Donal wrote:
"Jim Cate" wrote in message
...

Good for you Joe. But I don't have even one oil well, and I have lots of
deadlines and responsibilities at work and home that take precedence
over sailing. My wife and I did get out today, for an afternoon of

sailing.


Jim,
Don't defend yourself against lame attacks from Redneck powerboaters like
Joe.


Are you enjoying your new boat? Tell us about it!



Regards

Donal
--

Donal,

As I noted above, I have been occupied by a number of issues at work,
and I haven't had much time on the boat yet. - Our two initial trips
were in fairly breezy weather, with chop and whitecaps from the winds
and wakes from power boats going in and out of Galveston Bay. (I
understand that the Kemah area is one of the busiest in the country and
is one of the top three as far as the number of boats docked in the
area.) The Mac 26M handles such conditions quite well, and seems to have
lots of stiffness when under sail.

I haven't had time to become proficient with most of the boat's
features. I do note that, compared with some of the other, larger boats
that I have sailed, the Mac is more complicated and more versatile as
far as choices of controls, options for sailing, motoring, etc. For
example, the boat provides a choice of motoring with or without the
extra 1,100 pounds of water ballast. In light wind conditions, the boat
can be powered at greater speed without the ballast. With the water
ballast, the 50-hp motor can still keep the boat on a plane. Another
option is that the helm can utilize one, or both, or neither (when under
power) of the retractable rudders. The motor can be tilted out of the
water when under sail to reduce drag. Another choice is the depth of
the dagger board, which can be extended for reaching and partially
retracted when on a reach, or running. My Mac has roller furling, and
three choices of reefing in the main, which provides further versatility
for the particular conditions. The main is on a traveler, and the jib
sheet blocks can be adjusted fore and aft for tuning the sails.

Again, I haven't had time to use most of these various features, and I
can't give a comprehensive report on its handling, pointing ability,
etc. Another aspect is that my wife served as crew on our shakedown
cruise this week, and I didn't want to push the boat too much on her
first trip out. All in all, however, it has a nice sweet "feel" under
sail, which is what I'm primarily interested in.

Jim

Jim