MacGregorSailors.com

No, not the song by Sarah Brightman but my feelings for future sailing my . Just had 74th Birthday and realized gettin old when I had to take a nap after blowin out all those candles on the cake. Summer Wind rigged for singlehanded sailing on Lake Michigan with exception of climbing up on deck to haul mainsail. Dont have the energy or balance to haul up mainsail on windy days. Is there a way I can adapt a winch near the cockpit or adapt one of the two winches that i dont use anyway to assist. Perhaps replacing the barrell of the winch with larger one or some kind of pulley system? Hate to part with her, just installed new 2013 etec 60 a/c mechanic couldnt clean 4 carbs on 2001 Yamaha 50. Should have got a new mechanic instead of new outboard as 4 bottles of SeaFoam did the trick but unfortunately had already put deposit on the new Etec 60 which: by the way is awesome!

Why don't you use the Mac as a powerboat? At cruising sipped it is safe and modest on gas.

Or get a young girlfriend!

Hugh Hefner comments will be quickly deleted, images of his new wife more slowly deleted.....

phil m: tried that. see MODS "stubby mast for powersailing" category 2001, MacX, exterior. But when you are retired and have more time than money sailing is a good alternative to chugging around. As far as the suggestion I get a young girlfriend might I remind ya that I have a mast raising problem........

LOL! You guys crack me up! I love it!

rick retiree wrote:No, not the song by Sarah Brightman but my feelings for future sailing my . Just had 74th Birthday and realized gettin old when I had to take a nap after blowin out all those candles on the cake. Summer Wind rigged for singlehanded sailing on Lake Michigan with exception of climbing up on deck to haul mainsail. Dont have the energy or balance to haul up mainsail on windy days. Is there a way I can adapt a winch near the cockpit or adapt one of the two winches that i dont use anyway to assist. Perhaps replacing the barrell of the winch with larger one or some kind of pulley system?

I have all my lines run to to the cockpit through some blocks at the base of the mast to a deck organizer to a three way spinlock. I can wrap my main halyard, DB line or jib halyard around the strb winch to get some extra pull on windy, or someone smaller can winch the daggerboard up, or if i'm just lazy, but only when it's not being used for the jib sheet. Bet this could be done for under two hundred bucks with and less than an hour of time. Keep the boat!

P.S. who's gonna be the first to put the v-i-a-g-r-a logo on their mast raiser now? (forum wouldn't let me spell it lol)

I'm 71 with a reconstructed left knee and prosthetic left shoulder both of which need warranty replacement parts. I single hand with my main single reef from the dock--or--if it looks like a 15+ wind day, go out second reefed. Sailing second reefed is quite relaxing and easy to handle. All reefing lines and control sheets/halyards are led to the cockpit. I hove to when dropping the main and have permenant bungies tied to the reefing cringles that I attach from the cockpit and use a 3 step ladder down below to attach the forward bungies. I wait to fix the boom cover at the dock.

My 110 Jib is normally set by hand and I use my winch(s) only for annal trimming. I have a friction clutch cleat I can run my stbd jib line through if I need the winch for my CB.

I have a large plastic bin that just fits under the capt's seat that I keep sailing stuff - including my Little John-- so I don't have to go down below. The bin also muffles my e-tec engine noise so it is a real pleasure to fire her up and go motoring for an hour or two on less than 3 gals/gas.

Fortunately I have 3 grandkids that love to sail and fish so it will be a long time before I pass Huff n' Puff on to my son.

Best of luck with your decision,

Bob

kmclemore wrote:Or get a young girlfriend!

Better yet get a crew of young girl friends & if that fails get a crew of young guy's teach them all how too sail while u drink their beer !

J

Rick,
Solomon said it was a wise man that saw the storm clouds of age on the horizon. I sailed with my dad from age 9 until age 30. My dad died young but I kept sailing until I was about 33 and I had no boat anymore. When I turned 55 I thought, well, I should have at least ten good years left in me and anything after that should be a plus so why not get back on the boat? So I bought a brand new M. I will be happy if I get my ten years.

I remember when my dad could not take out the boat without help anymore. I guess I still think about it.

BOAT wrote:I remember when my dad could not take out the boat without help anymore. I guess I still think about it.

FWIW, my FIL is about 80, and is my most regular sailing companion. Anything to do with boats, and he's there. He sold his 42' Kady-Krogan single-screw trawler only a few years ago, mostly because he just couldn't keep up with the maintenance (he bought it new, 26 years earlier), not because he couldn't handle it. I don't think he could sail my boat himself at this point, but he was a powerboater, so that's not a fair comparison. But he's perfectly capable of taking it out and motoring, which he does sometimes on the Erie Canal. I figure I'll go from heart failure before I can't do something on a boat, even if it's just anchoring and taking a nap.

http://www.discoverboating.com/goodrun.aspx

I have always liked that video by Wally Pfister.

Wow. That was good.

I'm not sure I want to forward that to my FIL, though. He's thinking too much about the end these days, and that's kind of final curtain-ish.

But a great short film nonetheless.

BOAT wrote:http://www.discoverboating.com/goodrun.aspx

I have always liked that video by Wally Pfister.

Really, when I think about that video I realize how really lucky we guys are.