MacGregorSailors.com

Since my boat is back in Florida I don't get nearly enough sailing over here in the UK (calm down Matt, I know you are doing your best to help me out ) so how I do get that sailing fix that I need...magazines (and of course this website)! I get four mags: Sail, Sailing, Practical Boat Owner (UK Mag), and Sailing Today (UK Mag).

Just got around to reading the May edition of Sailing and they have focused on trailersailing. A couple good articles on trailersailing and even a review of the Hunter Edge. But the article I most enjoyed was Andre Vryheid's article Wild Canada with pictures of his Mac19. He sounds like he gets around Western Canada pretty well with his Mac. That sounds a lot like what I hope to do someday...trailering around to different sailing grounds.

Andre, if you are a member of this board...Well Done

Also an article on the West Coast Trailer Sailor Squadron and trailersailing "Hurricane Gulch" in California.

Worth a read IMHO.

Starting to get the DTs so I guess I better get back to watching the Volve Ocean Racing Series on ITV4...great stuff...love watching big expensive boats break...

Cheers,
Jim

Hi Jim

Here are some stories to read.
Not Macs but small trailer sailers none the less

http://www.potter-yachters.org/stories/index.html

Allan

Found a link to the article: Wild Canada.

Jim

I have sailed a lot of lakes in the province of Saskatchewan where I live with my 26M, and a few lakes in other parts of western Canada, but never a river. I have done some canoeing, and a little white water rafting. I wonder which rivers he has 'sailed' in western Canada.
The Macregor 19 in the picture looks a lot like my 26M too.
But an interesting article nevertheless.

Phil M

Was surfing the internet and came across your comment about what Rivers I have sailed. Never have used a chat forum, am an avid sailor in my Mac19 and Laser so I thought I would try ito list them. Got me thinking about where I have sailed.

The rivers I have sailed would include the entire MacKenzie River including entering the Arctic Ocean (once), Athabasca River (3 times), Bow River (lots), Clearwater River (twice), Peace River (once)and then I will not include sailing up tributaries of the lakes and rivers I have travelled such as the Columbia River, Great Bear River, and so on as that would get ridiculous and I would have to get out maps to figure it out.

The lakes that I can think of that I have sailed on in B.C. are Babine, Shuswap, Okanogan, Kinbasket, Williston (3 times - wow) - in Alberta are Ghost Lake, Lesser Slave (twice), Upper and Lower Kananaskis (lots), Minewanka Lake (lots), Athabasca Lake (three times) - in Saskatchewan I have been on Diefenbaker, LaRonge, La Loche, Athabasca Lake - Northwest Territories include Great Slave Lake (three times including to the end of the east arm, Yellowknife and the south shore).

That is all I can think of right now although I am sure I have missed a bunch. I am checking into going up the Great Bear River and sailing Great Bear Lake as my next major trip but that is a year or two away yet. Just bought a house in Kamloops on the River and hope to do a bunch of sailing on Kamloops Lake and the South Thompson when I retire out there.

Love the way my Mac19 can travel in only 12" to 14" of water. Done lots of home made mods on my boat. For example I have put a bilge pump into my ballast tank so I can pump it dry if I get stuck on a sand bank on a river. Works great.

That is a LOT of sailing. Your sailboat would probably have others mods just for sailing rivers, like your bilge pump, as opposed to always sailing on an ocean coast.
You say you have sailed Lake Athabasca in Saskatchewan, the province where I live. There are no roads to get that far up north that I can think of, unless you travel from Alberta somewhere. That area is so inaccessable. Sailing to Alaska would be afternoon picnic compared to Lake Athabasca and it's remoteness. The waves could be similar to Lake Superior in a gale.
Not my cup of tea, but I'm sure you could write a book about your adventures.

Phil M

How did you get a bige pump into the ballast tank?

The has two about 6" deck plates on the cabin floor that can be removed for inspection or access to or for center board removal

J

andre wrote: The rivers I have sailed would include the entire MacKenzie River including entering the Arctic Ocean

Hi Andre,

When you cruised the MacKenzie, I'm curious as to where you started out, and how you coordinated your tow vehicle. A guy who used to post here wrote about starting at Fort Hay on Great Slave Lake, and then arranging for commercial barge transport of tow vehicle and trailer to the First Nations village near the outlet. I'm intrigued by that possible trip. Is that what you did? If so, who handled the barge service for you, and how much did it cost?