MacGregorSailors.com

I just want to remind experienced sailors. I took a sailing class on a J-22. At the dock we raised the main pulled the sheet in and left from the dock.

That is totally different than trying to keep and M straight into the wind with the engine while raising the main in high winds lines led aft or not. Lines catch on bolts etc., raising the Main in high winds is tricky.

The windage and freeboard on a M create their own sail so to speak.

Just last week I left my slip in high winds and backed out as I usually do and to my great suprise watched in horror as my bow started heading downwind like it was a leaf on a pond. (instantly) Right at a Hunter 45 I might add.

Too late I realized I had forgot to lower the dagger board. Macgregors are unique and rigged a thousand different ways.

We read these posts over and over to understand them and glean more than you experienced guys can possibly imagine all in an effort not to have our bow slamming into a Hunter 45. Thankfully I missed

Andy

Andy
As I said, there is what I would do and then there is what the boat will do. J-22s are nice, I like American 21s and around here everyone learns on sunfish and yes we sail them off the dock. I have sailed off the ramp by backing the main, dropping the dagger 1/2 way immediately and then taking a broad reach out into the lake, works when the wind is coming right down the ramp. I think that it was my 4th or 5th time out then I got lazy and just started the outboard. It is easier to negoiate the sunfish and pwcs under power.

c130king wrote: What part of the Chesapeake were you on? I will be there in less than two weeks and looking forward to checking it out.

Jim,
We'll be sailing out of Mayo, Md just south of Annopolis, about an hour from the Beltway ( all 12 lanes of it), let me know if you need a ride, I can always use someone with experance on board

Opps,
My bad, Just noticed the date of c130's post, It's been a long week, and a long day. As Leon Russel sang, "...I hope you'll understand, I've just got to get back to the Islands...."

MACS are cruisers, not racers.
boltropes are for racers.
Change to sasil slugs and add LAZYJACKS...

Make life easier...

Search Internet Explorer under LAZYJACKS...THERE'S A HEAP OF INFO.
the top of mine are not fixed to the mast but pass through pulleys fixed to the spreaders aboyt 6 inches out from the mast, and the line continues back down to the small mast cleats for adjustment. The drawing shows a fixed syustem that seems not to allow adjustment for boom height.

PUGGSY

My two cents, I have a 3/16 hole and quick pin on a landyard just above the slot where the sail slugs enter the mast. When I setup the boat I slide the slugs into the mast track and set the pin. I'm sure most of us have done this mod.

Marc
You can get a slug stopper which just slides in and tightens but I made a bit of pvc with a slot in it which fills the opening, this allows the slugs to slide right to the bottom above the goosneck so that when reefing I can just hook the reefing grommet over the hook.
Someone else used aluminium I think but PVC conduit was easy and can be shaped with heat have always been going to make a better one but it works so haven't bothered.
Now that I am transporting with the boom still attached I don't have to touch anything, just tie the boom to the mast prior to dropping the mast so that everything is square and won't rub.

Boblee,

Any chance you can get a picture of the pvc idea you use for a stopper? I am always looking for ideas.

I use two pieces of 1\8th line, one on the last slide for normal raising and one set on a slide at the reefing point. I used Franks idea of a bowline on the end of the lines to wrap around the mast cleat and it is working just fine. Like I said always looking for a better way though. Just one piece of line for the reef point and your idea or the 3/16th and a quick pin for the regular setting might remove one more piece of line that might tangle while raising.

Thanks,
Gary

Retrieving anchor .........95% of the time I just pull in by hand....but if there is strong wind and I am singlehand, I just ease the Merc 50 into forward for a sec to get some forward movement, quickly walk forward and start pulling up rode, get bow directly over anchor and retreive it.....If I have crew I may have them motor assist my pulls in windy conditions.

If anchor is stuck fast.... I pull up on rode forcing bow down into water....pulling up all slack and cleating off snug at bow cleat.....then walk back to stern...sometimes that is enough to release the anchor ...other times I may need a short burst of the Merc forward to assist the release. On occasions, after my mate & I are overnight at a cove and anchor is set hard from windy night on anchor...we will both go up to bow, snug up rode and then both go back to stern...and its free!....use the boat as a giant lever!

I do not run rode lines back and bell rings or motor around the anchor rode much, to avoid fouling the lines under the CB or in the prop....especially in windy conditions. The Macs can anchor in very shallow water so you should not need to...keep it simple.

Atzserv
Here is the photo of the slug sleeve the toggle bolt is to stop it moving and just cuts though the back of the conduit which is 20mm 0r 3/4" electrical conduit this is the thick stuff we use for underground use but you could use a thinner one, just slit it endwise and use heat to mould it.
When the outer surface goes shiny it is ready to mould.
Aluminium would work or you could close the slot in the mast again and just have a small opening at the bottom for the slugs and use a stopper like you already have, a commercial one or a bolt like I have used.
The mast runner is only spread like it is for a bolt rope sail, with slugs you really only need a small opening.
When the cond wears out will probably change but it works great for the time being.

Boblee,

Thanks for the picture and discription of how you are able to mold pvc. there are alot of great ideas on this site. Thanks again

Gary