Discussions relating to the MacGregor line of trailerable sailboats
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https://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30452
Keel Boat 1 is the first half of their US Sailing certification, we have to take another weekend long Keel Boat 2 class for the certification.OverEasy wrote: ↑Thu Jul 24, 2025 12:48 am Hi Tuxonpup!
Looks like you guys had fun!
Nice boats to learn on too!
How did you like the course?
Did it apply toward certifications?
What did you each feel you gained the most from the lectures? From the practical?
Would you do it again?
Would you go back for a more advanced course if the opportunity arose?
Best Regards,
Over Easy
, I took a 3 day keel boat 1 class here in Seattle and had a blast! Like you I gained a lot more confidence then I had going in. I think it's awesome they let you dock under sail, our marina did not allow that so all our docking maneuvers were under outboard. Do you think at this point you can launch, sail, and retrieve your own boat now?Yes, our first two trips were entirely motoring but we learned a lot on the fly about launching, docking and anchoring overnight on both trips. We didn't mount the boom until our third trip, when we tried a bit of downwind sailing, and beaching the boat for the first time. Last month was our first week long stay on the water, and the first time out with the new genoa on the furler, where I learned a lot about the running rigging. Got pretty good at motoring back onto the trailer this time, but that first time out... yikes!Willburrrr2003 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 24, 2025 10:42 am Sounds like you had a good time, and got a lot out of the class! Glad to hear it
Regards,
Will R.
Docking your X under sail is going to be a lot harder than the boat you used in class but you can do it. You have a lot more windage to contend with. If you're lucky it works for you; other times not so much.tuxonpup wrote: ↑Thu Jul 24, 2025 7:16 am
Keel Boat 1 is the first half of their US Sailing certification, we have to take another weekend long Keel Boat 2 class for the certification.
We'll plan another trip for Keel Boat 2, but see if we can build it into a longer trip, the drive-boat-boat-drive 4 day turn around is fun, once.
Definitely ingrained where my sails should be trimmed for all points of sail and I doubt I would've had the confidence to dock in a crowded marina using just the main sail before this. The instructor team switched up between the two days and we changed boats the second day, which was good to see differing techniques. Saturday's instructor wanted you to take the boom in close before jibing and let it back out again when complete. Safety first with four people on the boat. Sunday's instructor was a racer and wanted us to leave it out and let it swing hard on a jibe, relying on communication before any maneuver. I can see the argument either way and appreciated being shown both approaches. Some interesting tips like keeping your boom set to the angle of the waves on a broad reach, which only one of the instructors liked. The racing background instructor was getting into finding the groove for your boat on Sunday afternoon, feeling for the proper amount of heel and sail trim for any particular heading, without relying on watching for the luffing point or tell tales.
For a basics class, there was plenty of content for both those with no experience and those who had crewed sailing before.
). If I want to make a fast gybe (intentionally or not) I just reach up and grab the main sheet in the middle. This acts as a "shock absorber" and allows me to slow the boom as it crosses the cockpit without that gut-wrenching, gear breaking crash at the end.