Sea Worthy? Ideas and thoughts

[Catigale]

There are no gas stations in the middle of the ocean.

Too funny!!!!!!!!

[capncarp]

Plz allow me to correct my statement. Mac's sail to the Bahamas' all the time. Not Bermuda.
capncarp,
99

[yukonbob]

Saw it posted earlier, but some one said (and it makes total sense) ya you could cross any ocean in any boat say five or six times and have no problems or you could sink five miles off shore on your first voyage either way. And I think Chris Rock put it best "you could drive a car with your feet if ya wanted too, that don't make it a good f***ing idea."

[claudio]

Helo guys. I read all the post here, very interesting the thoughts.

I am a sailor for ages and I just moved to South Florida and decide to buy a MacGregor 26X for the idea of an hybrid boat. I like it so far. Very nice boat. Not a racing boat how I am used to.
The problem is that I still didn´t realize if it is a boat made to lake or bay or if it is good to go out on the ocean. I am not talk about long cruising. I am just talking about go at the sea to have a day sailing.
The boat roll so much and the rudder has broken twice, no accidents, no crashes just the material weak.
Everything fixed and ready to go out again. Should I go and enjoy the ocean´s wind, or the boat wasn´t designed for this?????
Could you guys share your exp with me.

Ah! Bahamas is a good Idea. Lol!!!

Claudio

[Québec 1]

Saw it posted earlier, but some one said (and it makes total sense) ya you could cross any ocean in any boat say five or six times and have no problems or you could sink five miles off shore on your first voyage either way. And I think Chris Rock put it best "you could drive a car with your feet if ya wanted too, that don't make it a good f***ing idea."

[Hodag1]

Québec 1,
You may want to upgrade to a 20 inch wheel so you don't have to stretch your leg so much!

[Ixneigh]

To the original poster Claudio
Sorry if I misinterpreted your question. The answer is yes. I take my M model out to the reefs off key largo all the time and usually out past the reef zone later in the day. I have even gone out of site of land, the first boat I have ever managed to do this with just on a day sail. The rudders are the weak points on these boats but I am surprised you have broken one under sail (I am assuming you didn't hit something)
Obviously I do not go out to Challenge Nature. Just to have a pleasent day on the water.
Ixneigh

[innervations]

I regularly sail out to Rottnest island which is 17nm off the coast from the marina where I keep my boat. This is the Indian ocean off the south west coast of Australia. The island is not visible over the horizon on the way over and the mainland is not visible from the boat deck on the way back. I am always careful to pick my weather window although I have come back in 2m (6ft) swell and 20 knot wind on the stern which was uncomfortable but the Mac handled it ok and we did not feel unsafe. Having said this we are required to carry:
EPIRB (I have a gps model)
VHF radio (I have one with DSC including Emergency button that transmits digital mayday including gps coordinates)
Lifejackets for all
Handheld and parachute flares

We also have the RIB sitting on the foredeck ready to go in the event of abandon ship

Usually when we are over at Rottnest island we see at least 3 or more other Mac26's so clearly a lot of owners are comfortable making short offshore trips. Nasty southerlies can pick up quickly in this part of the world so I really like the ability to hoist the iron sail and make 14knots back to shore if necessary. This means that at worst during the crossing we are only 20 minutes max from safe anchorage.

[Mac26Mpaul]

I'm on the other side of Aus and make the 17 mile trips out to Moreton Island. Great in the right conditions, but even Moreton bay throws up conditions that I wouldnt want to be out in, in the Mac.

I'm not sure about 20 minutes - In perfect conditions, you might make the mainland in an hour and half or so (using plenty of fuel) but if the seas get big, you may end up doing no more than 6 knots (or less), so could be 3 hours or more from the mainland. So half of those times to safe anchorage, I should think.

I agree, its all about the weather. To take a trailer sailer off shore, you just need two things, good weather, and good luck. Better throw in some sensible planning too of course..

[Ixneigh]

My limited experience with motoring is if it's too cruddy to sail its wayyyy to rough to motor fast. When I first got my boat the dealer and I brought it to my anchorage very late and in windy conditions. Even with no mast and full ballast once I launched the boat off a three foot wave and slammed her into the next one i throttled back to six knots and we had a fine ride from there. The boat may take it but the people won't (want to)

Ixneigh

[mastreb]

Having lived at sea for four years aboard a 500 foot warship, I can say unequivocally that I would not attempt to cross the Pacific in Mac. I've been through storms at sea that would destroy any boat this size. Any crossing in a boat less than 50' is taking a significant risk in my opinion. Sure, people make it all the time, but people also die trying it all the time too.

There's no such thing as checking the weather four months in advance, and irrespective of what you think about global climate change, the storms at sea are the most vigorous we've ever seen right now.

If you get caught in a tropical storm or better, the Mac would be dismasted. One of the best things about it is that it's cheap to repair that kind of damage. Lose your mast? $1000 good as new. The foot hardware on mine is already bent and being replaced this weekend. What would you do with empty tanks and broken mast foot or snapped side-stay in the middle of the pacific? You'd better have a manually operated water maker, the stamina to pump all day long, and the ability to catch fish, because you'll be waiting for the pacific gyre to bring you around to the Pacific Northwest in one or two years. It's not about whether the hull makes it back, it's whether you make it back.

The Mac doesn't have the rigging to survive a serious blow, and it doesn't have the storage space to carry injury rigging. In my opinion, Mac's need to be within a full gas tank of shore to be safe. This means Catalina, sure, Bermuda Sure, even Cuba and the Caribbean are within easy reach with a competent sailor. But I won't be farther than 150nm from shore in mine, thanks.

These boats are 99% boats: They're 99% of what 99% of the boating population wants and uses. They're not 1% boats for those rare individuals who want to do a circumnavigation.

It's all about risk tolerance. Four out of five times you might make it no problem, but you only have to be killed once to be dead.

[MacTommy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K5TnDaSWJc

http://translate.google.no/translate?sl ... r_Thorseth

Ragnar Thorseth rowed across the North Sea alone, from Norway to Shetland in a 14,5 feet vessel. I guess a MacGregor 26 should be able to sail the same distance...

[March]

Thor Heyerdahl did something better on a wooden raft--and in a straw boat, too. No engine, one useless sail, no GPS and just a dinky radio powered by leaky batteries. And he followed others who had done it before, in even more drastic conditions.
The point is not so much whether it can be done, but whether you'd care to do it and to step outside your comfort zone and assume the inherent risks.

[john346]

I'd say it largely depends on the Mac, ours is a early "d" model for daggerboard. In light wind it's a blast, but when the weather picks up, you need to get comfortable with motoring. Any sail up in heavy wind will soon overpower what minimal purchase the daggerboard can hold. We've had some great times aboard ours, but reading where the weather is coming from is paramount, as we've also had some epic struggles aboard in heavy weather. Knowing when to tie off or find a protected anchorage is also proven to be a safe feeling over cards or dominoes.
Sailing from the mainland, to Bermuda in our boat in light winds? Probably doable, but get strong winds, your likely to become another statistic. Personally, I like to leave as bomb proof as I can, full fixed keel, sturdy standing rigging, hatches that are watertight, and a fair arsenal of sails, including storm or staysails, now you are ready for a trip to white sandy beaches. For whatever my two cents are worth.

[Ixneigh]

I still come back to the boldger sharpies. Nobody wants to take those offshore.
Maybe the Mac boat some people see, on the surface, is similar to ocean going boats but with often times nicer accommodations.
Beginners don't understand how strong stuff has to be to thrash for months in open water.
Perhaps a simple sticker from the factory that's states this yacht is not to be used past fifty miles from shore.
It could be applied right below the large warning sticker that already comes on the yacht.

Ixneigh