Jeff wrote:
* Ed Gordon wrote, On 6/20/2007 12:41 PM:

Last time I posted here some people were claiming a Mac26X never went
to the Bahamas. Well, here's a site that proves you were wrong again.


I don't believe anyone doubted that a Mac has crossed over to the
Bahamas. After all, its only 40 miles so it should be no big deal for a
boat that can do 20 knots. In fact, the only surprising thing is that
you make such a big deal about it!

Clearly he's on some sort of pseudo-religous pogrom against anything
non-Macgregor. Geez, the Mac26 does what it's designed to do; fill a
niche for a trailerable boat that can do double duty (power/sail) while
accepting the many limitations/compromises required in both realms. No
such thing as the "best of both worlds" unless you're talking about *2*
boats.

As for it being a "blue-water cruiser", here's what Roger MacGregor says
about it in a Practical Sailor interview
(http://www.practical-sailor.com/samp...t_Review.html:

As for its seaworthiness, Roger MacGregor said, “The 26 was designed for
typical small cruising boat use—inland waters and limited coastal
sailing. It is too small to be a long-distance passagemaker. It won’t
hold enough gear and supplies, and the long-term, day-after-day motion
of a small, light sailboat can be tough on the crew.

“There are thousands of these boats out there, and many have been caught
in, and survived, some really extreme weather conditions, on both lakes
and oceans. Like most small cruising sailboats, the 26 can handle high
winds and nasty seas, but risk and discomfort levels increase
dramatically in severe weather. To maximize fun and safety, most of our
owners wisely keep a watchful eye on the weather and try to avoid severe
conditions.”

So, from the horses mouth - it's not designed for passagemaking. Lot's
of people do lots of goofy stuff. Some survive, some don't.
Passagemaking with a boat *designed* for "inland waters and limited
coastal sailing" falls into the goofy category, IMO.

Why not just enjoy the boat for what its designed for, and quit
pretending its something it clearly isn't? Why so desperate to have
your boat choice validated?

KH