Quote:
Originally Posted by dca81
Geez...I am a newbie and just purchased a 2004 Macgregor 26M .... I plan to keep the water ballast full at all times while on the water. But I will use the boat on lakes in Colorado and can almost guarantee I will get unexpected gust over 15 50 kts.
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Fixed.
Welcome to Sailnet, and to sailing. I'm not kidding about the 50 kts, BTW: mountain winds come out of nowhere with incredible power. We got nailed this September on Lake Granby by 50 kt winds that lasted for 15 minutes, then dropped to dead calm. About rolled our SJ21.
A Mac26 with proper water and fixed ballast should be fine IF you pin the centerboard down and have the means and presence of mind to shorten sail IMMEDIATELY. Once winds of that kind get hold of you, it becomes very hard to reef or furl. IIRC, The Mac26 uses a fairly high-aspect main and a pretty big genoa; get the jib put away first, then have some kind of jiffy reefing system that will permit you to shorten the main w/out leaving the cockpit. Things will be insane for a few minutes when the gusts come, so practise these drills in mild conditions until they are rote. Later Macs are very high windage boats; their profile alone will be enuf to induce some serious heel and sagging to leeward. Not much you can do about that, but don't expect to point in high winds. Even motoring may prove difficult. Also, even on perfect blue-sky days, you might keep the hatchboards in and PFDs, if not on, right next to you. The second we see a dark line on the water, life vests go on.
Cheers!