I am currently embroiled in a battle with Yaching Australia over the status of the Macgregor 26 Handicap. The data that they have for a Mac is nothing like the data that I can find for any model of Macgregor 26 ever made. As part of my next retort, I intend to submit the basic boat data (LOA, LWL, Beam, Mass, OAML etc) along with a line drawing of each model. Along with this submission will be a number of race results showing the inaccuracy of their handicap.
I've managed to get a line drawing of the S & D from the NE Mac Group, and the line drawing from the manufacturers website, but cannot find one for the .
Also, the data I have for the X is questionalble at best, so if someone has that data it would be greatly appreciated.
I hope this will help - I saved scans of my old 26X brochure to my Photobucket album; here are linked previews.
If these don't come out at a large-enough scale to be useful, send me your e-mail address and I will send the original scans. They're less than 150kb each, so it shouldn't be a bandwidth problem.
There are a lot of 'die hard' 'Blue Water Sailor' wannabees out there that don't like the Macgregor 26, we have been told that real sailboats don't have large outboards, yada yada, I find people like this a pain in the Gluteus Maximus.
Give an average Joe any authority and the rules will be interpreted to suit themselves.
Rick,
thanks for the drawings, their great and should go a long way to supporting my position.
Glenn,
It is amazing how the establishment of Yachting here is not receptive to the Mac. It will never be a threat to the serious racing nuts, so I don't understand the problem.
To help reinforce my position on just how slow the boat is in comparison to 'traditional' trailable yachts in a race, I am entering the Victorian Titles in a couple of weeks at my old club at Albury Wodonga on the 20/21 Feb. They know how hard I race, and the results will speak for themselves.
I'll keep plugging away until I get a reasonable result.
Ratings and PHRFS here in the States are bought and sold like commodities in some circles...one of the reasons Im turned off by racing...that and I suck at it....
I have had no dealings with any of the officials of the National Association, I know members of a few regional groups, some of them hold positions in their particular areas associations and clubs, in conversations with most of them if you substituted people for boats you would think you were at a meeting of the KKK. Genocide of particular make of boats has come up, all forms of the Macgregor were included.
when there is racing involved, manners seem to disappear.
I for one, notice that in our society, manners have a purpose, most people dont like it when others damage their goods, threaten their families, yell foul things, and in general make others life miserable.
And for some reason they look at me strange when I try to cull the herd. But there is not accounting for my strange taste I suppose.
I tend to be of the leave the racers room philosophy, tends to make the post sail dock encounters much more friendly. Likewise phrf ratings, and courses of different geometries tend to not take into account point of sail. so the definition of "Fair" seems to vary widely
triangular courses racing in a mac is tough. but if you get a 2 bouy race, and both happen to be reaches.......it can be fun passing everyone.
Personality wise tho.... I suspect that the drive to race (carried by a few) is something that is not too strong in mac owners. More power to those of you that do. I will be the guy on a different tack. and wearing his harness standing on the side of the hull.
Brian, I'm glad to have been able to help - even though racing is darn-near opposed to the reason I've got a Mac.
"Waterbago" is a perfect name for what I see in the Mac. It's a decent cruising sailboat that doubles as a caravan, or what we Yanks call a "travel trailer". You can pack up the family and drive cross-country to the ocean, then after about an hour of struggling/sweating/swearing you can sail her off into the sunset; try that with a blue-water cruiser! But if I offered to take her around the buoys, I'd feel that the "real boat" sailors were justified in laughing me aside. No matter - she does what I want to do, brightly and with beauty.
Glenn, I am a "Blue Water Sailor wannabee" myself. I want to cruise the Caribbean, follow the sun into the Pacific, and maybe even "tie the knot" of a circumnavigation ... some day. My circumstances don't permit that just yet; my last remaining close relative is near 90 - and ailing. But I can spend the afternoon, or the weekend, out on Bossa Nova. I can use her as my "classroom" for cruising - sailing around the Chesapeake Bay, sleeping at anchor, using a dinghy to get to shore, living much as I might aboard a blue-water cruiser on the Coconut Milk Run. And - unlike a real blue-water cruiser - I can trailer her at the end of the day, and tow her home.
A race? Too right I'll stay out of your way. I'll be having lunch at The Pirate's Cove, while you're chasing yourselves around the buoys.
(Know what's the best time of day at The Pirate's Cove? Happy arrrrrrr...!)
The Mutt wrote:Rick, my 'Blue water wannabee' quip was an esoteric dig at the smug tyrannic officials I have had dealings with before, I was not on my own either.
I have at times thought of moving aboard a large catamaran myself.
My apologies to anyone that I have offended.
Glenn
I'm not in the least offended, Glenn, I was just teasing. We've got the same kind of stuffed-shirt "Commodore Poofter" sailors all over the Chesapeake Bay, and most all of them race their boats.
They'd be REALLY offended, of course, if you and your Mac could show them up, now, wouldn't they?
line drawing from the manufacturers website, but cannot find one for the 
. 
