The time has come...to say goodbye

[ChrisNorton]

I was hoping the day would never come but with children, a new home and an admiral who wants a break from the seas, it's time to say goodbye to my dear Chameleon. I've had her for nine fun seasons but my MacGregor 26x ownership days are coming to an end. I've just listed her for sale in the classified section. I must say this board has given me many an hour of fun and interesting reading. Many of your mods inspired me to do the same on Chameleon. Many of you have helped answer a vexing question. Thanks to all for a great near-decade of MacGregor ownership and community. After a break of a year or two, I hope to return to boat ownership and I intend to keep reading this great site. Good sailings to you all!!!!!

[mastreb]

I was hoping the day would never come but with children, a new home and an admiral who wants a break from the seas, it's time to say goodbye to my dear Chameleon. I've had her for nine fun seasons but my MacGregor 26x ownership days are coming to an end. I've just listed her for sale in the classified section. I must say this board has given me many an hour of fun and interesting reading. Many of your mods inspired me to do the same on Chameleon. Many of you have helped answer a vexing question. Thanks to all for a great near-decade of MacGregor ownership and community. After a break of a year or two, I hope to return to boat ownership and I intend to keep reading this great site. Good sailings to you all!!!!!

I too took a decade off from boating when w bought our home and had three kids--I made the mistake of hanging onto the boat four years beyond when we could really use it. We'll see you back here when the youngest one is six! The kids love it now that they're old enough.

Matt

[Catigale]

Best to you Chris. Kudos for keeping your priorities straight. The seas will be there when you are ready to return.

[coolchange]

Having just spent four years "between boats" I can offer an observation or two:
There is life after boating...it's just a little weird
You will wonder how you ever found so much time to boat, plan to boat and maintain the boat
You will find yourself staring at water
Going out with friends is fun but not the same as having the helm of your own boat
I saved a lot of boat goodies so I would not have to repurchase...half of it I will put on the new Mac and half will go up for sale but having a box in the barn that said: "Galley supplies" and a box of charts kept my attention on the idea that there might be another in a few years.
Enjoy your time off and when (if) it's time to come back take your time to find the right boat..boats cost less at the end of a season or in winter...

[Divecoz]

X 2

Best to you Chris. Kudos for keeping your priorities straight. The seas will be there when you are ready to return.

[Crikey]

All the best for the next couple of years. Make sailors of your children when you do return. They'll thank you for it!

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

Selling the boat is a tough decision, I'm sure. Sometimes that's necessary.
For certain, there will be boats available if/or when you return to sailing. Some real nice advice from fellow Mac'iers within this thread.

Best to you, and yours !

[DaveB]

Chris, Whats that old saying from the Ex Gov. (I'll be Back!).
Hope you have a great time in your new home and Family. Always look back and maybe you will Sail again.
Best wishes for you and Family.
Dave

I was hoping the day would never come but with children, a new home and an admiral who wants a break from the seas, it's time to say goodbye to my dear Chameleon. I've had her for nine fun seasons but my MacGregor 26x ownership days are coming to an end. I've just listed her for sale in the classified section. I must say this board has given me many an hour of fun and interesting reading. Many of your mods inspired me to do the same on Chameleon. Many of you have helped answer a vexing question. Thanks to all for a great near-decade of MacGregor ownership and community. After a break of a year or two, I hope to return to boat ownership and I intend to keep reading this great site. Good sailings to you all!!!!!

[ChrisNorton]

Thanks to all for the well wishes. I hear you about holding onto some boating gear. I've pulled a bunch of it to save. The admiral has whispered that maybe we'll get a new boat in 2-3 years. However...gasp...she says she wants a power boat next!! She doesn't love the "chore" of sailing. I am hoping the next phase MacGregor 26-? that comes out in a few years will allow for a 300hp outboard and go 55 mph then the debate with her will be over

Seriously speaking, is there a new 26-? in the cards anytime soon? The M is already some 9 years old. Aren't we do for a new model from Roger?

[mastreb]

Thanks to all for the well wishes. I hear you about holding onto some boating gear. I've pulled a bunch of it to save. The admiral has whispered that maybe we'll get a new boat in 2-3 years. However...gasp...she says she wants a power boat next!! She doesn't love the "chore" of sailing. I am hoping the next phase MacGregor 26-? that comes out in a few years will allow for a 300hp outboard and go 55 mph then the debate with her will be over

Seriously speaking, is there a new 26-? in the cards anytime soon? The M is already some 9 years old. Aren't we do for a new model from Roger?

When I asked Mike Inmon if there was a new model imminent, considering that the 26M has been on the market for seven years, he said that all of Roger's design effort was going into the 70 footer that they're working on, and that it would be years before an update to the 26M was available. There's just very little that can be done to improve any one aspect of the boat without negatively impacting others.

Matt

[Watto]

Woohoo!!!!! Roger is working on releasing the 70 as a production model!!!! my life dream of sailing around the world is one step closer

Love a ketch me

[puggsy]

I would like to get hold of a basic hull and modify the rest of it...first up, turn it upside down and give it a couple of shallow keels, about 6 inches deep, for the full length. to give it tracking stablity...then a removeable centre rudder [ small] for coming in to dock...and keep the twin rudders UP. Then for my area, a 7 metre mast with sails to suit for departing the river to sea,,,under three bridges...although the powers that be are talking about a new bridge...and I have suggested a minimum 19 metre clearance.
All it takes is to build a ramp either side...its only dirt after all...
then a favourite of mine...a solid tabernacle with the mast hinged two feet off the deck...just lower the mast onto the rear support, hang a flag and away...no disconnecting at the pivot point.
And mast wiring can be direct...with no joiners.
I could go on....
's have some good points...good accommodation and their marvellous mast lowering system...
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii72 ... ons001.jpg
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii72 ... ons001.jpg

[Rick Westlake]

Puggsy, you might consider a gaff rig ... give you some more mainsail, and you could drop enough to get under a 7-meter bridge in one twitch of the gaff.

As for the rest of ye ...

I'm not quite leaving MacGregorLand yet, but I have bought me the next boat up; she's a Bristol 29.9 that will live on the Chesapeake Bay south of Annapolis, down where Jim King keeps König, and Uncle Jim & Sea Dreamer keep their Mac 26X (and other Macs abound too!)

Halcyon, as the new boat is named, is a much-different vessel from Bossa Nova. She's only four feet longer, but nearly 2 1/2 feet more beam, and has lead in her keel - in fact, her ballast alone weighs almost as much as the all-up weight of a 26X with its water-ballast tanks full.

Bossa Nova is not for sale yet, as there are some trailer-sailing trips I want to make with her. Halcyon, with her keel-stepped mast, is no trailer-sailer; but she is enough boat to spend much of the upcoming summer and fall living aboard, and seaworthy enough to make the Caribbean when the time comes.

I'll keep you posted. Fair winds and following seas....

[Hamin' X]

Rick, Maybe you will be in search of a mythical bird, or perhaps your sailing will always be in good weather, but whichever it is, I'm sure that with your background, you and Halcyon will map out many fine adventures.

Fair winds,
~Rich

[c130king]

Rick,

Congrats!

I will be out there on Saturday. Where is this new boat? I will go take a look.

Cheers
Jim