MacGregorSailors.com

Some ocean conditions are not suitable for any small boat.

A very experienced sailor recently died off the coast of Long Beach. He was returning from Catalina to Marina Del Rey. The boat came ashore, minus its captain, at Venice Beach.

The boat was, evidently, a 26-foot Nordic Folkboat, which is usually considered to be very seaworthy.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_15177679

In the long run, that will be an area for power and desalinization - in surreal amounts.... Enjoy while it is still quiet!!

Not likely in my lifetime it's an awful long way from any civilization, they have been talking about piping the water from there (Lake Argyle) for as long as I can remember but it's too far to be feasible.

Most boats are capable of bluewater cruising

Most times in Russian Roullette you win too...

There are profound differences in the hardware on an open-ocean designed boat and a Mac - the steering gear arguably being the most important. A sailor successfully crossing open ocean in a Mac proves nothing.

A sailor successfully crossing open ocean in a Mac proves nothing.

Yep it only proves it could be done on the day in that water under those conditions it does nothing to prove it is a blue water boat, but that could probably be proved better on some inland lakes under severe conditions than blue water under good conditions.

nedmiller wrote:NO

What he said.

Folks, a Winnebago isn't a cottage at Cape Cod.

And a Land Rover won't race at Indy.

And a screwdriver isn't a chisel.

As my old dad taught me when I first started working on stuff, "Dammit, son, learn to use the right tool for the job".

(As a corollary, he also taught me that in engineering - as in life - proper lubrication fixes nearly everything.)

My old man taught me to pour a screwdriver, a lesson I have found very useful when working on boats!

Everything has pretty much been said. I would add that there is a difference for most people about whether it can be done and whether you would want to do it. Sure it can be done, but to cross an ocean on anytihng under 35 feet would be unenjoyable for most. Stowage, provisions, comfort, etc. Keep in mind that a crew of 4 or more is usually needed for such a voyage since you take shifts. Personally, we can't go longer than 2 days on our Mac without having to re-provision, recharge batteries, pump out the head, fill the water tanks, etc, etc. And becomes cramped pretty quickly. As for seaworthiness, I would agree with most of what has been said. I have taken my boat in open ocean numerous times. Most of the time, under sail. But I have never gone nor do I plan to go anywhere beyond an 18 hour trek to an anchorage. The big swells aren't a problem. It's the breaking waves that pose a danger. Then again, no boat or ship is too big or too seaworthy for what the ocean can dish out. Many people say that Beneteau, Catalina and Hunter, among several other big production boats are not suitable to cross oceans. The rationale is that one ocean crossing is equivelent to 10 years of day sailing or coastal cruising; and such production boats, though perhaps capable would be beaten to death during maybe one such crossing. Personally, I think that's a crock, but I have never owned one of these boats, nor have I crossed an ocean.

Leon

Just a word of wisdom to the unwise I personaly have been out in 25ft swells on the great Lakes & once they start turning into breaking waves its a matter of survival which they will & if you have to get into an open unprotected Harbour with a narrow entrance channel, the ride in can be very daring , usualy counting & waiting for the smallest wave coming in & try to ride that puppy in without getting pushed into the harbour entrance walls have seen this happen with 40fts sail boats because of lack of power and experience or both.
The Great Lakes are not called Great for nothing remember "the Fitz Gerald laker " was broke up into two by over 40ft waves on Lake Superior ! ,
So remember just because their Inland Lakes does not mean they should be taken lightly it should be considered as Off-shore Coastal Sailing if attemping to cross them with other Harbours & safe anchorages in the plans should that unexpected storm arrise
I've had to run 25 miles or more before a few storms to get into a safe harbour so don't always plan on getting back to where you launched !
Remember trying to get any boat no matter how big through 15-25 ft breaking waves is not a pleasure its a lot of hard work with necc skills
Be safe just because its Inland does not make it safer !
As Leon says riding 15-25 ft swells is great but remember depending on where you are these will become breakers as you get closer to shore

J

For sailing purposes the Greats are not inland lakes, but really seas in their own right.

Ive never been in 30 footers, but even 10 footers on Lake Erie in an Ericson 32 were enough for me.

And a screwdriver isn't a chisel.

Someone tell my wife.

but that could probably be proved better on some inland lakes under severe conditions than blue water under good conditions

Be safe just because its Inland does not make it safer !

Yes except they don't have currents and tides to further complicate matters especially near islands etc.
Fortunately lake Argyle in our Kimberlies where we will probably spend about two weeks is "usually" blessed with good weather at this time of year but with 70k's by 40k's it has plenty of room for wave buildup and some good ridges to provide acceleration near shore (bullets).
Crikey just realized I am over 1000 posts .

The fact that you're asking the question, answers whether you should be an "open ocean sailor"... and the answer is, obviously, "No."

We lost a few folks on perfectly sound ocean going sailboats sailing in heavy weather. So, you can die on anything, anywhere.
http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-05-25/b ... liff-house

Check the weather report before you go out into the open ocean. Any type of boat can go out there in good weather. Just because you're in protected waters doesn't mean you're safe either. Last year i sailed in the protected waters of lake Isabella and scared the daylights out of myself when the wind suddenly kicked up. The knock-down scared all of us. I didn't like the sound of the outboard when it was lifted out of the water. I couldn't get the sails down fast enough. My boat was healed over 20 degrees with the sails down and full ballast. Getting the boat back on the trailer felt like landing on an aircraft carrier.

Remember, the Macgregor video's are sales promo's. Sure, you can sail in rough weather if you know what you're doing. Just remember, there's no lifeguard on duty to save you out there.
http://www.macgregor26.com/index/gale_2_minutes.htm

There's also some MAC nuts out there who believe that "water ballast" makes Macgregors superior or equal to other keel boats. Don't believe any of that stuff. The MAC26's were designed as pleasurecraft to be sailed on good calm days.

rygobus wrote:I have heard that Macs were not for use on open ocean. Yet I see the factory video with one on open water . I sure would like some input from anyone that knows.
Thanks Scotty

We lost a few folks on perfectly sound ocean going sailboats sailing in heavy weather.

This is the same accident as the link that I posted. It appears that these people were not tethered to the boat with a safety harness and jack line setup.
Big, BIG mistake.

The good thing about Macs is that any bad weather forcasts can be easily fixed by going to a much safer haven than "real" sailboats ie the hard on the trailer.