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Deac Manross
Mac 26x accident in VT
The one I heard about happened July 4th on Lake Champlain. Although I own a Hunter 356 I also owned a Mac 26x and loved it. Apparently a relative of the owner borrowed it and was clueless as to a few things (besides alcohol also being implicated). First he had WAY too many people on board.......8 or 9 seems close to the number. Second, he had no water ballast in the boat so it was extrememly top-heavy with most of the guests "up top".......a disaster waiting to happen. The boat cannot sink as it has alot of flotation built in, but sadly two children drowned who got caught apparently in the shrouds before people could save them. This was discussed at length in the Macgregor Owner's website (http://www.macgregor26x.com/cgi-bin/MAC26X/webbbs/macboard1.pl) and you can likely search their archives for the comments there.
The one I heard about happened July 4th on Lake Champlain. Although I own a Hunter 356 I also owned a Mac 26x and loved it. Apparently a relative of the owner borrowed it and was clueless as to a few things (besides alcohol also being implicated). First he had WAY too many people on board.......8 or 9 seems close to the number. Second, he had no water ballast in the boat so it was extrememly top-heavy with most of the guests "up top".......a disaster waiting to happen. The boat cannot sink as it has alot of flotation built in, but sadly two children drowned who got caught apparently in the shrouds before people could save them. This was discussed at length in the Macgregor Owner's website (http://www.macgregor26x.com/cgi-bin/MAC26X/webbbs/macboard1.pl) and you can likely search their archives for the comments there.
K
Ken
Similar Accident
Here in Puget Sound we had a similar accident. This involved a number of people whale watching and the Mac rolled. I can't remember if anyone was killed but the situation sounds the same.
Here in Puget Sound we had a similar accident. This involved a number of people whale watching and the Mac rolled. I can't remember if anyone was killed but the situation sounds the same.
SF Bay too!
There was an article in Latitude 38. Same type of an accident. Magregor 26 capsized in the SF bay with several people aboard. I'd have reservations about owning one of these boats with this type of a safety record. I do not think it is fair to blame this on the boat being overloaded or someone drinking alcohol. This is an issue of being a design problem.
There was an article in Latitude 38. Same type of an accident. Magregor 26 capsized in the SF bay with several people aboard. I'd have reservations about owning one of these boats with this type of a safety record. I do not think it is fair to blame this on the boat being overloaded or someone drinking alcohol. This is an issue of being a design problem.
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Tom
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alan
The boat was overloaded and the captain was...
...drunk, very drunk if the story and breathalizer was correct. I would not discount the effects of those two parameters on the accident. Obviously if you look at the website the company seems to condone sailing a boat that large without ballast. The company touts it's speed without ballast for motoring. The boat being narrow would be prone to tipping either way. By all accounts the capacity of the boat is different (less) without ballast. The question is, did the company communicate this to the owners? Were there warning decals, plaques at the helm? alan P.S. The immediate and final cause was the rotational torque of the motor when engaged. Very sad, I have three young children, I almost cried.
...drunk, very drunk if the story and breathalizer was correct. I would not discount the effects of those two parameters on the accident. Obviously if you look at the website the company seems to condone sailing a boat that large without ballast. The company touts it's speed without ballast for motoring. The boat being narrow would be prone to tipping either way. By all accounts the capacity of the boat is different (less) without ballast. The question is, did the company communicate this to the owners? Were there warning decals, plaques at the helm? alan P.S. The immediate and final cause was the rotational torque of the motor when engaged. Very sad, I have three young children, I almost cried.
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Ron
I think
I think Steve is right. I've been hearing about these boats for over twenty years and it's never good things. I don't think you can mate a powerboat and a sailboat and expect to get something that even resembles one or the other. With so many good, small boats around how do these guys stay in business?? Ron
I think Steve is right. I've been hearing about these boats for over twenty years and it's never good things. I don't think you can mate a powerboat and a sailboat and expect to get something that even resembles one or the other. With so many good, small boats around how do these guys stay in business?? Ron
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Crazy Dave Condon
Prayers
I hope most of you who see this will remember the two children who died in your thoughts and prayers. I know when alcohol is present with a skipper driving the boat while intoxicated is dangerous. When you help pull a dead body from the water as a result of a mishap involving alchohol by the skipper and the deceased died after a prop hit his head is not a pretty site. Please take the keys away from a drunk skipper. Dave Condon
I hope most of you who see this will remember the two children who died in your thoughts and prayers. I know when alcohol is present with a skipper driving the boat while intoxicated is dangerous. When you help pull a dead body from the water as a result of a mishap involving alchohol by the skipper and the deceased died after a prop hit his head is not a pretty site. Please take the keys away from a drunk skipper. Dave Condon
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Tom Pfleeger
overloaded
If there were 8 or 9 people on a Mac 26x it was extremely overloaded as the weight of that many people would be approximately half the displacement of the boat unballasted. Macgreggor makes it very clear that the cabin top is off limits if there is no ballast in the boat and I don't think that many people can fit in the cockpit. Tom
If there were 8 or 9 people on a Mac 26x it was extremely overloaded as the weight of that many people would be approximately half the displacement of the boat unballasted. Macgreggor makes it very clear that the cabin top is off limits if there is no ballast in the boat and I don't think that many people can fit in the cockpit. Tom
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Wayneo
my thoughts
As a father it was very tough to read this but I pushed on as a skipper of a boat hoping to learn from it. Once your are in charge of a boat your are also taking resposibily for the crew/family and friends, your serounded by water ! Know your boat! A neat boat is a safe boat, keep loose line etc stowed away gathered etc. As a racer of small boats for years, we were always gathering jib and main sheets so they would not tangle in your feet. We had a death in our club many many year ago when the skipper went over and was dragged and drowned infront of everyone by the main sheet. Yes, if you see someone drunk, save your self and maybe someone else by reporting them. Mistakes happen, drunk or sober, take your time and think. I have check lists. Sorry for going on but after reading this I could not stop thinking of what I can do better to keep my family and friends on the water safe. Accedents do happens, lets minimize the dump mistakes. Any other suggestions on what other people do for a pre trip and while sail check would be appreciated. We do overboard practice, air horns on both side to wake up sleepy motor boat drivers. still shaking from reading it, prayes to the kids. fair winds and safe sailing!
As a father it was very tough to read this but I pushed on as a skipper of a boat hoping to learn from it. Once your are in charge of a boat your are also taking resposibily for the crew/family and friends, your serounded by water ! Know your boat! A neat boat is a safe boat, keep loose line etc stowed away gathered etc. As a racer of small boats for years, we were always gathering jib and main sheets so they would not tangle in your feet. We had a death in our club many many year ago when the skipper went over and was dragged and drowned infront of everyone by the main sheet. Yes, if you see someone drunk, save your self and maybe someone else by reporting them. Mistakes happen, drunk or sober, take your time and think. I have check lists. Sorry for going on but after reading this I could not stop thinking of what I can do better to keep my family and friends on the water safe. Accedents do happens, lets minimize the dump mistakes. Any other suggestions on what other people do for a pre trip and while sail check would be appreciated. We do overboard practice, air horns on both side to wake up sleepy motor boat drivers. still shaking from reading it, prayes to the kids. fair winds and safe sailing!
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Deac Manross
Give Macgregor a break
The reason people read of occasional 'trainwrecks' on this boat is because it has sold more than any other sailboat out there.....it's pure probability at that point. You have to understand your sailboat no matter WHAT size or make it is........not so important with a powerboat. Every sailor seems to have (and revel in) horror stories aboard ship when pop-up storms or other mistakes of nature put their lives on the line........moreso than powerboaters. The problem may be that alot of beginner sailors start out on Macgregors (as did I) and then migrate to bigger, better boats once they fall in love with sailing. So you have alot of beginners on these type of boats as well. In the end, you have to respect the boat and its capabilities. If you don't, you're courting disaster. Using a computer analogy, sailboats are more like MS-DOS and powerboats are the Macintoshes of the world....you really have to know what you're doing when you're sailing. This was a sad story, but the boat is not truly the problem.
The reason people read of occasional 'trainwrecks' on this boat is because it has sold more than any other sailboat out there.....it's pure probability at that point. You have to understand your sailboat no matter WHAT size or make it is........not so important with a powerboat. Every sailor seems to have (and revel in) horror stories aboard ship when pop-up storms or other mistakes of nature put their lives on the line........moreso than powerboaters. The problem may be that alot of beginner sailors start out on Macgregors (as did I) and then migrate to bigger, better boats once they fall in love with sailing. So you have alot of beginners on these type of boats as well. In the end, you have to respect the boat and its capabilities. If you don't, you're courting disaster. Using a computer analogy, sailboats are more like MS-DOS and powerboats are the Macintoshes of the world....you really have to know what you're doing when you're sailing. This was a sad story, but the boat is not truly the problem.
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