MacGregorSailors.com

In a case like this, it's simpler and safer to use principles of graceful degradation than trying to engineer for not failing.

In the modern world, we tend to think of our schedules and timelines as being something really important. In the world of the past, when people sailed, you sailed in the direction of the wind and current, you sheltered through entire storms, and you didn't even have a schedule--just a destination. You made what way you could and when you couldn't, you didn't try to.

Don't let the "automatic hubris" of the modern age get you killed--there's absolutely nothing you're ever going to do in a MacGregor that has to be done.

Don't try to make way in a storm under sail. Batten down, pull boards up, and wait it out or motor. No storm lasts forever. Track your drift on a GPS, tablet, or phone from inside the cabin, and if it's not taking you in a dangerous direction, don't worry about it, just wait it out. It's miserable, to be sure, but that's better than breaking things trying to fight weather.

Do not try to go near shore or near piers or pylons in a strong storm, even under power. Wave action can carry these boats 20 feet sideways faster than you can compensate for it. Going under the Annapolis Bay bridge in a squall with 3 foot seas was dicey--any bigger, and I wouldn't have done it. In that trip, everyone did exactly the right thing: Changed their plans due to a storm and sheltered in a safe haven. That's exactly what you should do.

Always carry at least a week's worth of drinking water aboard, and carry canned food for a week as well whenever you're going out to sea. We keep box of canned chili aboard when we travel per person, about a weeks worth, beyond what we think we're going to eat. The cans can be opened without tools and it's at least somewhat edible cold.

If you're caught in a storm or heavy seas, rely on your motor's skeg as a third and much stronger rudder. It's less affected by following seas, and its a LOT stronger than the rudders, and the prop creates drag which will help to keep the boat's heading. No storm or seas are going to take your outboard off the stern. You should have it down and linked to rudders any time you're in a storm or heavy seas even if you're not using the motor. If following seas are affecting your course, pull both rudders up and use the skeg only. This applies whether you're sailing or motoring.

If you do snap a rudder, immediately raise the other. They're insufficient to keep way in the conditions you have, and losing them both makes no sense. Keep whatever heading you're able to with the skeg, and accept the fact that you aren't going to keep course.

If you break the steering linkage, pull up the rudders and lash (with line, duct-tape, or whatever) an oar or boat hook to your outboard's powerhead and use it as a tiller. This is an important safety consideration and it behoves you to figure out in advance you'd you'd accomplish it.

Use whichever form of propulsion you didn't break: If you lost the mast, now you're powering. If your outboard has failed or you're out of gas, now you're sailing.

If you find yourself in heavy seas but clear conditions, Plot a new course that lets you take advantage of the seas and wind that you have to get you to shore. There's no point in trying to fight heavy seas to keep a specific course, you're just going to break something. Find a course that the seas allow that will eventually get you to shore, and use that. This often means you'll be turning back to a continental coast and abandoning your island destination.

Once you're back on the continental shelf, the seas WILL calm down--it's not possible to have heavy seas in shallow water unless you're in a storm. Then make your way from wherever you wind up to where you need to be.

If you find yourself in a thick fog, rely on your chartplotter. Put someone on a bow watch, keep your speed to 5 knots. Make all turns slowly and deliberately--unless you have a fluxgate compass, your GPS heading will lag your true heading and you'll make an "S" course. Stay away from shipping channels. Keep your air horn next to you. Everyone else will be taking it slowly as well. If there's thin water, head for that--other boats will be avoiding it.

In all cases, go with the flow, literally, and be prepared to wait for conditions to change. Fighting conditions is more likely to break something important than to get you where you wanted to be.

mastreb wrote:there's absolutely nothing you're ever going to do in a MacGregor that has to be done.

This is absolutely awesome.

(and the whole reason I bought a Mac in the first place...)

[quote="mastreb"]
. Going under the Annapolis Bay bridge in a squall with 3 foot seas was dicey--any bigger, and I wouldn't have done it. In that trip, everyone did exactly the right thing: Changed their plans due to a storm and sheltered in a safe haven. That's exactly what you should do.
[/quote
Oops - not everyone, remember I was the one that went to the original destination - I was late launching and thought I was behind the rest of you. But then, we did enjoy the otter swimming around the boat the next morning. But as far as the rudders, in rough seas we motor and the rudders are up - maybe a foot of board down.

Theres absolutey nothing....
HAHAHA that quote ought to be etched into the fiberglass of every Mac!!!
But seriously, the steering on these boats is really marginal. I have the IDA rudders but even then its marginal. If it was up to me they would be solid glass laminates hung from the transom on heavy duty hardware, possibly with a sheath style retraction setup. They would also be deeper. if they were in sheaths like some multihulls have, they could be a bit deeper if you wished them to be, or pulled up a bit, and not affect the yachts balance.
I may yet someday do this mod. Deep, solid rudders could turn a windy downwind leg into a romp, instead of a knuckle-biter. With the M's small cockpit, It would be hard to work in a tiller, but I like the wheel steering anyway and I think I have that figured out. How nice it would be to glass up those holes in the boat where the old rudderstocks were huh?
Ix

I thought pretty hard about port and starboard tillers--Just going straight up from each of the rudder linkages with a pipe to a tiller handle, with something like a pintle to hold it firmly at head. My goal at that time was to get rid of the wheel helm and helm seat entirely. The tiller handle would fold over backwards when not in use so as not to complicate anything, and you'd simply switch sides on each tack.

I've come around to the necessity of a wheel helm for a power boat, and come around to powering on occasion, and I need something to hold up all my trons, so I've given up on that line of thinking.

Got caught in the same seas , yesterday , as the author of this thread describes , except we were in the Gulf and He in a river .
We were headed north from Marco Island , up the coast , to Ft Meyers and the safety of the ICW .
NOAA called for less than 2ft waves and 10kt winds . LIAR ,, LIAR !

It was 4 foot waves out of the west and wind gusts up 30 kts out of the south . I pulled in the jib and ran on engine , keeping the waves on my port stern . Then I would have to tough it out and turn a little west for awhile to get away from the coast . Then back northeast again .

This worked okay until we got ready to turn into New Pass and safe harbor from the God awful sea . I felt like a surfing fool out there . We were running better than 8 miles an hour coming thru the pass . I saw the slow speed , no wake zone , sign but there was no way I could slow down !

We safely made it in and we are hunkered down until this weather passes !

There is a doggy beach here , so Mr. MacGregor (Mac) our dog is a happy camper !

As said just take your time learning to sail and use your boat but remember even when you think you know it all still use caution as you can still get caught.
Recently under motor with no ballast we headed for an "anchorage?" marked on the chart and as we came near the area which had protection from the wind by high hills we were almost knocked over (or as close as I have been) by a bullet of wind over the hills, it was too rough to consider trying to put ballast in there, so needless to say we didn't anchor but luckily we didn't have sail up even with ballast.

I have been reading and watching videos about "heaving to" and have a question. How do you "heave to" with a 150 genoa when the sheets are outside the shrouds. If you don't release the sheet when you tack it will be straining against the shrouds. The only way I can see is to have 2 sheets on each side, an inner and an outer.
Someone must have an answer.

There is nothing wrong with having the sheets outside the shrouds. To heave to, tack across the wind and as you cross the wind, pull the genny sheets in as tight as you can (which is where they should be if you are close hauled, but sheet in anyway). Next, take the main sheet in one hand and keep the other hand on the helm. After you cross the wind, let the headsail backwind and do not release the windward sheet, then turn the wheel all the way into the wind and balance the boat with the main sheet. You should be about 50º off the wind and moving slowly leeward. This creates a slick to the windward side that prevents waves from breaking on the side of the boat. I do this quite often with a 135 genny, which is probably what you have, as I don't think that the Mac was available from the factory with a 150 (Which I think is overkill on a tender boat).

Note: You cannot do this maneuver while turning into the wind, as you cannot get the headsail sheets tight enough.

~Rich

Hamin' X

Like your description.

BTW
I found (mainly with my X boat...... the D tacks easily) that hesitating casting off the working sheet, saved me a lot of stalled tacks too. Let the head sail back wind for a moment, to pull the bow through the eye, then drop the sheet and haul in the new working sheet. With the large amount of windage the X boat carries, this would help get her through a low speed tack a lot easier.

I know this has little to do with heaving to, but talk of back winding the head sail made me think of this.

Best Breezes,
Steve K.

I find that I need to backwind the headsail in light air, but not so much in heavy air. The main thing that I had to learn about tacking in heavy air was to not over steer and stall the rudders. Steer more carefully and maintain your speed to come across the wind smoothly.

~Rich

Case in point: In 1066 the Normans waited MONTHS for favorable winds to cross the English channel.

mastreb wrote:In a case like this, it's simpler and safer to use principles of graceful degradation than trying to engineer for not failing.

In the modern world, we tend to think of our schedules and timelines as being something really important. In the world of the past, when people sailed, you sailed in the direction of the wind and current, you sheltered through entire storms, and you didn't even have a schedule--just a destination. You made what way you could and when you couldn't, you didn't try to.

I never thought that reading a sailing post would make me think of the Battle of Hastngs . Who would have thunk it

NiceAft wrote:

I never thought that reading a sailing post would make me think of the Battle of Hastngs . Who would have thunk it

William most certainly did.

You have a MacS, you should also have a inner track for a 100 jib. If you don't already have a sheet roller on that upper track, use your aft track roller.
Furl your 150 to much less than JIB, run sheet lines thru inner track, double reef mainsail and backwind the main sail. (jib one side main other side)
This stalls the boat and most conditions is comfort. Sea anchor in heavy high waves also will control your boat.
a SEA ANCHOR is a colapsel type like a parachute and with a trip line to retrieve. A Mac. only needs a small one.
Dave

Dream Weaver II wrote:I have been reading and watching videos about "heaving to" and have a question. How do you "heave to" with a 150 genoa when the sheets are outside the shrouds. If you don't release the sheet when you tack it will be straining against the shrouds. The only way I can see is to have 2 sheets on each side, an inner and an outer.
Someone must have an answer.