MacGregorSailors.com

Does that include the black rubber boat with the armed thugs that plan violence, etc.?

BOAT wrote:Four days and nights to go 250 miles from La Paz to San Carlos in 1973 in a 23 foot boat and then another 80 miles from Guaymas to Muelge in one 24 hour day sailing through the night. (Actually, 80 nautical miles in one day on a 23 foot boat is pretty darn good - that was the best leg).

A MAC 26M could probably cover the same distance in three days because the wind blows steady day AND night in the Sea of Cortez - you make just as good time at night as day and the breeze is WARM and when the moon is out you can see EVERYTHING even at night It's great sailing.

They don't use rubber boats down there - they use ponga boats. Back in 1973 they used ponga boats and today in 2016 they use ponga boats (the same ones in many cases). The only difference is that in 1973 they used oars on most of the ponga boats and today they all have big old outboards on them.



In 1973 in Mulege there was only desert people and fishing and bread ovens. The bread man (gringos called him Panhombre which would really translate closer to 'Gingerbread Man' in their culture because the only "breadman" they ever heard of was in the fairy tale books), anyways, he would get up at 3AM to start his bread oven and at 6AM you would hear a 'knock, knock, knock' on the side of your boat if you were anchored in. We would come out to see the 'breadman' in his ponga boat alongside us with fresh baked bread - a nickle got you a big round loaf over a foot in diameter. We always ate fresh baked bread for breakfast when in Mulege.

I think it was San Carlos where instead of a 'Breadman' they had the 'Clam Man', but we did not eat the clams because he sold them all year round and we knew that could not be right.

I guess I have not been back for a very long time - I suppose I need to hook up with someone on this site who is down there before i tow 'boat' into Mexico. We went down on a cruiship three years ago and I did not even recognize Cabo - I thought I was in Orange County California.

I am reading all these recountings of trips on decent size craft, all the while remembering that the title of the post says
“Smallest boat”.

The trip that comes from the depth of my memories is not a long one by distance, or time by any means. For me though, the brief time ( maybe forty-five minutes), was in my mind the equivalent of circumnavigating the world.

I was lake sailing in my Phantom (see how small in relation to the Mac)
with another fellow in his Sunfish. We were far from shore, and even farther from any hospitable protection when a storm came over the mountains. Rain, lightning, wind, and we are in extremely open craft, inches above the water, with nice lightning rods protruding from each tiny craft. We each made it to shore safely, but that sail back with constant lightning was terrifying to say the least.

As I stated, not a long trip, but in my mind every second on the water in that tiny craft seemed like hours, and every foot traveled seemed like millimeters. I smile when thinking about it now, but at the time, I was downright scared it was the longest sail of my life.

This was over forty years ago, yet fresh every time I go sailing and see clouds forming

Ray

Not sailing but me the admiral and both dogs did 476 miles in a 16 ft canoe a number of year back A sail would have been nice if the wind wasn't in our face the entire trip. Not sure if you can tack a canoe equipped with a sail...

yukonbob wrote: Not sure if you can tack a canoe equipped with a sail...

Yep, You can.

I think the longest is either Cape Cod Bay - Sagamore to Provincetown

or

WIlson NY to Toronto which I think is 36 sm.

You guys are more hard core than me.

BOAT wrote:Four days and nights to go 250 miles from La Paz to San Carlos in 1973 in a 23 foot boat and then another 80 miles from Guaymas to Muelge in one 24 hour day sailing through the night. (Actually, 80 nautical miles in one day on a 23 foot boat is pretty darn good - that was the best leg).

A MAC 26M could probably cover the same distance in three days because the wind blows steady day AND night in the Sea of Cortez - you make just as good time at night as day and the breeze is WARM and when the moon is out you can see EVERYTHING even at night It's great sailing.

Awesome!

http://curioussailor.blogspot.com/

I know its not a huge distance but on occasion I do about a 10Nm round trip in my 10 foot Mirror Dinghy just for the hull of it.

I call it REAL sailing as there is obviously no ballast but me, no comforts like my X offers, the boat, nature and me.

If your wondering if its me sailing my Mirror as you pass, just look for the ear to ear smile, if the sailor has one it could well be me

Way cool

Curious Sailor wrote:

BOAT wrote:Four days and nights to go 250 miles from La Paz to San Carlos in 1973 in a 23 foot boat and then another 80 miles from Guaymas to Muelge in one 24 hour day sailing through the night. (Actually, 80 nautical miles in one day on a 23 foot boat is pretty darn good - that was the best leg).

A MAC 26M could probably cover the same distance in three days because the wind blows steady day AND night in the Sea of Cortez - you make just as good time at night as day and the breeze is WARM and when the moon is out you can see EVERYTHING even at night It's great sailing.

Awesome!

http://curioussailor.blogspot.com/

dlandersson wrote:Way cool

Curious Sailor wrote:

BOAT wrote:Four days and nights to go 250 miles from La Paz to San Carlos in 1973 in a 23 foot boat and then another 80 miles from Guaymas to Muelge in one 24 hour day sailing through the night. (Actually, 80 nautical miles in one day on a 23 foot boat is pretty darn good - that was the best leg).

A MAC 26M could probably cover the same distance in three days because the wind blows steady day AND night in the Sea of Cortez - you make just as good time at night as day and the breeze is WARM and when the moon is out you can see EVERYTHING even at night It's great sailing.

Awesome!

http://curioussailor.blogspot.com/

I'm not sure it counts though because at the time I was only a teenager and I was crew - not the captain. My dad was the captain. So it only counts if your asking if I was on board - if you aski if I was actually piloting the boat I must say that much of the time I was not.

I guess the longest really for me in the smallest boat was sailing from Alamitos Bay to the Queen Mary in Long Beach in my little 12 foot Koralle sloop I had when i was a kid. I made that sail when I was 13 several times and even alone a couple of times. On those it counts because I was the captain!

sailboatmike wrote:I know its not a huge distance but on occasion I do about a 10Nm round trip in my 10 foot Mirror Dinghy just for the hull of it.

I call it REAL sailing as there is obviously no ballast but me, no comforts like my X offers, the boat, nature and me.

If your wondering if its me sailing my Mirror as you pass, just look for the ear to ear smile, if the sailor has one it could well be me

10Nm in a 10 foot boat is a lot. As much as I love sailing my 26d my 10 foot Montgomery is still my favorite. I usually only sail it in a small lake but hopefully I'll get a chance to sail her in some larger lakes when I retire.

42 foot custom ketch: Lisbon, Port. to Miami, FL. Did it again 2 yrs later on a 44 Yawl; helping someone transport custom-built boats to USA.

sailboatmike wrote:I know its not a huge distance but on occasion I do about a 10Nm round trip in my 10 foot Mirror Dinghy just for the hull of it.

I call it REAL sailing as there is obviously no ballast but me, no comforts like my X offers, the boat, nature and me.

If your wondering if its me sailing my Mirror as you pass, just look for the ear to ear smile, if the sailor has one it could well be me

Awesome!!

http://curioussailor.blogspot.com

You guys are awesome! thanks for all the replies!

http://curioussailor.blogspot.com