Background

History: Yumiko and I started sailing in 1991. Yumiko is my wife's name and means beautiful in Japanese (and she is). Yumiko and I were married in Tokyo, Japan in 1969 when I was a Merchant Seaman. We have 5 boys, ages: 35, (identical twins 26), 25 and 21. Our good friend and sailing Guru, Glenn Doney, got us interested in sailing (read obsessed). Within a month of seeing and sailing on his Venture 222, we bought a Venture 22 from a neighbor down the street, and Yumiko and I sailed it for a year and a half on many of the lakes in Northern California before selling it to buy our current boat, the Yumiko Maru, a 1987 Mac 26Cd. Maru in Japanese roughly means safe return, or complete journey. Maru appears in the name of all Japanese vessels.

Modifications: The first year we sailed, we led the lines back and installed a down-haul on the jib. We spent all the time we could on the boat (after work and every weekend). We took a weeks vacation in 1996 and spent the whole week on Lake Oroville. Thinking we would develop cabin fever, we were quite surprised to find ourselves not wanting to come home at the end of the week. The highlight of that week was sailing within stones-throwing distance of a large bear on the shore of the lake. The only thing that scared it away was the sound of the motor-drive on the camera (isn't sailing peaceful and quiet?). Unfortunately the pics of the bear didn't turn out very good (I was shaking too much). I have included a few photos of us barbecuing, reading and sailing on Lake Oroville.

An acquaintance of mine (a boat builder) wanted to xtend the length of the boat by 32 inches. After some concerns about cost and time away from sailing, I thought it would be great addition and he promised we would be ready to launch within two and a half months of starting the project. The two and a half months turned into 13 months and the boat was virtually untouched (except by me) for the last 6 months he had it. We retrieved the boat in November of '98, and have now completed it with the help of a friend. I have included a few photos of the boat under construction. The finished boat can be viewed by clicking on the two (2) Photo Point icons at the bottom of the home page.

We launched it and performed a shake down cruise on Saturday, the 14th of August, 1999. Attached is my account: The shakedown cruise was excellent. All modifications to the boat performed flawlessly. Serge from Oroville met Glenn & I at the Oroville Dam about 9 AM Saturday. Serge took pictures and assisted while we prepared the boat for launching. Although I had emailed Serge several times over the past year, it was the first time we met. He was very helpful and took plenty of photos. I have linked his photos to my home page. It is at the end of the page and there are 2 Photo Point icons to click on.

Since all modifications to the boat were conceptual and had not been proven, I was very apprehensive about launching her. I was especially concerned with the rudder/tiller functioning properly. The rudder and tiller were completely fabricated from scratch and the bottom of rudder slanted back vertically, although it is extremely well shaped with a very sharp trailing edge. The rudder cheeks are solid fiberglass and held in place by a solid stainless steel ½" rod. The cheeks have bronze bushings top and bottom and although it pivots very smoothly, there is no slop whatsoever in the entire steering mechanism. The tiller is constructed out of 1 X 2-inch hollow aluminum tubing. It was cut and welded to go around the motor mount and up over the rear of cockpit divider (see photos). It extends about 10 inches into the cockpit and a wooden tiller attaches to this. I have attached the wooden tiller in such a way that when room is needed in the cockpit, it can be rotated backward and out of the way (see photos). We found almost no turbulence coming off the rudder, or the stern. While sailing in good winds at all points of sail, the tiller could be held with one finger (very little weather helm). The new stainless steel tiller extender allowed me to sit against the cabin and steer with no effort at all (see photos). We even turned the wooden tiller around and steered with just the aluminum part (4 feet less feet of tiller).

Releasing, setting and hauling the anchor was very quick and easy with the new anchor roller and locker. In one part of the lake we let out all 200 feet of rode and 40 feet of chain and Glenn pulled it all in. It was a work out, but nothing like it would have been if we had to do it the "old fashion way." The anchor set very well on the roller and was easy to secure and release. When raising the anchor, it is extended out far enough so that it will not make contact with the hull at anytime. The split adjustable back stay was one of the really neat changes. It was needed to allow for the free movement of the tiller, and easy entrance and egress to the swim platform. I used the boom vang for adjustment of the back stay (see photos) and all hookups are made easier with the use of snap shackles.

The boat seems to be even faster than before. It floated kind of stern-down due to no weight in the bow, and extra weight in the stern. Either that or I put the water line on wrong. I prefer to believe the former. (The following weekend, after loading the boat with the normal items and provisions we had on it before the mods, the waterline seems to be just fine.)

I was extremely pleased with the performance. I wasn't looking for increased speed, just comfort and ease of sailing. The modifications have improved both speed and comfort. The stern ladder worked very well and the swim platform was very comfortable. Glenn rode back there for a while with his feet and legs dangling in our wake. The rudder/motor worked very well together and getting into and away from the dock was a breeze. We poured buckets of water into the sink, cockpit, anchor lockers and storage areas and all through-hulls worked very well in draining those areas quickly.

We had a pretty good crowd in the cockpit and there was still room for more. There was one mishap. The stopper knot inside the dagger-board came loose (the one I tied) and we drug the dagger board under us until we dropped the sails. Glenn tried to swim under the boat to stick it back into the trunk, but the waves and rocking of the boat were too much to deal with. We anchored in the lee of an island and moved the mast forward (I read about that on the list a couple of weeks ago) and replaced the dagger-board.

Any questions or interest, you can email me direct to svhankins1@netzero.com

On the following Saturday and Sunday August 21 & 22, 1999, Yumiko and I spent our first weekend on the boat and were more than pleased with the ease of sailing, eating, sleeping and yada, yada, yada.

Mexico Vacation:

Yumiko and I spent a week of our vacation last November in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. While down there, we sailed on a Union 36 and a Catalina 42 and I have included a few pics of that experience. The enjoyment and pleasure of our trip was greatly enhanced by the kind advice and invaluable information provided us by Steve Vaczovsky (also a long-time member of the Mac list). He emailed me many pages full of recommendations of: where to eat, where and how to shop and how to have a great time and not get screwed. We printed all of it, took it with us and referred to it constantly. We met Steve and Linda through this list and spent a couple of days sailing with them on Lake Oroville in the summer of '96. Steve has a 26D ('89) also, but his (or he) is much faster than I. He spanked me so bad I can just now hold my head up in public.

Retirement:

My brother Wayne is retired and has lived in San Blas for about 7 years now. I am including a couple of photos of his home on the beach. San Blas is a very popular stopping-off place for north and south-bound sailors on the west coast of Mexico and is a very protected anchorage. Often there are up to 60 boats anchored in the bay. His house is well known and easy to spot. If you are ever down that way, look him up. He is very helpful to the "Yachties," and is very well known. His name is Wayne Hankins (he's a long-time surfer, and some-time sailor).

We also hope to build a home in San Blas and retire down there to sail and frolic on the beaches till there's no frolic left in us.