Mac 26S - Sea Worthy?

[Ricard_M]

Hey there!

Finally, the repairs/improvements being done to the Mac 26S I bought last summer are approaching its end, and I hope to have the boat in the water by June! The boat will be on a Marina in Lisbon, Portugal, close to where we live, so I will be able to use it nearly everyday in the river Tagus.

I'm also planning to sail the boat to the bay of Setubal (35 Nm south of Lisbon, always doing coastal sailing) but given the unprotected characteristics of the route, I am wondering if the Mac will be able to do it safely.



The weather is sometimes a little bit harsh but there are times in which this route can be done with waves up to 1.5 (Signficant Height) and winds up to 15-18 kts.

Given that you guys have much more knowledgeable about the boat capabilities than me, I would like to ask if in your opinion this pass can be done with the Mac.

Thanks!

[vizwhiz]

If proper precautions are taken and you aren’t pushing the boat too hard, you’ll find the S to be a very seaworthy sailboat. Several people on this site (and other sites) regularly sail them offshore, making passages over small stretches of open water. You may find that she rides over waves a bit, a little like a power boat, instead of plowing through them. This will take some getting used to. But she is also very forgiving. Please post pics and video!

[Sumner]

....The weather is sometimes a little bit harsh but there are times in which this route can be done with waves up to 1.5 (Signficant Height) and winds up to 15-18 kts....

Is the above the good days, as best as it is going to get, or the bad day?

I'm assuming the 1.5 is meters. If so then some wave sets could be 1 1/5 to 2 times that height. If that is the case the boat might do it but depending on your tolerance level you might not want to do it. It will also depend on the interval between the waves. If the waves were really steep with an interval of say 5 seconds for a 1.5 meter wave then it would be a very uncomfortable ride.

I got into conditions once where I didn't feel safe turning the boat around and having the waves coming in astern so continued on, but also didn't know if I was going to have the energy to continue on for 30+ miles. Luckily the conditions inproved when I got further off shore.

I think you will be able to judge for yourself once you get experience in the more comfortable situations that I would recommend for the first year or so. Have fun with the boat, don't scare you or someone else with it ,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[Ricard_M]

Thanks for your reply guys!

Sumner,

The wave period in this passage is always above 8 seconds. I plan to attempt that passage when signficant wave height is 1.2 or less, but I admit that depending on how well it goes I might stretch it to 1.5m. As for wind I will never do it in a day with wind gusts above 15-18 kts.

I really hope that the boat is capable of doing this passage without any problems. After all the bay of Setubal is an amazing place for cruising and I really don't want to miss out on that!

Vizwhiz,

I'll post later today a link to all the photos of the work done so far on the Mac. It would also be nice to hear your opinion about it!

[Ricard_M]

As a curiosity, I just checked and could happily conclude that the conditions that I am planning to sail upon are very similar to the ones registered in San Francisco's Bay.

Given the amount of videos and people I read about that sail with Macs there I am hoping that when I have enough experience with the her I can do the trip!