Ability in Wind

[trevandcal]

Living in Western Australia a normal day out on our coast is 15+ knots with plenty of 20+ knot days. Is the M26 going to cope in these conditions for day coastal sailing? Anyone got any real world experience?

[kadet]

They cope as well as any other lightweight trailer sailer. As long as you set your sails to the conditions (reef) then no issues. There are lots of :macm:s in WA. And we get the sea breeze here in QLD as well we just don't call it the Fremantle Doctor

[Ixneigh]

in 25 k winds these boats high freeboard is a detriment. the wind and chop that goes along with it can make these boats difficult to sail to weather. they dont have much keel and if they slow down, they go side ways quickly. youll want something better then the factory reefing system thats a joke. skip the furling headsail and go with a hank on jib. if the rigging is good, you can hold onto that jib down to the 2nd reef in the main. shell sail pretty well like that.
i skip sailing when its an honest 25 knots. thats a lot of wind for a small light boat. for any sub 30 boat actually. im lucky, i have plenty of sailing in reasonably protected waters where there is not much wave build up, and pretty consistant 10-20 k winds.
there are those on this forum who may disagree with me, but i think sailing these boats in 25 knots with lets say five or six foot waves would be an exercise in wet bumpy wtf am i doing out here??? at least up wind. (that said, push come to shove i would take the 26M over my 23 foot 7000 pound keel boat. The M will do it, its just going to be a dreadful ride. the 23 was also a dreadful, WET, ride but wouldnt do it.)

Ix

[mastreb]

I concur that in 20+ knots of wind, these boats go from real fun to real work. I understand the hank-on jib recommendation, as you won't need more than a 110% jib. With a roller furler, you will heel more than with a hank-on, that's sure.

But I like the roller furler for bigger winds here in San Diego. I furl it down to just a patch and it keeps the helm well balanced and lets you keep the main fully out longer. You can use the "infinite reefing" of the headsail furler to balance the helm in winds up to 25 knots. Beyond 25 knots, it's time to go home with these boats on the stock suit of sails, no doubt about it. As long as you can keep moving, these boats are fine but if you loose headway these boats start getting blown around and make enormous amounts of leeway in high winds below 4 knots of SOG.

Anchored in a blow the roller furler makes a great storm jib--furl it down to a patch, anchor off the stern cleats, and you'll have the calmest time at anchor these boats will ever see.

The boat will be fine in these winds, but you need a suit of sails made for the wind regime you have rather than the stock suit which is designed for Southern California. I would go for a heavier, loose-footed 6oz mainsail cut 20% undersize with one big reefpoint. No need for batons, but configure for single-line reefing led back to the cockpit, and mast slugs with the halyard led back to the cockpit. You need to be able to reef from the cockpit in winds like this.

I would go for a roller furling headsail, lighter cut 5oz, but a 100% jib that is easier to tack around the mast in winds. I like the furling for balancing the helm in variable winds. No spin necessary.

Anyway, just my amateur thoughts on the matter.

JudyB?

[dlandersson]

Ditto.

I concur that in 20+ knots of wind, these boats go from real fun to real work.

[Herschel]

But I like the roller furler for bigger winds here in San Diego. I furl it down to just a patch and it keeps the helm well balanced

This mirrors my experience when I do go out in stronger winds. I am not bashful about reefing the main and having the working jib furled into just enough to keep the balance. When I am out in stronger winds, I am still looking for a reasonably stable sail without too much excitement. Since I sail on inland lakes, I rarely have large waves to make problems, but I have found the boat to a comfortable sail in strong winds when it is reefed down to the minimum on jib and main. Like other folks, I would not venture out in much over 20 knots. Actually, I make 15 knots steady pretty much my cut off criteria. I have done the other stuff; it was good, but happy with the T-shirt at this point in my life!

[yukonbob]

10-15 is the sweet spot. Any less it get boring any more its more work than fun. Had our out in a gale a few times 35+. The boats can hadle it but its no fun.

[EZ]

I sail in the san francisco bay and we frequently have 20 to 25 kt conditions.

There are 2 issues I have encountered with these conditions
1) Docking/Trailer recovery - As others have mentioned these boats have a lot of freeboard which makes docking in high wind a challenge. You need to have full daggerboard and maintain some amount of boat speed to have control for docking. For me this was unexpected and challenging to get used to.

2) Wind waves - In the SF bay, if the tidal current is strong and opposing the wind we get 6ft waves easy. In these conditions, the boat rides like a bucking bronco. Especially of you have following seas. I guess the boat itself handles it ok, but it is kind of ruff on the crew.

[tlgibson97]

I'm leaving for the Keys tonight. Forecasted 15-20 mph winds all week. Should be fun. It beats not having any wind and not going anywhere.

Have the genoa on right now since at home I am typically in less than 10 mph winds. I'll have to throw the jib on the furler before I head out on the first sail. I really hate swapping headsails but I think it will make the week much smoother.

[trevandcal]

Great feed back everyone. Thank you so much.

Just came back from a day out in 8 - 12 knots and is was a good sail with full sails averaging 5 knots. Anything more though and I'd be looking at reefing.

Departure from the jetty was lively as the wind got hold of the bow there wasn't much that could be done until I managed to get some power. Fortunately there was enough space to recover it. I hadn't put the ballast in yet which made her a lot more suscepatble to being blown about. Previous trip the ballast was in before attempting to leave the jetty and she was a lot less affected by the wind.

[Freedom77]

G'Day Kadet. Maybe you QLD folks could name your condition the "Queensland Nurse" That way you would get more TLC. Here in Nevada on the lake we go from zero to sixty in nuthin' flat when wind comes roaring out of a canyon. Been knocked down a couple of times. Fair Winds and Full Sails...Old Salt.

[innervations]

Really important to have rudders and dagger board down when trying to maneuver otherwise she just slips all over the place. In skinny water even 30cm of board down helps.

[Hamin' X]

Ultimately, I find that boat can handle more than the skipper. In other words, if you get behind the boat, it will eat you up. Reef early and deep and the Macgregor X's and M's can handle a pretty good blow; just keep the mainsheet in your hand and when in doubt, let it out..

~Rich

[dlandersson]

Or, when in doubt, head for the marina.

Ultimately, I find that boat can handle more than the skipper. In other words, if you get behind the boat, it will eat you up. Reef early and deep and the Macgregor X's and M's can handle a pretty good blow; just keep the mainsheet in your hand and when in doubt, let it out..

~Rich

[sunshinecoasting]

Here on the Sunshine coast we regularly get 15+ winds, I have enjoyed three knockdowns in my and rather enjoy them, they teach you things like, no matter how well you stow your gear it gets tossed about eventually, it teaches you that the main sheet should never be let go and neither should the wheel and it teaches you to pack your brown undies.

I have never reefed a main and never will, if I need to reef I go back to the marina, easing the main is much easier, the perfect wind for me is 10-15 knotts but I always get a decent swell at those numbers, I have been out in 20 knotts and three meters, that was fun, dont plan on doing that again.

Cheers Dennis