It was that web site that made me lose all respect for certain Mac
owners. It is, like some Mac proponents, a stream of nautical
gibberish. There's enough nautical nonsense to fill a pineapple under
the sea.

A typical example:

"the Mac26x dances like a butterfly when on the anchor supports the
notion that the vessel is a form of trimaran. ... The point is that
the behavior at anchor probably means X owners can expect multihull
behavior when underway as well."

That makes sense - the boat dances at anchor and therefore must be
just like a multihull.

In another place he asserts a tacking angle of 64 degrees, even though
most Mac owners report the expected 95 degrees.

I don't believe I "bash" Macs (well maybe just once), but I do react
against outlandish claims.

As for being an "offshore" boat, the fact that out of the thousands of
Macs out there, a few of them have made short ocean trips doesn't mean
a lot. All of the "passages" you mention are only a few hours, in
good weather they can be done by almost any boat. In fact, there are
numerous examples windsurfers, jetskis, racing dinghies, etc. making
exactly these hops. Given that the Mac can do 12-15 mph under power,
these trips are no big deal. I've been going from Boston to
Provincetown (about 50 miles, dock to dock) for 40 years in boats as
small as an Rhodes 18, and almost every time I see a number of small
boats out there.

A telling thing about some of the ventures you mention is that they
are in groups, not alone. For whatever reason, they didn't want to be
alone out there.

And, for all the claims, I've never actually seen a Mac outside of
protected waters, nor have I ever seen one at a "cruisers' anchorage."






* Ed Gordon wrote, On 6/9/2007 5:45 PM:
http://www.eskimo.com/~mighetto/p11.htm

Myth#11 Mac26 is not for ocean sailing. Go ahead, click the link and see
just how good and seaworthy a professional captain thinks the Mac really
is. Dare you. Jeff expecially.

If you're too much of a coward to admit how good the Mac26X is don't
click the link and don't read a little of what it has in it that I
pasted right here.-- Owing to "focally ruptured gangreous acute
appendicitis", I spent the better part of January 2001 arguing about
this (the Mac26x is fit for all waters), rather than sailing or working,
and have 80 pages of emails as well as several magazines and books on
boat design involving the subject. According to Sea magazine (April
2005) "California's coastline is not particularly trailerboat-friendly -
the areas where you can take small or trailerboats are limited, so it
also would stand to reason that boaters would be heading to inland lakes
and rivers in droves." But MacGregor Yachts has always oriented its
products for world-wide coastal ocean and not just Califorina sales. The
manufacturer believes that a 26 footer is too small to hold enough gear
and supplies for passage. However, at least one Mac26x dealer considers
ocean passage to be within the boat's design parameters and in 1999 more
that a few Mac26x vessels made the trip from Crandon Park marina on
Miami's Key Biscayn or nearby to the Bahamas. At least one Mac26x yacht
made the trip from the city marina at Garison Bight in Key West to the
Marquesas and on to the Tortugas. The 1000 mile coast of Florida has
been sailed by a Mac26x. And two Mac26x cruisers (from Bellingham and
Everett) were outfitted for an Alaskan inside passage (over 2000 miles)
following the Cassiopeia in that regard. Those who find the ride of a
light displacement under 30 foot sailboat preferable in ocean swells see
its potential as a long-distance passage maker. This is demonstrated by
reports that MacGregor Yachts receives many unsolicited requests for
sponsorship of expeditions involving Mac26x ocean passages and by the
consideration given to adding a platform (as discussed above) which
would be used for storage during an extended cruise. It is also a
favorite for chartering at blue water destinations such as the BVI,
Bahamas Malaysia, Spain and Belize.


Told you so. I enjoy being your mentor...


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