Empty ballasted Sailing?

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

Another unforgettable memory of that crossing: directly astern we watched the sun rise into a clear sky, while directly ahead, the full moon was settling into the sea. Great experience.

A nice time to be on the water is a day or two before, or the day of, a full moon.

Sunset to the west and then the moonrise to the east.

[RandyMoon]

Chinook, your website is a treasure. Thanks for sharing a great adventure.

[mighetto]

I think a good example of how close the performance of the X and M are under sail was the recent BlueWater Yachts rendezvous. There were 45 boats present, almost evenly split between X's and M's. Every type of sailor from experienced to newbie. The fleet left Friday Harbor as a ragged group to sail around Shaw Island. As the sailing progressed the order of the fleet did not change. The M's did not all zoom to the front leaving us poor X's behind.

Our heavy cruising X held it's own against both M and X. In particular I enjoyed the part where I finally went on deck and set the whisker pole to run wing on wing. The boat surged ahead leaving Frank M, who had been closing, in my wake. That is until we hit that rough dead spot and compressed together with all the other boats ahead. Then it was time for the iron genoa.

I have know doubt that in the hands of the same experienced sailor, in the same conditions the M would prove seconds faster than the X. But back in the real world you'll be hard pressed to find a difference.

Also, as a side note. BWY has done quite a bit of testing with different motors and one place where the M has proven slower than an X is with a big motor. They found that the M had a top end speed limit no matter how big of a motor they put on. The 90 performed no better than the 70. The rounder hull shape cannot be driven as fast. The flatter hull of the X responds much more to the extra power of the bigger the motor.

Go Duan! Mike also passed at the same point. Currents? Here are some notes from last week's Shaw Island Classic.

This was a delightful race. We had been recruited by the San Jaun Yacht Club several years earlier and give credit to the race organizers for recognizing that the dozen MacGregors making home at Friday Harbor should be participating. But it was encouragement from members at the Seattle Yacht Club that got us to scramble up, convert the vessel from cruising to racing (not so easy when you have gear on board for 3 months) and make the noon start.

We choose the down wind counter clockwise rounding similar to what BWY had trained us for in the not quite race and of the 60 or so boats only a few monohulls and the multis headed upwind for the also allowed clockwise rounding of Shaw Island. These vessels, I suspect, were looking for a down wind passage through the Wasp Islands rather than a strenuous bout of upwind tacking through difficult to navigate waters. I also choose to wait at the start line with no sails up, popping the Genoa at the gun and then setting the main and retracting the center and outboards later. That strategy made us the hound boat.

It was kewl to catch and pass a half dozen and more rabits including a Hunter 37 that wasnt paying attention. But at 15:20 and after being timed at the half way point our judgment told us that few if any in the blue cruising or our black spinnaker classification were going to finish. We dropped the outboard, fired up the engine and motored back, to view race boat finishers crossing the line, margaritas in hand.

The Classic is a fun race, the fun coming from scenery and race organizers willing to take registrations by fax the night before and participants who will give advice when asked. I also believe the wide start line and the spread along it less intimidating than the crowded starts and small lines at SSSS. The half way timing would salvage some of the serious race aspects of the event, should winds not carry many of the vessels to a finish. Almost half did.

Next year I intend to do more like the multihulls. The tight and treacherous Wasp Islands are easily navigated on broad reaches and the currents of cattle pass do not hinder light vessels as much. It was the fear of tidal currents in the wrong direction that enticed us to the counter clockwise course. The clockwise strategy would have been better for Mac26x vessels.

Frank L. Mighetto.
Hey thanks for the photo

[mighetto]

I've helmed both boats. My opinion is that if you took a stock X and a stock M, bare to the bones, and put good sailor on one, an average Joe on the other, it wouldn't matter which boat the good sailor was on, he'd win. If they then swapped boats, he'd win again. The performance as far as I can tell is identical. The feel is a little different, but tracking and speed over the ground in the same conditions with the same sails is not significantly noticeable. Remember that peopoe who have new Macs to sell are not inclined to tell you how great an X is, and people who invested a lot more mony in an M than others did in an X will also tend to believe they got more for their money, whether it's proveable or not. Take either Mac and they can do a lot more than the average person will ask of them, even with out mods. I"d say choose the boat you like the looks of, or the one with a floor plan that suits you, the that makes the admiral happy, or the one that fits your budget best. You can't go wrong with either one if you are looking for a versatile coastal cruiser.

I suppose if you limit your sailing style to traditional US keelboat training that the M will be the better choice because what you read in the manual about sail trim will apply directly. With our X vessels, you have to convert everything read or taught about US keelboats because the Genoa is so much larger than the main.

Regarding stability, the boats are also different. The X has more initial stability (dockside stability) when the ballast tank is empty. If you read the brochures for the X and M very carefully you will note that the photo captions involving Roger hanging from a shroud, while similar are different. The M is fully ballasted and the X is empty.

I have come to see that it is the loading of ballast on the X that brings weight to the centerline. That weight allows more rolling action which is what you want in heavy weather but not of course dockside. Hence we keep the boat empty at dock. This also means no clorination tablets are necessary. Duan's proposed modification to make my 1999 X more like the first 1995 + models (IE two ballast valves) makes a lot of sense to me if that means ballast can be taken on faster. Usually I can see the front or thunder storm coming. But I don't think I always have 10 minutes. If single handling it takes longer than that.

I also think we are dealing with two diferent kinds of sailers. The US trained are going to be better on the M. A good US trained operator is going to find the X a poor sailer and will not be shy in saying so. THose trained outside of the US or untrained adapt to the "revolutionary" ways of the X. You can't go wrong with either but this is worth giving thought to. You are picking a way of sailing as well as a brand that you can not go wrong with.

"It is true that the class (VO70s) requires a new generation of sailors. Those who sail these boats should be of the NEW GENERATION, because it has proved hard for some of the old school to adapt quickly enough. If the sailing world is ready to accept this fact, then great. If not IT WILL ALWAYS BE A COMPROMIZE."

Juan Kouyoumdjian in August 2006
Seahorse, pg 42

We need now purchase the book with the words "Do Not Panic". Wasn't it in Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy were the answer to all things mysterious was pg 42? A northwest author I am told.

Frank L. Mighetto

[baldbaby2000]

I think a good example of how close the performance of the X and M are under sail was the recent BlueWater Yachts rendezvous.

Was the modified BWY 26M (The Pearl) sailing at this rendezvous? Is it any faster than the stock M or X?

BB