The Crossing

[@reality1984.]

I have owned a MacGregor for 29 years and absolutely love it.

[@georgewashington7444]

Nice video! You had fine sailing conditions get some sail up. You would be surprised how “sailing” a sailboat will smooth out the ride. I crossed in early 2000s in a Compac 16, good passage with 2-4’ and 10kt out of South no motor. I’m planning a FL Bahamas cruise January 26’ with my 14’ Paradox I’m currently building no motor! Good Luck in your adventures.

[@davidalejandro8470]

Semi-retired FMG from South America here. Hoping to sail to Bahamas in our MacGregor, will be solo, as my wife won’t cross the Gulf Stream (wants to be in sight of land whenever possible). Absolutely loved your video, thanks!!

[@Christomare1]

Luv the he só playfull, thanks for awesome vid!

[@omurcinarelci5148]

Thank you for sharing your trip to WAUSM Mark. We’re so glad to have you here my friend.

[@Singing-elephant]

What a great video and music. You a brave man

[@brandonturner8636]

Thanks for sharing your journey with us. I enjoyed watching.

[@robertalexander2478]

So glad I found you, always wanted to know if the Macgregor could make it to the Bahamas, great stuff, love to pick your brain!!!

[@danjoseph9005]

Doc, Great video. Keep it up!

[@williamgoff530]

Loved the video. Used to own a mac 26x that I did a lot of modifications on to sail the exumas but life had other plans and still have yet to make that trip. Super jealous

[@fredfields7281]

Great video. What a wonderful trip. Those Macgregors are tough boats!

[@donnakawana]

I'm looking for a vessel!! Lost mine to fire . Been stuck in land for 2 years.. I need the ocean, I need a sailboat... You an Mr. Wilson sure are an inspiration an wowzers what a wonderful trip you both took us on!! I loved every second of it! Thanks for sharing your lives with us and Fare winds and following sea's ✌🏼💗😊❣️

[@polepole9066]

Awesome video 😎. Proof it can be done in a Mac !! Congrats again on your passage and enjoy life. Look forward to future videos 👍🏻. André 🇨🇦

[@navarrofam3476]

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing your journey on the Mac. It shows the strength of the Mac and it’s capabilities and of course a good skipper. Congrats!

[@markJones38133]

Congrats on your crossing, u did something I always wanted to do with my 05Mac26 with a 4 stroke Yamaha outboard. But my girlfriend always complained the it was to hot and after 5 yrs. I sold it. I live in Memphis TN and some guy from Chicago came down and bought it.

[@MrA1582000]

That is an adorable shipmate you have.

[@davidwheeler7613]

Thank you Mark and very good video. I went over and back to Bimini years ago on a 24' boat. It must have been nerve racking to be alone. It was smart getting through the gulfstream as quickly as possible. I'm planning to do just what you did soon on a McGregor 26. I plan to go south island hopping. I can wait see all your vids now.

[@WAUSM]

What a great video! Can't wait to see more.

[@scubadoc9730]

Loved the video Dr. Coleman. Amazing journey and even more amazing man!!

[@charleschase7641]

Marco, great video. Thanks!!

[@terrywarburton6119]

Having sailed from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini more than a few times, back in the 80's it was fun to go along for the ride! Not sure I would do that trip either alone, or in January! But, all is well that ends well. Enjoy the Bahamas!

[@artsmith103]

For boats this small, what part of what month do you suggest for nest weather odds?

[@yurievtv]

What a great video, Mark! ❤️ 🌈

[@wavewaker2]

Happy dog 👍😀

[@suefontaine1588]

Great video of your awesome trip! I look forward to catching more waves as we sail vicariously through you, Mr. Wilson, and dog years!

[@billydecker9396]

Very nice, Mark! Glad you documented this amazing journey. 👏

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

I wish I had a better camera but since it's a documentary I can live with some of the shaky shots - I'm thinking of getting a dedicated camera for filming on the boat.

[@anitabarkley3548]

Great video! Very informative! Nicely edited. What an adventure! Thanks for sharing!

[@IntheBlood67]

Thank you fer takin us along!

[@garysmith4524]

Nicely Done MarCo, and Dog Years! Congrats on creating a great video too! Wishing you fair winds and following seas!

[@ChristopherQuest]

Love it! Great job. Cool - Subscribed!

[@timothycole4095]

Good Job! Keep it coming!

[@seawench555]

Hi Mark from Aussie, wow the McGregor does it well, they are just strong well built magic little vessels. Mr Wilson is gorgeous, hope he has a life vest yes? He is so full of life, how does he travel though? Like the idea of the pool noodles well done. What size motor has she got Mark, she seemed to power through that swell easily. Anyway thanks for sharing, I'm looking forward to ur adventures.🇦🇺🌈🌞😁🍺

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

Thanks! Yes little Wilson has a life vest and I also tether him to the boat. He loves to ride in the cockpit or even cabin top but when it gets rough I make him go into the cabin. I just got a new (2022) 60hp Mercury before I left Tennessee.

[@afloatinawoodenboat]

Great video! Thanks!

[@daveumr]

Great video.

[@andrewburns784]

Awesome work definitely got my subscription :)

[@airborneranger-ret]

Very nicely done :)

[@Gab3A]

Awesome video doc. I’m in Ft.Lauderdale and want to try this on my Catalina 22. I would need more than ideal conditions. The MacGregor handled it beautifully.

[@scottcarroll4970]

Just my thoughts.....but a Cat 22 is a much better boat than a Mac....they're much stronger and much better suited for handling a storm or rough seas......have you ever been caught in rough seas?.....I don't mean waves over the bow.....I mean those rare moments when you might be in fear for your lives and you need your vessel to come thru for you........I mean....you may feel, overpowered by the conditions....but, believe me.... we've all been there....being scared is normal.....having a boat that you can make come thru these conditions is paramount.....doesn't matter...you may go off shore for a good day sail and ...wham! these things happen.....I'm not saying a Mac couldn't handle these things......I guess it depends on what kind of sailing you think you want to do.......Macs offer a lot of amenities for the price......just consider these things.

[@MohamedOmar-wh4zc]

I had a Mac for 5 seasons and loved., especially the trailering to different lakes.. however, for rough conditions, I would prefer a standard keel boat over a water ballast

[@dlgem1]

Great video, thank you so much for taking the time and effort to produce and share. We would love to see a video featuring your boat and all the modifications you made to it. We have a 2010 26M and we're always looking for ideas and mods, especially your solar set up and your modified arch on the back of the boat. What engine do you have, it sure was quite and didn't seem to vibrate and make everything rattle. What fuel tank/tanks do you have? How much fuel can you carry? Thanks again.

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

I'll work on putting one together. But for now, I bought a new (2022) Mercury 60 before I left. I have two 12 gallon tanks and also carried any extra 9 gallons. I used about 15-16 gallons crossing to Bimini.

[@bradwhite6254]

Nice video, thanks.

[@margomartinezmusic6190]

Every time I think I really want to do this myself. I learn that just taking a sailing class is not going to really help you know how to be safe in unexpected situations😮

[@MrA1582000]

Does raising a bit of the main give you more stability when motoring?

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

Yes, definitely. I had a scrap up for the Bimini crossing but probably could have used a little more.

[@privateparty4900]

Feels like the dinghy is less important on a boat that only draws 3/4' ?

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

The Mac draws a little more than that but regardless, I’ve been anchored off of islands that had rocky shores (no beaching) so the dinghy was necessary to get to shore for walking the dog. Or, like in this video when I was at No Name Harbor and you had to anchor to stay overnight - the dinghy was a must.

[@bluepinetxmedia-josepescad7649]

Legit if your in St. John- grab a beer w the bass fam

[@petresort6759]

When you motored to Bimini did you have the ballast completely empty? or partially flooded?

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

The ballast was totally full. You never want a partially filled ballast as it would make the boat unstable. An empty ballast only gives an extra mph or 2 and I wouldn’t go out in those conditions without a full ballast.

[@petresort6759]

@@SailingwithDrMarCo awesome thank you. we just got a 26 and have yet to put it out in water. I found your videos very informative.

[@JohnBraman413]

how much fuel did you use? good to see macgregor made it no problem. was planning on doing same thing with boating buddies to cross with.

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

I won't exactly say it was no problem - I think the first leg pushed the boat hard. My front anchor bracket got mangled pretty good and I almost lost it. But it made it! I used 15-16 gallons on the first leg and less on the second part.

[@JohnBraman413]

@@SailingwithDrMarCo were you running with ballast full for more stability?

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

Absolutely, I would never go into open ocean without the ballast full.

[@SailingCoddiwomple]

Great job on the video and the crossing. Maybe soon we’ll get together in the islands. I’m planning to leave in October making my way down the tenn tom

[@richardgodlove9662]

Not happy about the video, nope, not happy at all. It was way to short. I love the Macgregors, Had one years ago and now that the kids are grown and on their own, I'm looking at getting another one. I doubt that I'll ever do a trip like this, but up in NY the Great Lakes, the Thousand Islands and the St. Lawrence Seaway make for great sailing. All the best to you and Mr. Wilson.

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

She would be a great boat to do the Great Loop - hope you find one!

[@jasonmcintosh2632]

Did you build your own digyny? How did you like it? Much rather have a RIB?

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

Yes, I built it - a CLC EASTPORT nesting pram. It worked great and got many compliments.

[@jasonmcintosh2632]

@@SailingwithDrMarCo I want to build something like that... Thanks for the video! Very fun to watch it. I haven't taken my Mac 26x out there... I always wanted to, but I just bought a big 44' Nauticat. The MacGregor got me hooked on motorsailers.

[@daniellisy7161]

Wow man you made the first offshore MacGregor I know about :) Wich one do you have M or X. BTW you motoring on the ocean did you had your water balast full? I must share this with the sailing community with people who say the boat is only for light coastal area

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

There have been other MacGregors make the crossing - There are 2 that are still here on Grand Bahama (one X and a 22). I might be the first to do it single handed though, not sure. Mine is an M. I definitely had the ballast full - I would never go into open ocean without it being full.

[@RudixSA]

No sailing? Motored all the way?🥺

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

If you watch the entire video you'll see I motored to Bimini and mostly motor-sailed from Bimini to Grand Bahama. Very few boats sail to Bimini because of the effects of the Gulf stream and typical wind patterns. During the day I crossed and the day after, no boats sailed across.

[@douglaswilkin4991]

Um, you're motoring through great winds. What am I missing?

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

If you research crossing the Gulf Stream to Bimini, you'll find that almost everyone motors across. The winds were coming basically directly from the direction of Bimini so to try and tack what is a straight line distance of 50nm against a current of 4 or more knots would be foolish - you'd likely miss Bimini altogether.

[@georgewashington7444]

You cross on a SSE-S-SSW wind after 24 hour “settle down” it’s a glorious sail. No motoring needed.

[@bahamasking2063]

Cool video. I was living on GB. I moved back to Nassau last year.

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

Which do you like better? I want to get to Nassau soon just to check it out.

[@bahamasking2063]

@@SailingwithDrMarCo Nassau. I grew up in Nassau. Love it here.

[@bahamasking2063]

@@SailingwithDrMarCo When you come I can show you around.

[@bahamasking2063]

@@SailingwithDrMarCo When you come I can show you around.

[@bahamasking2063]

@@SailingwithDrMarCo When you come I can show you around.

[@nickpeet1755]

Why not put some sails up ???????

[@khadijagwen]

I had a 26x around 2002. It was a nice boat but not a blue water boat. I didn't see your sails up much.

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

The sails were up for the entire second half of the trip - 60+nm. Although Macs are coastal cruisers they can cross short bodies of open ocean (I just finished a 140nm roundtrip to the Berry Islands) with the right conditions.

[@michaelgoyden8203]

It looks like you're selling a McGregor if you are curious to know it

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

Not sure what you mean.

[@SOLDOZER]

Its "Intracoastal" not "Intercoastal.

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

😂 I hope you enjoyed the video!

[@wesm3915]

I thought that was a sailboat

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

You must not know anything about power- sailors or the Gulf Stream. You motor when you need to and sail when you can - like I did for the second half of the trip (did you watch that part?). Of the 4 boats that crossed when I did all of them motored across. Guess what? They were all sailboats.

[@davidcummings6299]

So your not really a sailor looks like the wind was blowing😊

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

No sailboats sailed that day. The wind was on the nose and it would foolhardy to try to tack your way to Bimini across the Gulf Steam in a MacGregor. Have you crossed the stream?

[@davidcummings6299]

@@SailingwithDrMarCo your right your board will not point and that’s why you need a 50 hp outboard . Sorry to be he one to tell you but that boat isn’t a sailboat or a powerboat , it only displaces 2250 pound unloaded but you do have guts taking that thing across I’ll give you that.

[@SailingwithDrMarCo]

@@davidcummings6299 it actually displaces 4k with the water ballast (which is 1100) and if you watch my other videos, you’ll see it is a sailboat, it’s just a lightweight cruiser, not meant for serious oceans. That’s why I just bought a Westsail 32.

[@robertalexander2478]

So glad I found you, always wanted to know if the Macgregor could make it to the Bahamas, great stuff, love to pick your brain!!!

[@georgewashington7444]

16’ Hobies make it to Bahamas.

[@robertalexander2478]

@@georgewashington7444 sure, I’ve heard about folks making it on rafts, is it a good idea… probably not! You’d definitely need to carefully pick your day! Not the same as a sailboat