I recently put Poppy on Lough Erne, Ireland. I haven't put water ballast in because we will not be sailing. We will be exploring the vast network of water ways and the mast would stop us going under bridges etc. We have access to the loughs down to the Shannon and the Shannon itself. There is also the grand canal to Dublin She seems stable enough just under engine but I keep seeing the notice that says 'do not operate without water ballast'. I would be interested to know how do others find motoring without ballast. I am interested to hear how the other Macs got on during the trip to Ireland back in 2018. Do you have any recommendations of places to visit etc? I will send some updates on our adventures later and look forward to organising a future trip to Ireland for macgregorowners
Wed, 30/06/2021 - 2:38pm
#1
motoring without water ballast
Hi Jason, great that you are back on the water albeit mastless. The last Mac event in Ireland was on Lough Derg in 2017 and you can read about it in a Newsletter from that time. Lough Derg has many places to stay the night, some quiet and some raucous. In the week after the main event several boats made the trip to Limerick and used the lock at the power station, quite hairy I think. I can't wait to go again and take in Lough Ree.
Re water ballast in your C: if you are not sailing I should have thought that it will be safe enough to motor in calm waters without ballast; however, I always found my C to be very unstable when the tanks were empty - even without the mast attached. If there are a few of you on board you will need to be careful where you all sit or stand. In rough water it could get hairy too. It will be a trial and error thing.
Good luck Jason. Keep us updated on your progress.
Regards, Quentin
Quentin Sands, past owner
1991 26C Mrs MacGregor
1993 Mac19, Margarita
Newsletter 99 has a full account of the Lough Derg week. In the same mag, Jim Rotheram writes about his journey down the Shannon and the Ardnacrusha lift experience.
There was a Mac rally to Lough Ree in 2001 with 12 boats taking part. The article about it is well worth a read as are other articles in this Newsletter (issue 33) that reference Irish waters. Not a lot will have changed.
Quentin Sands, past owner
1991 26C Mrs MacGregor
1993 Mac19, Margarita
Hi Jason,
I always fill the ballast on my 26D (same as S but dagger board instead of swing centre board) I find it too unstable without. As they are displacement hulls, I don't think you gain anything with having the ballast empty. With the later planing hulls, you'd have the option to empty the ballast to help get on the plane (I believe) but for us that is not an option.
Chris
'89 Macgregor 26D: Getaway