Want to Sail - but - help me out with some issues

[daydreamerbob]

men and admirals
Contrary to what you may think - I am comfortable enough to really give sailing a shot. Who cares if I have no idea how to stop. yeah - i know turn into the wind --- or drop and furl the sails. easy to say tough to do when you are out with a 7 year old. (She does take the bumpers up when we are finished adding white stripes to the hull on the way out of the slip).

I have 2 questions:

How to stop for real? at what heel angle should a rookie reduce sail?

Number 2 - Does any one have pics of how all the lines and stuff should be run? Here is my set-up - my pith poor memory -

Main: Mac Factory Main with Slugs and Battens; snap shackle to halyard. Halyard to top of mast - i probably mistakingly bring it down to stbd side of mast. i do not know how to do the truckers hitch exactly (i put a loop in the line 2 feet over the cleat - but it goes up the mast when i raise the sail). There is a block on stbd side of mast - i think for halyard. i go through this block and coil the halyard in the cockpit.

Outhaul - just tied to th cleat on the boom

Topping lift - from SS cable to dockline tied to cleat on boom. There are SS loops (like mounted u-bolt) screwed to the mast not sure what they are.

Mainsheet traveler - on the track and functioning.


Reefing - i have one reefing point - but no lines??? not that it matters - but should there be a line? No giggling Ray!

Vang - stowed in fwd stowage. too many things to worry about right now.

STBD Cleats - i have 2 cleats stbd - one for the dagger - i think, and one for the genny? there is also a clam cleat near the stbd winch - also for the genny?

ForeSail:

Open fishing reel for furler - not very impressive - with skinny string. There is a small block to port of the furler, there is also one of those ss u-bolt looking brackets bolted stbd and aft of furler, but fwd of mast.

Foresail Halyard - did not have snap shackle for this connection - so used one from walmart - the screw in type. I don't remember what I did with the halyard after raising the genny?? must be tied to the mast?

Foresail luff?? did not have a shackle - so i just used some rope to tie this front grommett to the furler bracket. again a u-bolt bracket screwed into the furler sheaths

OK now a proud moment - the "CLEW"???? of the foresail is tied properly to the genny sheet which runs outside lifelines to cockpit track blocks, to winches to port and stbd clam cleats.

Either the sail guys put the black uv protection on the wrong side OR the dealer wound the furler the wrong way - i can fix that on my own right?

So in the cockpit - regardless of how they route there - i have the following lines

Main Halyard
Main Outhaul
Main Topping Lift
MainSheet Traveler

Port Genny Sheet
STBD Genny sheet
Foresail furler line

Dagger Board Line

Naturally I think i know what to do with all these things - but I have little confidence that they arrive in the cockpit through an appropriate route? What do you think?

DDB

[puggsy]

DDB...I am not sure if you are serious. do you really know that little...no offence to you I hope. But to answer some of your queries.
The outhaul for the main must be as tight as you can get it. not just 'tied'
ALWAYS fit your vang, whether needed or not. Even on the quiretest of days, a gust could come along that suddenly lifts your boom. causing you to lose driving forward momentum...just at that critical time when you are passing close by a million dollar cruiser...don't want to scratch him now, do you? A suggestion.. replace the vang shackles with solid [strong] clips. Saves time in fitting it.
Reefing lines for the main are not supplied. There are plenty of drawings of single line reefing on this site.
Furling...my furler winds up in a clockwise direction. So that when the jib is furled the UV strip is sewn onto the port side of the jib. If yours is sewn onto the stbd. side then alter the winding direction of the fine line [ cordage]
I have not changed mine so I am not sure if it works both directions..And I am sure some of the guys will put me right.
[ I have raised my furler drum off the deck 20 inches by fitting another mast hound higher up the mast. Leaving the side shroud hound untouched. Saved me having to alter them in any way. This mod was previously posted.
Hope this helps somewhat...Puggsy 06

[hart]

Bob,

A few thoughts:

Did you buy your boat from Boating Atlanta or elsewhere? Some dealers offer sailing lessons. You might check into that. I think just a few hours of instruction would increase your enjoyment and satisfaction of your boat considerably. At the very least I bet they know where you can get some instruction.

You might consider reading a little too. Sailing Fundamentals is pretty good first book in my opinion. It covers the basics pretty well and is a pretty easy read. There are exercises at the end of some chapters you can do for memory retention. And it's not too expensive so you can keep a copy on your boat without fretting over it.

Look into somebody like the Atlanta Sail and Power Squadron. I don't know that group specifically but something like that can be a wealth of information and help.

Is there an active sailing group on Lake Acworth? If not you might want to drive over to Lake Lanier and meet some of the people that sail there too. Even if it's not a Macgregor, if you can get a ride with another boat then do it. You'll learn a lot just watching an experienced captain.

And finally there are some sailing schools around the country that people recommend. I've never been to one so I won't make a specific recommendation but it might be something good for you and the wife to go do together.

I think you'll find if you invest a little bit of time into it that learning to sail is easy and fun. You and your family will enjoy the boat more with a bit more knowledge and it will be a safer experience for you after a wee bit of help.

[Beam's Reach]

If you haven't already done so, a good place to start is to take a look at the Mac manual available on the side bar of each page on this board. It will give you the basics of how to rig the boat and some basic sailing lessons and of course is specific to the Mac.

Print the manual and spend some time aboard at the dock or in the driveway with it learning where all the lines should run and what they do.

Then go out on a day with light winds (enough to keep the sails working, but not enough to get you healing too far) and just sail. Don't worry about what you look like. Try turning to different angles to the wind and see what happens to the sails. Try adjusting different lines and see what helps fill the sails and increase speed and what makes it worse.

I love to read sailing books all winter, but I can't 'get it' unless I'm on the water trying out what I've read.

As for reefing, I don't think there's a magic number of heal at which you should reef. The mantra is 'if you think you should reef, it's probably already too late....reef early'. It's hard to wrap your head around at first because reefing seems like chickening out, but reefing will often get you moving faster. But I can tell you, there are times when I know we could probably move faster if I reefed, but my daughter loves healing so much, we just let it run...because unless you're racing, sailing is not about getting there faster, and most of the time, there is no 'there' to get to anyway. It's just about having fun!

How to stop? Yes, you really do turn into the wind. But the only time you really need to stop quickly is coming into dock and you should be motoring for this. You should be moving fairly slowly anyway, and a quick burst of reverse will stop you pretty quickly.

Blake Beam
Beam's Reach

[Kelly Hanson East]

For starting out a 10 mph wind is perfect. The problem with lake sailing is you generally wont get a steady 10 mph wind, you tend to get puffs and lulls. Not to worry, because you generally dont have to worry about currents and tides though.

Spend your first season mastering getting your boat moving downwind, beam reach (across the wind), and close hauled (as close as you can get pointing to the wind, about 45 degrees at best)

Remember that when you do stop by turning into the wind, shortly after you do that you will start sailing again as the wind will blow the boat "out of irons" and off you go again.

Practice with your motor in water, at low idle,and use it to get you out of the jams.

Have fun and wear those life vests.

[daydreamerbob]

Thanks everyone -

Here are some answers -

Pugs - I do not know that much - and you cannot offend me so say whats on your mind. I bought this boat on a whim having not been on any boat at all since 1993. I never saw a mac until the day i picked mine up at the dealer. But - I wanted to find a new source of fun - so I bought it. Maybe I am the Clark W Griswold on the lake - cool with me - cause of the on the lake part. It is fun and part of it is the ribbing i get here - I will never be a proud sailor at the ned of the bar at he yacht club - but i will make fun of his pompous aft.

Hart and Beam - I am readin several books including your recommended. I think I know how all the lines are supposed to work. I am just not confident they are routed properly. The manual does not do a good job for those rookies that have lines run aft and a furler. So I cannot use the manual completely.

Part of the issue is the singlehanded nature of my 2 experimental sails - totalliing less than an hour. I did most of what roger man says in the book.

Boating is fun
Boating is expensive
Boating is humbling

[Ivan Awfulitch]

As for the furler, the UV is mounted correctly. Sounds like the furler wasn't set up correctly. Easy to fix. Get the manual out and it shows you how to get it set correctly. I'm assuming it's a CDI unit. No manual, get it online.
http://www.sailcdi.com/sailpdf/FF2%20manual%207_06.pdf

[MARK PASSMORE]

Bob, I sent you a private message.

[ausmike]

Bob,

Have read through some things here on STOPPING. Agree that comming into dock it's best to get the steel spinaker going and drop all sail, however when on the water I suggest a few other methods than just head to wind (unless you are trying to just drop sail). If you just head to wind the issue will be that you will just fall off and be sailing again, nothing you can do except to head to wind again...

Best method is to heave to (do a "bad" tac)... sail along close hauled, prepare to come about (tac) do the tack but DON't swap the jib sheet to the lazy side, leave it as if you did not tack, i.e. don't touch the jib sheet. Once through the tac, let the main sheet go so the main is luffing and push the tiller all the way to the lee. You will crab a bit but you will be stopped in the water and the boat won't just fall off by itself (the tiller will push you back to wind and the jib will make you fall off). Tie off the tiller and have lunch, go below and attend to nature, sunbake if you feel inclined, just make sure you have plenty of water on the lee side and keep a watch at all times.

Mike

[pokerrick1]

Bobby Boy - - - you have been a great source of humor. Good luck - - - you WILL figure it all out eventually - - - but don't worry about it - - - have fun.

My only suggestion: the next few times you sail keep the engine down and running on idle and it will quickly get you out of any "jams" - - - then the next few times; keep the engine down but not running - - - and you can still start it quickly to get you out of any "jams". You will quickly gain experience and knowledge.

I had never sailed before I bought my 2006M (I had powerboats for 40 years) and I think I sail fairly well now (except for the crashes), but when I am in the harbor or chanel of MDR, I still keep my engine down and ready (not running) to prepare for any emergencies. I don't bring the engine up until I am out in the open Ocean.

I also think your dealer should be showing you more and answering a lot of your questions - - - especially as they relate to lines and where they go etc., mine (Inmon) certainly did and still continues to do so.

Have fun and don't be like me - - - wear PFD's (do as I say, not as I do).

Rick

[hart]

Boating is fun
Boating is expensive
Boating is humbling

Heck you've already learned the important parts.