Two minutes too late... dropping the sails

[taylormade]

I didn't see this so I may be remiss, but I always have a main marine radio on channel 16 which has the CG/weather stuff.

Yep, ours was on but this wasn't something that was going to be reported on there. The radio would never shut up if they reported every pop up storm that affected water around here.

[Curwen]

Thank you for sharing your adventure and lessons learned. I love reading other sailor's experiences and how they overcame them. Congrats on having a trooper on board. A day like that could mean my boat goes up for sale.

My brother and I gift one another sailing items since we both have boats and he gifted me one of these...https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=c ... t&tbm=shop. They come on sale for as low $60. We are lake sailors and frequently sail alone. Since purchasing these life jackets we both wear our jackets at all times. No excuses. I'm also slowly replacing my other jackets for these as I find them on sale.

Quick question/concern...Is it s a good idea to get between your boat and the rocks? I know first instinct is to protect the boat...I did the same thing earlier this year...but my concern is that our Macs are so affected by wind and waves that that might be a dangerous place to between your Mac and the rocks. I guess each circumstance is different.

I still haven't found a good reference on how to reef my sails for my 26D. I'll be spending 3 days on her this week, so I'll bee looking at how to set the tension on the clew on my boom. I know the tack cringle goes on the gooseneck and the clew cringle goes to the boom and the other cringles are gently connected to the boom in order to keep the sail from flapping all around and not meant to support any tension. I think I know what to do, just haven't done it or know which lines to alter.

Thanks for the reminder to learn when there is no penalty for learning.

[Jimmyt]

Curwen - don't get between your boat and anything stationary. Get upwind and pull if you feel the need to try and save it. You can fix a boat or buy a new one; but if it cripples you or kills you - game over. Be safe dude.

[budgates]

I still haven't found a good reference on how to reef my sails for my 26D. I'll be spending 3 days on her this week, so I'll bee looking at how to set the tension on the clew on my boom. I know the tack cringle goes on the gooseneck and the clew cringle goes to the boom and the other cringles are gently connected to the boom in order to keep the sail from flapping all around and not meant to support any tension. I think I know what to do, just haven't done it or know which lines to alter.

Thanks for the reminder to learn when there is no penalty for learning.

When you need to reef it's too late to start learning. Learn how before you even leave the dock, on the trailer if possible. Practice and make all your mistakes while the boat is safe. Keep practicing until you have all the kinks worked out and you can do it without stopping to think about it. You'll be glad you did.

[sailboatmike]

Have a look at this from about 2minutes 40 mark, this bloke does mess around a bit but basically he releases the main halyard down to a mark premade on the halyard as the reef point, then pulls the reefing line to get the reef in followed by retensioning the main halyard again.

No need to actually touch the main or leave the cockpit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_AyWWRu91U

It works like this

http://www3.telus.net/sail/sj23/f_rigging_tips/f05.html

[Herschel]

Also with those new inflatable life jackets how can you not wear your life jacket anymore? before at least you could say they were uncomfortable or whatever but now you can hardly tell that you are wearing them. Anyway, more adventures coming up

Thought it might be useful to remind folks that the self inflating PFD's can inflate unexpectantly if water seeps into the mechanism while you are sitting in the boat. It is probably important not to wear them in the rain or if you ae getting a lot of splash over the bow. A standard PFD would be more appropriate for those wet conditions.

[Bilgemaster]

(...snip!)

My brother and I gift one another sailing items since we both have boats and he gifted me one of these...https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=c ... t&tbm=shop. They come on sale for as low $60. We are lake sailors and frequently sail alone. Since purchasing these life jackets we both wear our jackets at all times. No excuses. I'm also slowly replacing my other jackets for these as I find them on sale.

Although a noobie myself, I'd have to concur with you. Having already got a 4-pack of your standard Class III jackets to satisfy the regs, I splurged and got one of those Onyx M-24 Manual Inflatable jackets, and you really do hardly notice you're wearing it. I also like that it's manual and not automatic inflation. I understand that the automatics would inflate even if I were knocked out cold and overboard by a flying boom, but frankly I am WAY more likely to take the plunge within 100 feet of the launch ramp and be able to get back aboard just fine without a sudden pair of pneumatic "daddaries" springing up to firmly plant the cherry on my embarrassment. Seriously though, getting a Type V inflatable PDF, whether manual or automatic, is superb advice. For one thing, unless you're in the cabin, the Coast Guard requires that it be worn--not just laying around somewhere--to satisfy PFD "carriage requirements". SO, that means you'll be more likely to wear it, right? And the only PFD that really works is one that's being worn.

Taylormade: Thanks for your account of your recent adventure. I always enjoy reading your stuff.

[bobbob]

Also with those new inflatable life jackets how can you not wear your life jacket anymore? before at least you could say they were uncomfortable or whatever but now you can hardly tell that you are wearing them. Anyway, more adventures coming up

Thought it might be useful to remind folks that the self inflating PFD's can inflate unexpectantly if water seeps into the mechanism while you are sitting in the boat. It is probably important not to wear them in the rain or if you ae getting a lot of splash over the bow. A standard PFD would be more appropriate for those wet conditions.

The newer inflatables have a hydrostatic pressure threshold before inflating - not sure how well it works but at least they claim to prevent inflation during rain or from spray.

[Herschel]

The newer inflatables have a hydrostatic pressure threshold before inflating - not sure how well it works but at least they claim to prevent inflation during rain or from spray.

Interesting. Next time I am on the boat I'll take a look at my newer one and see how it is labeled. The mechanism looked just like the replacement ones for my old self-inflatable. It would be nice, if it is pressure sensitive. I have had one go off due to rain seeping in through a crack in the bimini/side panel connection. And I had one go off due to excessive heat build up when the boat was in storage. When I have had an expired inflating mechanism/tablet, I have had one of my family don the PFD and jump in the pool for training purposes. We learned that you really need to fold the inflating tubes according to directions or you can get an abrasive burn on the side of your chest. Seems like we always learn these little tidbits the hard way. Also, it is good to note that the mechanisms expire about three years after manufacture, not three years after you buy the PFD or the replacement cartridge.

[budgates]

It really is easy to forget that you have the inflatable vest on. After my wife and I came in from paddling around on our canoe she decided to go swimming with our granddaughter, forgetting that she was wearing the life vest.... Yep, you guessed it.

[NiceAft]

When I first purchase my self inflating PFD's, I decided to find out just how long it takes for them to react to being wet. I jumped into a lake, and made no attempt to swim. I don't remember just how long it took to inflate, but it definitely took longer than I anticipated. If I was unconscious, I would have been sucking in water. When it did inflate, it turned me onto my back. Mine has a yellow bobbin that reacts to being wet, and it needs to be replaced on the date stated. Over the last twelve years, I have replaced when needed.

I have sailed in wet weather, and have not had any surprises.

Ray

[Phil M]

You would think that after 15 years of owning a Macgregor, something like what you experienced would not happen to me but it did. Instead of listening to the weather report on the VHF radio, I got lazy and looked up the weather on the Weather Network. Big mistake. The winds were forecast to calm down in the afternoon. In actuality the winds increased tremendously and caught me off guard. To make matters worse, my new mainsail ordered from Hyde sails does not raise and lower easily like my old one did, and I have to go on top to work the Mainsail. Very difficult to do when the waves are large, and the wind is howling. I was almost asleep at the wheel when the strong winds hit, and I had too much Sail Out. We spun out of control so I eventually released the lines and let the sails flap. After several minutes we were getting too close to a rocky Shore and I had to put down the motor in order to turn into the wind to drop the sails. We eventually got things under control but it is a testament to what kind of pounding our MacGregor boats can actually take. Fortunately we were wearing our life jackets and no long-term damage was done except to my ego.

[taylormade]

I appreciate everyone's stories and advice for sure! It's reassuring to know that it could (and has) happened to even old salts like y'all. I'm much more cautious since that day.

[JotaErre]

When sailing on a broad reach or running, it can be difficult to notice if the wind speed is increasing... what happened to you has happened to many sailors before.