MacGregorSailors.com

Hello Planet Mac

we come in peace on the off-chance that you have much to teach us about alien technologies, viz. how the hull* the bimini can be set up on an so that you can a) see over it from the helm position and b) sail with it without fouling against the boom. Either I set it so far back that, when I stand up I am bending back over the outboard, or I set it just right and it obstructs the boom. All guidance heartily welcomed....

2nd day with Morwenna and much fun tinkering, as you can imagine. I can now confirm that the sails do in fact exist and that they appear to be in decent order, though I am determined to get the "all lines back" mod, lazyjacks and single line reefing as a matter of urgency. (If I slipped on the side of the companionway roof once today, I did it five times, and that was moored on a pontoon!)

Now then, Ladies & Gentlemen and Children of all ages, what is the received wisdom in respect of the Genoa sheets? Is it proper form to run these outside of everything metal, into the blocks on the cars next to the pedestal and then tie them off on the horm cleat on the stern quarter (please say it isn't!), or is there some magical trapeze arrangemnet whereby the sheets are fed back forwards onto the pathetic little bakelite winches either side of the companionway? I can see an urgent mod invovling a pair of self-tailers coming up PDQ, but until then, how do I get halfway decent sail shape AND still manage to tack the Genny singlehanded? Answers on a postcard please......

Finally, we are already having Battery Fun and will be installing a small nuclear power plant below the companionway steps in the immediate future. Why, I am not quite sure, as the Nav Lights are pretty much the only thing I absolutely need to run with any degree of reliability, but I think a 100 aH slab of lead low down in the bilges can only help keep my bank balance underwater and so that's what it will probably have to be.

So far, compared to the , I'm happy that Morwenna is a bit more spacious, a bit more user-friendly (especially in the rudders and not-having-a-tiller departments) and slightly less responsive. To be honest, the wheel feels absolutely horrible after my brief dalliance with the Beneteau 343, and I really don't think I will have the stomach to put an autopilot on the helm; maybe just a bit of elastic or an old rag, lashed to the already-corroding-after-only-one-year-of-light-use chrome arch.

Any thoughts on the Genoa sheets and the Bimini would be gratefully recieved; everything else will probably be ignored during the current Honeymoon period, but you've all been there yourselves and you know that I'm still a little starry eyed right now. Just wait til I get the drill and the hacksaw out for those deck organizers and triple clutches

Andrew, Dubai-under-Water

*There is an incredible auto-censor function on this Forum; either I have been out in the sun for too long today, or I swear that having typed "H*E*L*L the posted message is automatically corrected to the rather Freudian-slip "Hull"! I am not on drugs, it just seems that way sometimes.

I went with the EZ Cleats mounted on the genoa track of my X. I fly my spinnaker through these sheets but also run my 150 genoa sheets through them when I am single handing. I have found that with my 150 genoa I rarely run my sheets inside the shrouds. The only time I do this if the winds are high and I'm trying to tack, then I furl the genoa and run the sheets through the tracks on top of the cabin, inside the shrouds.

I have found that with the sheets running back to the EZ Cleats, in the higher winds I sometimes need to either fall off or come to the wind so the genoa luffs slightly,then tighten or let out the sheet then resume my heading. Very easy to tack as both sheets come back to the helm seat.

Why would you want to look over the top of the bimini while at the helm? Sitting under its shade is my goal. I don't know if you have the Mac bimini or an aftermarket unit [which is what mine is], but I am able to set it such that the front edge is a little lower than the main bow, and the boom will clear it just fine when sailing. http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/index.php?view=681

I agree with parrothead the bimini that was alerady on our M is from BWY. The topping lift has 2 hooks one for sailing without the bimini and one for sailing with the dodger and bimini up and giving good shade and the topping lift hook is about 5 inches shorter.

Just curious, is it ok to use the topping lift to clear the bimini while sailing? I always wanted to do this, but I was always concerned about the forces envoved that could cause me a problem so I have never tried it out. Is there a limit on wind speed while using the topping lift?

Fair winds,
Jim

S/V BOLD VENTURE

In really tight air, I use the topping lift to raise the end of the boom a little to put more shape into the sail. With any appreciable wind, you wouldn't want to have the topping lift engaged, as that would make it impossible to flatten the sail. Mine has a line running through a little captive jam cleat, so it can be set at varying heights. It isn't necessary to use the topping lift in order to have the boom clear our bimini when sailing.

As I approach the mooring I prefer to stand up to get a better view; on my Beneteau 343 the canopy seemed to have been set at precisley the wrong height, such that to see over it I was on tiptoe and to see under the canvas surrounding the front window I had to squat down. On the the bimini is at just the right height, but it is all wrong on a fore-aft basis.

Also, the point I was hoping to get clarified on the Genoa sheets was where these are controlled from; yes, I agree that they run back to the cars, but where from there? Do you run the lines forward to the winches or back to the horm cleats?

I just let the swivel-cam cleats at the rear of the track do the work. Haven't found a need to use a winch to sheet in. If you need to sheet in and can't quite get it, just head up slightly to ease the pressure.

~Rich

Andrew,

If you have normal cars you run the sheets back forward to the winches. But many of us have some sort of locking/swivel cleat/car to replace the standard block style car.

See this thread: Bill's EZ Cleats

Bill's EZ Cleats are the best improvement I made for single-handing...and I think they would be a great improvement even if you don't single-hand. I haven't used my winches at all since I bought them.

As to your bimini...I look under mine but I don't have a dodger or anything else in the way. And it goes aft far enough to shade the helm seat.

Cheers,
Jim

Andrew
The sheets go outside everything, to the block on the car track, forward to the winch, a couple of times round and then into the cam cleat. I briefly considered self-tailing winches but I very rarely used the winch handle in the winches - just use body weight.

I would suggest that if the boom is fouling the bimimi then you have too much tension on the mainsheet pulling straight down. Try moving the traveller to the windward side and easing off the mainsheet a tad. One advantage of having the bimimi with a novice crew is that they can't stand up and get their head swiped by the boom.

For approaching the dock I would recommend putting the bimimi down and opening the guardrail on the relevant side. This has the following advantages:
- improves visibility
- allows you to step onto the dock side without having to squeeze past the bimimi and trip over the guardwire
- reduces the sail effect
The disadvantage is that it takes a few seconds to do, you will catch the sun for a few minutes until you complete mooring and put it back up and you deny the onlookers dining at The Boardwalk with the comedy sketch of ramming Morwenna into the quay and tripping over the wire as you leap ashore.

When you are sailing you can disconnect the engine from the steering which lightens the steering considerably. It is a bit fiddly to do and there are better arrangements than the original that can make it easier. If you need to use the engine you can still lower it and use it in the central fixed position and steer with the rudders although this is less than ideal for close quarters manouvering.

Glad that you are enjoying Morwenna - look after her for me

Cheers
Nevil
ex of Morwenna

I wondered about the name and location. Sorry to see that you sold her, Nevil. Are you moving up to bigger toys, or just different?

~Rich

Rich
My time here in Dubai is drawing to a close - the project I am working on is in commissioning at the moment and I am expecting to leave Dubai some time in Q1 2010. I am hoping to hear where I may be heading to next within the next week but when I do hear, things are likely to move fast, hence the decision to sell a little in advance.

Morwenna has been an ideal boat for me here in Dubai in terms of being able to trailer to interesting places and keep her at home for free. After chartering a 30' Bavaria in the summer in the UK, the limitations of the Mac are apparent - a Mac would have been very uncomfortable, probably dangerous, in the conditions we experienced. So whether I sail again soon and whether it will be in a bigger/smaller boat remains to be seen where I end up.
Cheers
Nevil

The phrase "proud owner" is hackneyed, but entirely apposite when describing Nevil (who will be a hard act to follow).

The boat came to me in tip-top condition and is a credit to him; numerous very sensible mods have been made and completed to a high standard and - other than the secondary battery array which Nevil warned me about - Morwenna was ready to go right out of the box.

Having previously sailed a , I am dismayed by how insubstantial the wheel on the feels, but for mid-high speed work it is a great improvement over a tiller!

Planned mods include Tek-Dek replacements for the cabin sole carpets and the aforementioned lines aft/ reefing / lazyjacks and self-tailers on the stern quarters. Right now I am flapping around looking for a safe place to install an anemometer (i.e. not on the coachroof or deck, not on the mast, not on the mast crutch etc etc...). I expect it will end up on the pushpit, from where it can send it's data wirelessly to the main unit in the cabin. GBP40 from Argos in the UK, if you're interested, and it does gust and current in Kt and Bft, temp/pressure/humidity, rainfall (if you want that kind of thing) and various sunrise/sunset/moon phase things.

Life with "THE DRILL" begins tonight, when I remove Nevil's old GPS mount on the pedestal and install my GPSMAP276 and another piece of kit. Any opinions on the crome grab rail/protector availabel for the pedestal btw and/or where it available from?

The final piece of magic which I learned from my Beneteau is a line of small hooks either side of the companionway which - assisted by Nevil-o-Rubber (TM) - will be used to gather the loose lines soon-to-be-coming back from the mast (i.e. furling line, daggerboard, at least 2 halyards, 3 reefs and the vang). I am accepting charitable donations and doing favours for sailors down at the docks while I save up for the triple clutches, deck organisers and self-tailers. More later.

Andrew

The phrase "proud owner" is hackneyed, but entirely apposite when describing Nevil (who will be a hard act to follow).

The boat came to me in tip-top condition and is a credit to him; numerous very sensible mods have been made and completed to a high standard and - other than the secondary battery array which Nevil warned me about - Morwenna was ready to go right out of the box.

Having previously sailed a , I am dismayed by how insubstantial the wheel on the feels, but for mid-high speed work it is a great improvement over a tiller!

Planned mods include Tek-Dek replacements for the cabin sole carpets and the aforementioned lines aft/ reefing / lazyjacks and self-tailers on the stern quarters. Right now I am flapping around looking for a safe place to install an anemometer (i.e. not on the coachroof or deck, not on the mast, not on the mast crutch etc etc...). I expect it will end up on the pushpit, from where it can send it's data wirelessly to the main unit in the cabin. GBP40 from Argos in the UK, if you're interested, and it does gust and current in Kt and Bft, temp/pressure/humidity, rainfall (if you want that kind of thing) and various sunrise/sunset/moon phase things.

Life with "THE DRILL" begins tonight, when I remove Nevil's old GPS mount on the pedestal and install my GPSMAP276 and another piece of kit. Any opinions on the crome grab rail/protector availabel for the pedestal btw and/or where it available from?

The final piece of magic which I learned from my Beneteau is a line of small hooks either side of the companionway which - assisted by Nevil-o-Rubber (TM) - will be used to gather the loose lines soon-to-be-coming back from the mast (i.e. furling line, daggerboard, at least 2 halyards, 3 reefs and the vang). I am accepting charitable donations and doing favours for sailors down at the docks while I save up for the triple clutches, deck organisers and self-tailers. More later.

Andrew

The phrase "proud owner" is hackneyed, but entirely apposite when describing Nevil (who will be a hard act to follow).

The boat came to me in tip-top condition and is a credit to him; numerous very sensible mods have been made and completed to a high standard and - other than the secondary battery array which Nevil warned me about - Morwenna was ready to go right out of the box.

Having previously sailed a , I am dismayed by how insubstantial the wheel on the feels, but for mid-high speed work it is a great improvement over a tiller!

Planned mods include Tek-Dek replacements for the cabin sole carpets and the aforementioned lines aft/ reefing / lazyjacks and self-tailers on the stern quarters. Right now I am flapping around looking for a safe place to install an anemometer (i.e. not on the coachroof or deck, not on the mast, not on the mast crutch etc etc...). I expect it will end up on the pushpit, from where it can send it's data wirelessly to the main unit in the cabin. GBP40 from Argos in the UK, if you're interested, and it does gust and current in Kt and Bft, temp/pressure/humidity, rainfall (if you want that kind of thing) and various sunrise/sunset/moon phase things.

Life with "THE DRILL" begins tonight, when I remove Nevil's old GPS mount on the pedestal and install my GPSMAP276 and another piece of kit. Any opinions on the crome grab rail/protector available for the pedestal btw and/or where it available from?

The final piece of magic which I learned from my Beneteau is a line of small hooks either side of the companionway which - assisted by Nevil-o-Rubber (TM) - will be used to gather the loose lines soon-to-be-coming back from the mast (i.e. furling line, daggerboard, at least 2 halyards, 3 reefs and the vang). I am accepting charitable donations and doing favours for sailors down at the docks while I save up for the triple clutches, deck organisers and self-tailers. More later.

Andrew