Sailing with Strangers....

[richandlori]

Sunday 24th Started innocently enough, I talked my way out of the endless to do list of home improvements and negotiated a day down in Oxnard, CA. working on Enterprise Sea. I actually wanted to go sailing, but a solo sail is still off the table given my seamanship skills (or lack there of) and believe it or not, I couldnt find anyone to go sailing with me. I settled for a day of installing a few must have items that have been waiting for months to be installed and started my 2hr drive from Bakersfield to Oxnard, where Enterprise Sea is stored in a mast-up facility. I could feel my spirits lift with each mile I drove closer to Channel Islands Landing and my awaiting oasis. She was just as I left her, but lonely since it had been over a week since we last spent any quality time together. I quickly got to work drilling fiberglass, squeezing out white 5200 sealant and otherwise having great Sunday afternoon. As I was basking in my accomplishment of installing a cabin hatch handle, I spotted a couple heading my way with their eyes fixed upon the brilliant blue gel-coat. They approached with smiles and fascination while they eyed my MacGregor 26M. I have seen this adoration before over this boat, but it seemed different on this occasion, more intense and personal. In no time, I was fielding the questions that have by now become part of the standard hymn of a Mac owner: How do you like the boat, does she sail and motor well, are you happy with your outboard motor selection, do you dream about her at night when you are apart? All of the basic questions that we Mac owners love to answer.

It turns out that the couple was down at Channel Islands Harbor in their quest for a Mac and was trying to wade through the used X or New M decision and had arranged to go out Saturday on a demo-sail with another gentlemen that keeps his 2004 Mac M at Channel Island Landing, but bad weather Saturday had canceled the sail. In a twist of coincidence, they were to go out with the same gentlemen that took me out on my first Mac M cruise that resulted in my purchase decision before we left the harbor. After giving them a tour of Enterprise Sea and in hearing that they may have to head back home without their demo sail, I decided to help do my part in growing the MacGregor family and offered to take them out for a few hrs. I think I surprised them with my seemingly selfless and generous offer, but in reality I had wanted to go sailing and had settled for a day working on the boat. Perhaps youre familiar with the saying, a bad day of fishing beats a good day at work, well I have made a small modification: a day working on the boat beats a day of doing almost anything, except sailing. It would be a win-win situation, they would get their demo sail and I would get my sailing fix! And besides it would make a good story to harass all of my so-called friends that in order to go sailing I had to resort to picking up two strangers off the street, while my friends werent available.

After they realized I was serious about my offer, they headed to their car to retrieve their wind-breakers and sun glasses while I stored away the tools and made preparations for an afternoon sail. When they arrived back at the boat, still a bit in shock, I realized that in our combined excitement over the boat we had not made proper introductions. My name is Rich, by the way and I will store your jackets down below. Following Rick and Mollys introductions, we were no longer strangers, but long lost friends with a common love interest, sailing.

With Enterprise Sea in the water with her Honda 50 warming up in near silence, I gave my new best friends a quick safety and boat overview: life-jackets, throw line, VHF radio location and function, and general what to do if information. With formalities out of the way, we departed the dock with me sporting the typical cast off smile that could only have been eclipsed by the smiles of my new crew. I was quick to express my general disclaimer to preemptively explain my general lack of sailing skills and that any of my techniques should be emulated with caution. With the mainsail up, motored out of the harbor at about 4 knts where we found stiff wind out of the west from 8-15 knts and 4-5 foot seas. It was not their first time on a sailboat; they have had some sailing time on a 40-something Catalina, so now after sailing on a multiple ton ocean tank plowing through the chop, they were to experience a 1 ton cork- bobbing through the chop!

Despite my best attempts at exhibiting good seamanship, I did manage to share an unplanned boom flying from one side of the cock-pit to the other and a failed tack that resulted in getting us caught in irons. But despite my poor ability to show off the aptitude of the Mac, I should have received a sales commission from the good folks at H&S Yachts. I think we were back on the hard for maybe 15 minutes when Rick was on his cell phone putting down a deposit on a New 2005 Mac. After our cruise had come to an end, Rick and Molly expressed their thanks for my apparent generosity, but in reality I should thank them for helping remind me of the joys of sailing and sharing that joy with others. Maybe I should keep a few extra MacGregor sales brochures handy in the boat for the next time I offer passage to some MacGregor hopefuls. If my current friend list doesnt contain someone to sail with, I now have a good solution, let Enterprise Sea assist in making new friends.


Rich

[Mark Prouty]

Love your writing style. That was really a fun read!! I can identify will all parties.

[RandyMoon]

Right on Rich.

Unfortunately most of my friends all say, "When you get really good give us a call."

Luckily we have a slip at a marina with 200 other sailboats and there are always lots of really friendly sailors wanting to sail with each other.

That was an excellent post. You ought to get commission on that sale.

[TC]

I'm going to remember your story when I find myself wishing a friend was available. How often have the curious stood on the dock inquiring with that familiar spark in thier eyes?

TC

[DLT]

Yeah, I get the "let me know when you get good" response alot too... No, problem... When I get good, I won't need an extra hand...

[Rick]

Great post!!!!

[kmclemore]

.. and a good time was had by all!

Most excellent story - thanks for posting it!

[RandyMoon]

Well, I have to come clean here.

When my brother-in-law got his pilots license, he asked me to go flying with him and I came up with a long list of excuses and thought to myself, "If the crazy SOB racks up 400 hours in the airplane without killing himself, I'll go flying with him."

So my friends are probably thinking, "If that crazy SOB can learn to sail the boat without turtling and drowning himself, I'll go sailing with him."

There is Karma, what goes around comes around.

It's all relative.

[Catigale]

"When you get really good give us a call

I must hang out with the action crowd - I have never heard this, except for people with newborns, whom I cut a lot of slack...

Oh well, to each their own I guess....

[flbum]

I'm used to single handing a Catalina 250 which belongs to a boat club. I never had to launch it or dock it and tie it off without someone on the dock to help. For that matter, I have never driven a trailer.

The admiral has done all the trailer driving and launching so far. She was the obvious choice for that task as she has a CDL and the associated tractor-trailer driving experience. I keep telling her that I want to learn to drive the rig and launch the boat.

My ulterior motive is to learn to single hand our Mac ASAP. I have the time flexibility to be able to sail more frequently.

At this point, the admiral only wants to go out about once every 2 weeks and even then I have to coax her. She says that she wants to know that there is a crew of 2 big strong men sailing the boat and that she can run and hide in the cabin if there is a problem. She knows that I can't single hand our Mac yet. After all, there is still a bug to work out in the roller furler and it takes two to furl the sail until I work out the kinks. She's comfortable without additional crew on the Catalina. I hope to get her to feel comfortable with me sailing the Mac single handed soon.

I have some friends and family who have been sailing with me. A few of them experienced me sailing in 20 knot winds with too much sail on the Catalina when I was first learning to handle higher winds. I felt OK about the situation. However, they didn't like the occasional sudden heeling and rounding up in gusts. Other friends enjoyed the first few times out on the Catalina. However, they got bored of sailing after the newness of it wore off. Other friends and family members who like power boating say that they are uncomfortable with the idea of sailing in general. So, I've already used up the availability of my friends for sailing.

It seems that sailing is not for everyone.

I hope to meet some friendly sailors at the sailing squadron where we now park our Mac and to get the opportunity to take our Mac out more often.

I guess that I'm not the first one or the only one to have this problem...

Regards,
Rob

[jim nolan]

I must be an oddball, but when I go to the silp [400 slip marina] on a Monday, nothing pleases me more, to see only 4 or 5 people in the whole facility. I usually sail every day, and go home on Friday. It's not the ocean, but a 40 mile long lake. I can't figure out why some people think it"s so difficult. I guess because I started alone, it just seems natural. And OOOO so peaceful. I kinda get mad when someone asks for a ride. Well, not really. Jim Nolan

[richandlori]

Thanks for the kind words guys..

Rob, I have a question for you. you have a cat 25 AND a mac 26? why the tow boats?

Rich

[flbum]

Rich,

We joined a commercially operated boat club before buying the Mac. We wanted to buy a boat, but didn't know what kind of boat we wanted. Our boat club is primarily a power boat club, but has one sailboat. That is the 25 foot Catalina. We get the use of the club boats, but don't own them. We can use them during business hours. However, we have to be back at the dock before 5 PM each day. I decided that I wanted a sailboat and she decided that she wanted a power boat with comfortable interior accomodations. So, we got it all... sort of... the Mac 26M!

We park our new Mac at another club, the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. This non-profit club caters to sailboat owners and enthusiasts. The city of Sarasota has been kind enough to lease land to the squadron over the long term under very reasonable conditions. The Catalina belongs to the commercially operated boat club and is just a loaner for daysailing only. We own the Mac.

Regards,
ROB

[jetta01]

Well, we are no longer strangers for sure now Rich! I am Rick from the Rick and Molly couple at the beginning of this post. As Rich mentioned, we did buy a new 26M that very same day. This past weekend, May 28th 2005, we had another random run-in with Rich. Molly and I were out in the parking lot at the Oxnard boat ramp. This was our first weekend with the boat. We were busy trying to get the mast in place and double and triple check that we hadn't forgot anything. Then I see a lady come walking up, admiring the boat. We started chatting about the boat and she mentioned that her and her husband had a 2004. After 5 minutes of conversation, something she said clicked and I asked, "Is you husbands name Rich by chance?". With a very surprised look, she said yes. We ended up in the guest slip just opposite Rich and Lori (and the kids and dog) all weekend. It was great to get a chance to thank Rich in person again for being so generous and friendly that first trip out on a Mac for us. We had a great weekend learning how to use the Mac. We got the (you know what) scared out of us on Saturday. We should have just played in the harbor, but noooo, went stright out into the ocean. Sunday we motored out to Anacapa Island and back. Monday we sailed from Oxnard to Ventura for lunch. Molly is still a bit freaked out from Saturday, but I think I can get her back on the boat

Thanks again Rich and I look forward to sailing with you guys many more times!

Rick

[RandyMoon]

Rick and Molly, welcome to the Mac club. There are lots of us newbys here learning lots of good things from many experts on this board.