On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:05:32 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

I think the Mac26 is OK if operated within its limits - not
overloaded, always with water ballast in place, and always with a good
chance of being quickly rescued. The manufacturer needs to do more to
raise safety awareness and stop selling the boat to inexperienced
people who want to believe it can go anywhere. I would not want to be
caught on open water in a thunder squall with a Mac26 but that is also
true for a number of other sailboats in that size range.

"Good chance of being quickly rescued"?
hehe. Gimme a break.

That was my way of saying "well within sight of land and
civilization".

From my reading if not under sail or overloaded topside an unballasted
Mac26 is as unlikely to capsize as a typical boat, but of course more
likely than a keeled sailboat.

Capsize is a serious risk on any boat but just as many people are lost
due to "knock downs" under sail which throws them into the water.
That can happen to any boat but is much easier with light or no
ballast.

Many of the owners don't ballast when motoring.

That's a big mistake in my opinion. I believe some unballasted
Mac26s have capsized at anchor.

Of course they don't load up with 10 people either.
All boats have their own dangers.
I know if the sea got dicey I'd rather be in a ballasted Mac26 than a
24' Carolina Skiff.
But I'm not about to challenge the sea anyway, and intend to boat in
fair weather only.

The problem is with sudden changes in conditions. It happens.

Wouldn't worry about being unballasted in a Mac26 just puttering
around on a calm day in Charlotte harbor looking for fish.
But what I really want is an F-27 (-:

F-27s are very cool.

Doing any fishing off your dock?
Got the fishing bug at all?
My sister caught a real nice sheepshead and some redfish on the canal
in Punta Gorda a couple weeks ago, and hooked something really big
that broke her line.
Pic of sheepshead upon request.

Sure, send away.

Something big was under my dock the other day judging from the
commotion. Haven't done any fishing since January however, and
haven't done any catching since last summer in the Bahamas.

People have been catching red fish locally and we'll probably start
seeing some Tarpon soon.