MacGregorSailors.com

Hi All!

We just came back from another nice day cruise on our local estuaries today.
Enjoyed the great warm weather today even though there was a high overcast.
We went north hoping to make a trial run to the Edisto Island cut but turned back as there were some significant swells.
(There have been several days of cold fronts moving through our area the past weekend and things haven’t calmed down enough for a pleasant ride as yet.)

For a bit of consolation we revisited several of our favorite scenic side trips on the way back with the fishing sonar turned on.
Saw lots of interesting echos … some appeared to be sizable! I’ll have to come back with some fishing gear one of these days.

While exploring we saw several herons, dolphins and maybe a sea turtle in addition to the Osprey.
It appears that one of the nesting pairs eggs have hatched!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

OE lets get some pictures up. Sounds great.

OverEasy wrote: ↑Mon May 22, 2023 7:56 pm For a bit of consolation we revisited several of our favorite scenic side trips on the way back with the fishing sonar turned on.
Saw lots of interesting echos … some appeared to be sizable! I’ll have to come back with some fishing gear one of these days.

How is that transducer install working? Inside the hull correct?

Hi Russ!

The transducer issues are temporarily resolved by screwing a smaller Garmin system onto Over Easy that we robbed from Scrambled (our little runabout) with the transducer mounted to the ballast stern fill/drain valve. Aside from the reduced screen size it’s been a good bandaid so far providing nav/charts/depth albeit on a 3x4 inch screen. A lot better than nada !!!

But we have also been able to pull our primary transducer out from our in-hull box and test it by hanging it over the edge in the marina slip.
The good news is the primary transducer is functional! The bad news is it does not “like” the in-hull wet box for some reason . Kinda frustrating. But there are always options to pursue… such as getting and mounting an external removable track mount to the stern. The removable aspect is to contend with the prolific marine growth of our estuaries.

To that end we’ve gotten the track and mount plate. The next trick is finding the time to adapt and mount it…

Slight pause while contending with other issues —> Vet appointment & then the plumber & then an aborted attempt to get to the beach before the afternoon thunderstorms hit…didn’t beat the rains… maybe tomorrow

We’re gonna get a Garmin splitter later for the sonar input to allow us to have a simple Garmin “inside thru-the-hull” puck type sonar transducer primarily for just depth. A built-in back up if you will for a “just-in-case” as I’m still concerned with having the “good” sonar transducer hanging off the stern in open water. No rush though…

We’re still looking at a week long ICW trip up to Charleston but it’s not gonna happen before August or September. (We have to make a trip North to take care of some personal business due to the pending budget FUBAR being manufactured by the “M#@A €@P”. Best to batten down the hatches before their storm hits. If nothing happens then no problem undoing the battens but heck to pay if not prepared….🫣)

Speaking of being prepared we’re gonna add a pair of mid span HD cleats to Over Easy. Several times we’ve found ourselves having odd spaced dock cleats to tie off to. Both up north on Lake Champlain & Lake Winnie as well as at various locations down south along the estuaries where a mid cleat would have been real nice! With being located in a semi prime hurricane region it’s been communicated that it’s always a good practice to have midship tie points to help spread the loads out across one’s vessel (better yet to haul out if one can!). Problem is if we’re out of town then what? Shouldn’t be too difficult. Just line up the holes where we can place some fender washers and place the appropriate hole caps to dress back the interior. Ya gotta love those battery operated drills when working at a marina slip! That and some 5200 sealant!

Another minor project is our forward bow hatch. The adjustable wing clamp prop rod has been getting difficult for the Admiral to operate and has managed to slip a couple times and has clonked her a time or two. I’d like to find a good flexible Stainless Steel spring to be the prop rod and a horizontal slide bar to allow for adjustments. I have some 1-1/2 wide #10 gage aluminum strap that I could fab into the horizontal portion but finding the long SST prop spring is a bit more challenging.

Best Regards to All
Over Easy

Congrats! Here's to a summer of fun, sun, and wind!

Hi All!

Hope everyone is doing well!
This weekend has been really and and with lots of !
Temps down in the 50s-to-60s! Brrr….One would think of it akin to a New England Nor’Easter!🫣
So not much of a chance to get out on the water this weekend.

While rummaging through the garage trying to get it organized…(I think it’s a lifelong task) … I cam across an old light weight drum anchor winch like the one pictured below:



It’s a bit light but I recall that the original package mentioned a recommended anchor capability being around 25-to-35 lbs.
Our Fortress style primary anchor is about 16-to-20 lbs (I’ve never actually weighed it) so that’s one tick in its favor.
There is no capacity to have a proper chain lead though so a bit of a minus there.
Zinc plated metal parts may resist corrosion for a while but given the salt -brackish water we operate in it’s not gonna be a permanent fixture. Future rust staining is something of a concern….
The current line is 1/4 inch dia poly rope so a bit skinnier than I’d like but I could replace that with Dynema (for a small fortune ).

Just wondering if anyone has had any experiences with this type of electric winch?

Best Regards
Over Easy

Hi All!
Saturday was another fantastic day out on the waters surrounding us!
Turned left (north) out of the Port Royal Marina and started on a trial run toward Edisto Island.
Great weather! Nice calm conditions with a pleasant breeze.
Made it to the Ashepoo River before heading back home.
About 3 hours out and 3 hours back.
Saw lots of Dolphins!
Here’s some pictures to share…
Dolphins








Our turnabout location on the Ashepoo River






Some of the local scenery along the way








Mac & the Admiral enjoying the cruise






Nesting Osprey with 2 fledglings










Beautiful sunset ending to a wonderful day





Best Regards to All,
Over Easy

Below is a rough route map of our journey.
Approximately 25 miles each direction, (~ 50 miles total).

Hi All!

We finally got around to adding our midship cleats today!
Details are posted in the Mods Section.
These will help when needing to use fore/aft spring lines when contending with adverse weather conditions.
Great teamwork with the Admiral to get this installation accomplished!




Bes Regards,
Over Easy

Nice mid cleats. I've always wanted to add these.

hey OE, we'll be on lake Champlain in July, any chance you'll take another trip up there?

Hi StarScream!

Yes! We will!
While we will only be there for only a couple of days and “boatless” this time maybe we can cross paths? That would be nice!

Best Regards
Over Easy

Hi All!

We had another great day out and about on Sunday!
The Admiral was at the helm on the way out toward Edisto Island again for another test run to check fuel consumption but this time mainly at 5000 rpm (~14 mph) for the most part rather than our prior trip out which had been predominately at 2000 rpm (~6mph = hull speed).

At the lower power setting we used about 6 gallons or so of fuel.
At the higher power setting e used about 11 gallons or so of fuel.

Transit time at the higher power setting was a little over half the time at the lower power setting (which was anticipated and logical).
Just nice to have confirmation experience for our trip planning.
The 4 stroke Suzuki 60 hp is a game changer in trip planning vs our prior 2 stroke Tohatsu 50 hp.
Aside from the increased reliability aspect the fuel consumption difference is VERY dramatic.
The general same trip now with the Suzuki seems to take a 1/4 of the fuel that had been required by the Tohatsu.
This confirms our recent prior estimate that we could be able to make a trip from our slip in the Port Royal/Beaufort area to Charleston within our 24 gallon tank capacity (two12 gallon tanks) and still have a good reserve capacity. We’ll still stick with the prudent planning guidance of having at least a 1/3 range capacity in reserve to address any SNAFUs from becoming FUBARs. We can also strap on an extra gallon or so portable tank ( which we’d be bringing for the portable power generator to run the A/C when/if we anchor out along the way…). The generator’s built-in tank can run for about 4-to-6 hours so an extra gallon might come in handy. There are several refueling stops along the way (which our puppy MacGregor is no doubt looking forward to!).

Here are a couple pictures from Sunday’s trip:



















Hope all is going well for you all and that you’re enjoying the new season of adventures!!!

Best Regards
Over Easy

Hi All!

Saturday June 25, 2023 wandering report…..
Just made it back home!
Had a great day out!
We went along the Beaufort River from Port Royal Marina ( a turn to starboard) then down river to Cowen Creek via the Cat Island Cut (a turn to port) proceeding up creek to Caper Creek (a turn to starboard) and up until the creek splits in two where we turned back and retraced our course to the Beaufort River where a turn to port took us past Fort Fremont Park and on to ICW marker 24. Turned around at ICW Marker 24, (just one marker short of the Atlantic! ) Made our way back up the Beaufort River past Paris Island ( the USMC training base) to then turned to port up Battery Creek and pulled in to the Fish Camp Restaurant at sunset where we had a pair of Pain Killer cocktails, a very nice dinner and shared a huge slice of Key Lime Pie for desert. By then it was quite dark.
Out came the search light to be clipped in on the RC anchor locker lid, a gentle back off the pier turning down stream on Battery Creek to the ICW and turned to port up the Beaufort River again back to our slip for a smooth gentle nighttime landing at about 11:30 PM. Once tied up we buttoned up and made our way home. What a nice afternoon and evening on our local waters!

Saw several turtles and a dolphin with her baby today along with several egrets, sea turtles, herons and even a pink spoonbill!
The dolphin and her baby were a real treat!
It’s next to impossible to get a photo of sea turtles…slow they are not!

Here are a couple photos of the day…



Marker 24 just short of the Atlantic Ocean (by Bay Point Beach)


Following the yellow brick road….


Docking for a sunset supper at the Fish Camp Restaurant in Port Royal


Our Mac26X Cruiser always seems to draw a crowd






Cocktails while watching the sunset



A night landing back in our marina slip


Rough course plot of our travels

Hope you all are enjoying the start of summer and your boats!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Hi All!

We departed SC at the end of June a day later than anticipated… … so nothing new on that account. Temps were in the 90s F with equal humidity. This trip up North is only for the month of July so our vessel remained in the slip.

Being we are now in hurricane season we made sure we were well secured to our pier cleats. Doubled the lines and added spring lines fore & aft using our new mid cleats. While nothing is perfect this feels pretty good. Shore power is keeping the batteries topped and the bilge pumps are on automatic. Hopefully nothing untoward occurs while we are away.

The car trip North was a bit faster than when towing Over Easy which we limit to 55 mph max. Barefoot we can travel at the posted speed limit which generally is 65 to 70 mph. The extra 10 to 15 mph adds up!

Driving in shifts if 4 on and 4 off (passage practice) we reached our friends home in NJ about 1 pm for their Ruby Anniversary dinner of a great grilled chicken and pulled pork supper on their deck. Some really excellent Rye was shared that was exceptionally smooth!

The next day we drove up I-87 then across I-90 through Massachusetts till Hwy 3 North on into NH. Smooth sailing. We were very fortunate and appreciative for a very pleasant trip.

After taking a day to recover we started on the “To-Do” list! It is nice to be home. Temps started down in the low 70s… what a relief! That didn’t last long before a few days later rose up into the 90s… we must have brought the warmth (& humidity) with us…🫣🫣

Making fair progress on the things that need to get done. Big task is clearing and organizing the little one car garage so we can get the hardware and materials out of the rental storage lockers. Objective is to get down to just one rental locker.

To that end I fabricated a lumber & panel Storage Kart to hold plywood and dimensional boards. I hope it can hold a dozen sheets of ply and several hundred feet of various boards. Placed it on some nice casters so to can be maneuvered around without too much duress.

We stripped out the previous owners half baked attempt at loft storage in the garage. It might have been ok at one time for light weight stuff but not very useful or something to have confidence in. The old 1/4 plywood that had been used was overly dried out and brittle. It was layered somewhat haphazardly and whoever put it it was rather “creative” in securing it in place.

Next are getting several new 2x8x16ft joists put in place along with several gussets to tie into the rafters. That should help distribute the loads for the new 1/2 or 3/4 thick ply decked storage lofts I’ll be putting in.

At the same time I’ll be adding some ceiling or wall storage for pressure treated and redwood dimensional lumber. This is to provide a place to stage for the landscaping and retaining walls materials for next year’s projects.

One thing I’ve found out is that HD swiveling castors can cost!!! One option that saves a small fortune is to get “movers dollys” from Harbor freight. One dolly has 4 nice HD swivel castors (& hardwood frame) for about $10 bucks less than purchasing just 4 separate castors alone.

It’s not all work though!
A nice set of cocktails and light supper at Shipleys on the waterside dock on Lake Winnipesaukee.
A nice afternoon of blueberry picking… fresh pie is coming!
Local grocery had a special on lobsters so we had several steamed and enjoyed several suppers of footling lobster rolls on fresh baked baguettes!
There was also a nice amount of lobster left for a surf & turf dinner tonight.
There have been nice beautiful sunsets to enjoy too!

Recently there have been substantial amounts of rain in the Northeast. So far our area has been ok but west toward Vermont and New York there has been flooding and serious damage has occurred. Our daughter has told us that the Winnoski River Falls in Burlington not far from her has been the highest seen in decades.

Our younger daughter’s camping trip in Vermont was curtailed but it appears that she is doing ok and is now staying with her older sister now.

We are hoping that everyone on the forum who have been affected by this flooding event are ok and getting through this without harm or loss.

It’s getting late and there are still chores to do tomorrow along with medical follow up visits this week.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Hi All!

Were still up in N.H working bit by bit on our home projects up here.
While it’s only been 18 days or so it occasionally seems like it has been much longer….

We’re having boating withdrawal symptoms!!!!🫣
Being shore bound the past several weeks has been a bit of a challenge!
If it’s not the heat and humidity it’s been the excessive rain!
The ground is too solid even when it’s soggy!!!
Can’t wait to get back down to SC and our boat!

Our NH area has been experiencing some recent flooding events as of late.
Several major and minor roads have been washed out to the extent that the national news has covered the damage.
Fortunately no lives were lost and it’s just really an inconvenience for most without any homes lost that we know of.
Several local dams are flowing over their spillways at rates not previously seen.
Our pond spillway looks like a whirlpool drain…
Out community’s Lake spillway has not only lipped over the four design chutes but is flowing over the raised sections inbetween and on either side as well. Not something anyone here, or the association, has seen before. Just a tremendous amount of water flow.
I’ll have to get over there after things calm down to see if the spilllbed has suffered any damage… that could prove to be costly!!!

Unfortunately the same can’t be said of what the rains have done in Vermont and upstate New York!
Our Hearst go out to those who have lost so much due to the multiple serious flooding events over the past week.
Truely devastating…

Meanwhile we continue to work on the NH chore list…. I know this isn’t all that exciting but for an old foggy like me getting up each morning can be just cause for celebrations . Getting something useful done is a real bonus!
Plywood and pine lumber movable rack has been done
Stripping out the half baked garage loft storage racks has been done
Four New garage 2x6x15ft loft joists and two proper plywood 4x12 ft loft decks have been installed
One serendipitously discovered emergency replacement of a hot water expansion tank in the basement has been done
Multiple medical follow ups and tests have been accomplished with good results so far
Dental visits accomplished with good results too
Multiple car inspections accomplished for the coming year without any issues found
All the trailer registrations updated

There still remains the task of consolidating/emptying/transferring stuff to get down to one storage locker….
Sooner we get the chores out of the way the sooner we get back to SC and our boat and our waterways.

While we had hoped to get to Lake Champlain it’s just not gonna work out …. …
We had hoped to meet up with several friends to visit but between the tasks, weather and general lack of timely hotel accommodations within our time frame & budget that doesn’t look like it’s gonna be possible this trip …
We have lucked out in that our daughter in Burlington is going to be able to come over and visit this coming weekend!!
It will be great to see her… it’s been a long time!!
(Who says Dads don’t get empty nest syndrome )

Hope everyone is well and safe and happily enjoying their MacGregors this summer!

Best Regards,
Over Easy