Why Sailors Love to Hate the MacGregor 26

[dlandersson]

Nice poiont.

Did anyone ever buy this boat actually thinking it was an ocean cruiser?

[Strange]

People have sailed the oceans in less!

[NiceAft]

By “less”, you mean smaller; those craft are much sturdier than a Mac.

Mad Mike spoke about sailing one to Hawaii, but talk is the nearest any Mac came to making the trip. He intended to make many mods. The rudder for one needed a lot of modification.

We do have a member who goes from Puerto Rico to BVI on his every year.

[dlandersson]

And another member who is envious each year

We do have a member who goes from Puerto Rico to BVI on his every year.

[Be Free]

I can verify that the number is at least two.

[Ixneigh]

Re less: was it Capt. Blighe who held the record for most ocean miles in an open boat after he and his officers were put off the Bounty? Apparently he was a very skilled sailor, so sure, skill can probably make up for vessel deficiencies.

[OverEasy]

Hi 45Plus+!

I think you got it!
I’d rather have a ‘guarded’ realistic practical review than that form any extremist holier-than-thou sailing/performance purists any day of the week!

It not like every one who (attempts) to own a “performance” sailboat ever actually gets to use it enough to actually get good at sailing it.
Sooo many “performance” sailboats just sit in the marina or on mooring balls the majority of the time awaiting the “perfect” conditions for a good sail… which generally coincides with not being available to take advantage of the occurrences. Then in salt or brackish water environments these “performance” sailboats develop a nice thick layer of marine growth that substantially reduces the aforementioned “performance”.

A purist dolt at the local marina party tried to make a snide remark that MacGregors weren’t ‘real sailboats’ to which I replied that his 36 foot sloop wasn’t either as it has spent most of its life the past several years traveling more distance vertically with the changing tides than it has horizontally under sail! After a long pause he cracked a smile and laughingly admitted that it was true! To which many of the other performance sailboat owners there also agreed that it sure is better to be out and about on the water enjoying a boat that stuck in a slip or tied to a mooring the majority of the time bobbing like a cork!

“Performance” is often grossly overrated and underutilized in most things in life. Hyper efficiency in just about anything is just a waste of time and resources in the real world. It seldom works out well for anyone in any endeavor. Those that attempt it in businesses repeatedly fail, those that attempt it in products find that their customers don’t like the lack of margin or capability’s in real world use, those that attempt it in personal life often find only frustration.

A real world environment in business, product and life requires margin and reserve capability that is adaptable to changing circumstances… the one constant life offers is ‘change’. Boating is like that too. The Mac offers a lot of margin and adaptability to changing circumstances on multiple levels as Mac owners are quick to recognize and utilize. Got a nice sunny pleasant weekend open but no wind… then go motoring! A good breezy day provides the opportunity to go sailing downwind as far as one likes without worrying about having to tack upwind as one can drop sails and motoring back at speed while enjoying the sunset. Having the space and options our Macs provide us with makes for a whole lot more use, fun and enjoyment.

But to each their own…..

Best Regards,
Over Easy