MacGregorSailors.com

I'm 2 weeks behind but I thought I would post about my first trip with my Mac.

The weather on Sunday (2weeks ago) was sunny but chilly, the wind was blowing steadily from NNW about 5-7 knots. We decided it was time to get the Amelia Maris wet.The plan was for me and my buddy to take it out by ourselves in the morning for a shakedown and then if everything went ok, we'd steam back to the Marina and pick up my wife and kids (my parents too)

My buddy and I went to the Carolina Beach State Park Marina, setup the mast and rigging and manage to get it in the water without too much drama. Pulled the cord on the 9.9 Mercury and she started to life no problem. Eased on the throttle and headed toward the opening between the jetties. I stand up and raise the tiller arm and then tiller comes up with me..suddenly we're heading toward the port jetty with no steering! Using one hand to hold the tiller, I put engine in reverse and back us back up tp the dock. The problem? We had forgotten to put in the Clovis pins that hold the tiller to the mounts. Lesson learned.

We steam back out, get in the middle of the river and raise the main and kill the engine. The most beautiful sound filled the air as the sails flapped then went silently taught. We rode with the current south with an easy broad reach. We practiced gybing, and adjusting our sails and was making about 6.5 knots (per my gps on my phone). After conquering the Cape Fear (a little hyperbole never hurt any writer..except for Hemmingway and he was drunk anyway) we turned back upstream and tried our hand at tacking. Unfortunately the current and wind were not cooperating so we packed it up and steamed back to the marina. I called my 2 anxiously awaiting sons and told them to get ready. 

After and uneventful loading we steamed out of the marina, into the main channel and raised sails. Giddy with delight as we rode the same wind that carried my family here several centuries before, we took in the sights of Ft. Anderson and the ruins of Brunswick town. Further down we passed Ft. Fisher and could see the gleaming roof of the aquarium. My boys cheerfully played in the cabin, popping their heads out greet passing boats and the pod of dolphins escorting us. My son was convinced he'd be able to touch one that kept getting within 20 feet of the stern.



About 1.5 hours into it, we decided to start tacking back, but once again the current was getting the best of my unsalty seamanship. I was laying full on the tiller like a drunk Irishman on St. Patrick's, but my newly minted mistress showed her stubborn side and refused to point where I wanted her to go.  After tacking and not making any headway, I finally noticed that we had drifted ar past the restricted zone markers surrounding the military munitions port at Sunny Point. 

The admiral noticed that a group of men in a zodiac with what looked suspiciously like a bad-day maker mounted on the front started coming our way. Luckily once we dropped sails, fired up the engine and started steaming out they realized I was just an inept seaman, not a terrorist threat.

We steamed back to the marina with our escort keeping distance until we left the restricted area, and after another hour we were breaking down the mast.



(note: I'm the one with the funny hat)

I can't wait to go back out and work on my tacking, I also think I can do a better job trimming my sails...honestly there is nothing I probably did good, but we went out, had fun and got back in one piece. That's a start.

Sounds like a great day out! Any idea what the current speed was?

According the app on my phone about 3 knots when we went out, coming back in against the tide the chart said 4.8 knots. The wind also picked up that afternoon too.

Must have been nice out on the water. Glad someone got out. I've got some more work to do before spring. We have had some good days to get out on the water here in Virginia. Mid-50's to Low 60's temp.

Chris

I wish the water around here wasn't so hard. We need a thaw.
SENCMac25. Tighten the main halyard (jib too while your at it.) and you will get allot better performance.

honestly there is nothing I probably did good, but we went out, had fun and got back in one piece. That's a start.

That's not just a start, that's the whole thing.

Great write up and glad it went so well. And very smart to get your bugs out without the family

Very similar thing happened to me. Back when we had our venture 22 we sailed from Key Largo to Key West. Got stopped by coast guard prior to entering Key West wich made it after dark to try and follow the markers into Key West for first timers and no body mentioned that we had to do that in the middle of an anchorage. Here we are the wife down below watching the GPS and chart and letting me know what to look for next. Me in the cock pit with flashlight finding my way when all of a sudden I bend over to hear what the wife was saying and the tiller comes with me. OOOps that's not suppose to happen. Mine was easily fixed with one bolt after a long walk to Lowes.
I agree with you the best journeys are the ones that are shared with loved ones and everyone comes back in one piece.

Thank you everyone, we've had a few more successful trips...including practice on de-stucking oneself off of a sandbar.

Hopefully this weekend we'll make our first attempt through the inlet and get a little blue under the hull (opposed to the brown river water)

Yes I remember that sandbar well! Learned a good lesson there. GPS on before shoving off.

Yeah those channels markers are no joke outside the main shipping lane.

You're off a few feet with an outgoing tide and you'll learn to love a swing keel.

CStriker, let me know when you go out again. I'd love to meet some Mac Owner's in the area...especially one with an M or X.

(My Wife and I are still considering upgrading to one of those in a year or 2)

Great write up. Safe out and safe back is 90% of it. If you come back with all of your gear, that's 5% and if you're still married at the end of it, the other 5%. My 26s is not a performance pointer. Lots of small tweaks make a big difference. Vang, halyard tension, proper trim and so forth, and negotiating current. One tack may present less of a broad side to the current. Use that tack to make headway and the other to sacrifice point a little and go fast. Just a suggestion.

5-10 mph days are great for learning.

2 kinds of sailors: those who have run aground, and those who will.

Another quote:

The two best days of owning a boat. The day you buy it and the day you sell it.

tomchitecture wrote:2 kinds of sailors: those who have run aground, and those who will.

Is it possible you were trying to sail without a headsail? Ie. main sail only? I don't know about a Mac 25 but I do know that my Mac 26X will not hardly tack if you don't have at least a piece of jib out to help push the boat around.

Dimitri