Hmm. The spreader does potentially take a load on an M which has no back stay so depends on rear sweep of spreaders to keep it in proper position. Especially if sailing.

The spreader is a simple aluminium tube and I replaced mine quickly before an event in past. If you can give me the exact dimensions...external and internal diameter plus approximate length I can buy at metal merchants Monday morning and we can fix it at Bradwell. Internal diameter is important to fit spreader end back in. You can remove the black end by unscrewing fixation screw. Have you got calipers to measure?

Roly

Hi all

nothing like last minute contact! So sorry we haven’t been in touch we are intending to come Tuesday to ​ Thursday probably

Rod and Jill

(Pilchard)

Hi, Rod and Jill

Where do you plan to launch and retrieve?

The fleet plans to be in Titchmarsh Marina (weather etc....) exploring the Walton Backwaters so it might be worth heading there direct.

Best to check with Marina Office as to best times to launch and retrieve. They do have a slipway and assume it will cope with a Mac but do check.

http://www.titchmarshmarina.co.uk/

Good Luck

Simon Armitage

Sowenna 26M

Wishing all a merry sail and fair winds. Alas family commitments have me elsewhere, no not absoute version of alas, just sorry not to develop the skill of bilocation yet. In fact am still confined to a main sail!! Fair winds to ye all as I search for pirate ships for my four year old boys.

Very best wishes on this Gala,

Neil MCann

Fermanagh

thanks Simon

Jill sent Rick an e-m with our menu choices last week? dont know if you/he received them?

we will go with the flow so if we need to update the marinas or if you want me to let me know

Rod

Hullo

Where (which pub) might you all be on the evening of 29th July? I hope to be able to join you for a beer or two then and lunch the following day (though I'll be in the camper van, rather than my Mac, I'm afraid). I hope to be with you traffic permitting by 20:00hrs.

Any pointers most welcome.

Very best

Stu

Hi Stuart. Good to hear you will be around. Pity you can't make the 28th but it would be good to meet up on 29th . Current plan is free sailing and exploration in the Blackwater estuary or up the river and end up back in Bradwell for the night. However consensus might be for some to wild moor or cook aboard since we will have partied the night before. Keep in touch and I will also call / text you..

on 3oth we plan to go to Titchmarsh Marina near Walton on the naze and will likely have a bbq that night.

Roly

Roly

Passage Planning - The Blackwater to the Crouch and back.

Many of you will be on the road en-route to the delights of the Essex Coast, so wishing you a safe and uneventful journey.

It is recommended that you only use the shortcut through the Ray Channel which runs between Buxey Sands and Dengie Flats on a rising tide above half tide so using the last of the ebb to exit the Blackwater and the flood to sail up the Crouch means you will need to continue further eastwards to the Wallet Spitway buoy, then head about 140 degrees to the Swin Spitway (which you should be able to see) and then head SW following the channel markers up the Crouch.

Wind is forecast to be from the South/South West and sadly not a lot of it.

Plenty of fuel and high SPF sun tan lotion.

Reverse this on your way back to Braadwell.

Good Saling

Simon Armitage

Sowenna 26 M

Dear fellow Big Mac Sailors

Thank you so much for being so welcoming to Rosemary and I at Bradwell. Congratulations to Rolly and Simon for organising such a great location. Thanks to Rick for letting me hitch a ride on White Lightning and thanks too to Colin and Mick for taking Rosemary out for the day on Colin's boat. Also, thank you to Mick, Maureen and Alan for showing me how to rig a 26. All invaluable experience and a great couple of days too.

Lovely to meet you all and I hope you enjoy the rest of the Big Mac. Must get my trailer fixed so I can bring our boat to the next one.

Best wishes

Tony McKenna

Thanks to Roly and Simon for the setting up of a great event, notwithstanding having either too little or too much wind. Also thanks to Roly, Quentin, Chris, my bro' Peter and all other Mac folk and some non-Maccers who helped me launch and recover in difficult circumstances. My jockey wheel arrangements are being sorted and I'm researching winches! The sailing area we covered was highly impressive I thought, and the villages and towns around were a delight. The locals too seemed so helpful & polite - drivers, locals in pubs, asking for directions. I'm planning a road trip to show the area off to Annie.

Regards to all.

John Richardson 'Sonny' 26M

I endorse John's thank you to Roly, Simon and Rick - Dot and I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and meeting so many like minded sailors to share and exchange ideas and experience with.

Also very impressed with all the offers of help to help sort out our broken dagger board and damaged propeller which prevented us taking a more active part in the meeting.

I am now casting a new dagger board mould from our damaged one. We are documenting the process and will make the mould available to anyone who wants to use it if it all works as planned.

We should be operational again in a few days as we have sourced a propeller and a refurbished dagger board ready to refit.

I will also finish documenting the rose joint modifications we made to our steering linkage to remove the backlash and post it to the site for anyone who's interested.

It was great to meet you all.

Mike and Dot Clarke - Tarka 26M

The Hydraulic steering for the Mac 26 is a 'Hydrokit 1' from Southern Cross marine - I've attached the tech data sheet and the quote I got from them earlier this year. I decided to replace the crude linkage with stainless rose joints to get rid of the backlash before deciding if I wanted to instal the hydraulics. The rose joints made it much better with more feel so I still haven't decided if I want to spend that much on hydraulics.

Thank you for your enquiry.

As discussed today the ideal system for your McGregor 26M is the HyDrive Hydra Kit system.

You may notice the choice of helms below are commercial rated, which is the only type of helm that should be used for the unique style of the 26M.

HYDRAKIT consists of the following;

1 x 212T N8 cylinder + fittings

1 x 1.5M stainless remote cable with adaptor

1 x 401N8 helm + fittings with rear mount kit OR 101N8 helm unit (as in attachment)

1 x 15M coil of N8 nylon tube

2 x 1 litres of Ultra 15 HyDrive oil

1 x Manual and bleeder kit

Price £815.00 plus VAT

I trust the above is of interest if you require more details please do not hesitate in contacting me.

Southern Cross Marine Ltd

Tel; +44 (0)1725 511601

scmsales@btconnect.com

www.southerncrossmarine.co.uk

Mike and Dot Clarke - Tarka 26M

PS thanks to every one helping to get is sorted with a new dagger board and prop. The Dagger board is now in place - thanks to Simon, and we now have a new prop we fitted today.

So can now sail again.

Hullo,

I'm sorry I could only join you for that one evening at Brightlingsea. But thanks to all who were there for making me feel so welcome.

It's an honour to take on the role of Magazine Editor -- I hope I'll do justice to my illustrious predecessors.

If anyone has ideas for the magazine and/or articles they'd like to see in print, please drop me a line: stuartmcwilliam@icloud.com will get to me. Or call me on 07590 108971.

I hope to see much more of many more of you over the coming months.

All the very best

Stu

Stuart McWilliam

Thanks to all who came to this event. Ros and I had a great time. It was super to meet up with so many Mac owners , friends old and new. Looking forward to meeting up again.

The weather was kind most of the time so despite some "Arr" moments we had plenty of "Ah" times on Aranah ....like swimming off the back of the boat while on auto-helm mid-sea , spotting a porpoise going by , a seal and a curlew. Lovely sunsets sunrises and beautiful Essex scenery.

I have posted just a few of my photos of friends and experiences .

PS......John Pompeii has volunteered/ been press-ganged into the official write -up but do post any of your own comments or photos...the more the merrier!

Roly

Hi john. Do you have the east coast pilot for this route. I can scan and email to you.

Roly

Hi John

We were based in Gillingham until 2013. We went to Burnham and back via Havengore. On the outward trip the wind was due west and generated a following sea im the Thames which was a surprise in force 4. Fortunately things improved as we headed across the Maplin sands. On the return wind was due South and we had a good voyage back. Need to aware of swell if wind onshore on Maplin sands particularly because of limited depth.

Adrian Cox

Shema 2008 26M