liter to a liter with a sponge or towell. I just leave it in there...would have to heel probably 50-60 degrees to spill it.

I have never loaded onto the trailer in "bad" conditions...at least as far as wind or current is concerned. But once, at St. Augustine, Florida, it was an extremely low tide and the "channel" leading to the wide ramp (which had no docks) was only about 12" deep at best...and that is a guess because my depth guage wouldn't get a reading with all the mud I was kicking up. I had emptied my ballast and I squished my way in with the board up and the rudders dragging. The motor was up to the point that only about half the prop was in the water. There was a little wind 90 degrees off the ramp which made it almost impossible to keep from being blown off.

There were several folks there watching me (mostly in John Boats with flat bottoms)...including the Fish & Wildlife guys in their RIB. Eventually I got about a 30' run, built up a little speed and drifted onto the back of the trailer...my dad had taken off his shoes and waded out to grab the bow and push it back straight. Any way, we got it on the trailer.

But then in our hurry to get out of the way of the ramp and to a clear spot in the parking lot where we could lower the mast, my Dad came within about 10' feet of driving me into a low power line. I was screaming at him to stop. Eventually he heard me.

It was quite an experience.

Everyone will have their great stories like these. If they don't have one yet...they will...

Have fun with your Mac (even if it is the slower blue hull version... ) Let us know when you figure out a name.

Cheers,
Jim

[c130king]

Hey Bertrand,

What is the tide range where you were in that pic?

Jim

[c130king]

Just to add to the thread...it is definitely a plus of this boat being able to be in VERY skinny water...even on the beach.

Here is a pic of JCasale's "Un-Tethered" and PAJ367's "Southern Soul" from our Jacksonville Macgregor Get Together from Labor Day weekend. At high tide the water was 5-6' behind our boats...at low tide it was about even with the bow. We had to wait about 3 hours after low tide before we could get off the beach.



And then we followed up this overnight beaching with a fantastic 35 mile broad reach to St. Augustine...my first time truly sailing in the Atlantic. Here is a short video that Inquistor shot of my boat on the Atlantic...he was trying to catch me but just couldn't quite finish the pass.

http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q17/ ... chJim2.flv

Definitely some memories being made and will be made on our Macs.

Jim