Greetings from Colorado

[FadaMor]

My name is Karl Long and I miss the ocean.

I currently own a 1998 MacGregor 26X which spends its off-duty time on the trailer on my driveway. It is well suited for the kind of sailing we have available here a mile above and 1000 miles from the sea.

1500 pounds of removable water ballast make the boat relatively light when trailering and the flat bottom make it easy to launch and retrieve.

We usually sail at a lake about 10 miles from home, but have sailed in lakes in Wyoming, Nebraska and California. We have also sailed in the Columbia River near Hood River, Oregon.

We took the boat to Houston, Texas one Christmas with the intent to sail in Galveston Bay, but the weather was miserable. It was 50 degrees and raining. We just stayed and visitied with the relatives we went to see.

We also took the boat to Santa Cruz, California, but spent too much time at the beach. We didn't have time to go sailing.

History.

I started sailing in California. While I was in high school, I joined a Sea Explorer group (Boy Scouts). We did a lot of small boat sailing in local lakes.

After high school, I went to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut. There I sailed the extremes. First, everyone sailed dinghies. Then we sailed on the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter "Eagle", a 295 ft barque (three masts, square sails on first two, gaff rig on mizzen, 22 sails).

After graduation, I spent two years a deck officer on a power boat (ducking for cover), 210 ft CG Cutter Venturous in Los Angeles.

I did not do much sailing (or motoring) for many years. 15 or 16 years ago, we decided to buy a sailboat. We bought a MacGregor 26X.

If you just did the math, you would see that we could not have bought a 1998 Mac 26X 15 or 16 year ago. If you didn't do the math, take my word for it.

Our first Mac died on the highway on the way back from California. Our car was slightly damaged but the Mac was totalled. We replaced it with the one we have now.

I sometimes sail single handed (even when my wife comes along). Our three (now) adult children have spent many hours or days on the boat.

--

Someone will probably ask what the boat's name "Fada Mór" means. It is named for my father who passed away in 1999. My father was very much interested in our Irish heritage, even to the point of learning some Gaelic.

He made a belt buckle with "Fada Mór" on it, representing his position as the patriach of our Irishness. "Fada" is Irish Gaelic for our family name "Long". "Mór" means big, large, great etc. similar to gran in French or grande in Spanish.

So "Fada Mór" means something like "Big Long", or "Great Long". He was, in effect, our clan chief.

By the way, I learned from a person who helped me with the translation, the "long" in Gaelic means "ship" in English.

I guess I have gone on long enough.

Here wishing you all
Fair winds and a following sea.

[smackdaddy]

Hey fada - welcome to SN dude.

[SansaBoat]

Karl, we should start a club: OMC "ocean-missing Coloradans"

On one hand, we live in one of the most beautiful states in the country. Thousands of people flock here to camp, hike, ski, etc. every year. I was just in Steamboat snow-cat skiing and many people would kill to just drive up and ski terrain like that!

On the other hand, we are only a thousand miles away from some great sailing!

Love the Gaelic boat name! Hope to see you on the water (once we get a boat!)

[CalebD]

Welcome 'Big Long'.
I have seen the CG barque 'Eagle' several times in and around NY Harbor. It is a beautiful sight and being aboard must have been fun if you weren't working too hard.
Sorry to hear you lost one boat to the highway. Trailering is always a risk but is also something the M 26 does quite well, usually. Over a year ago I was following my friends 26 S down the highway at the beginning of a trip. As he made highway speed (too fast IMHO) one of the tires flew off (not torqued properly - don't ask). I thought for sure the boat would topple but it didn't and the trailer wheel hub took the brunt of the NYS Thruway instead. His boat was fine but it was a sobering and scary thing to witness nonetheless.
There are a bunch of folks from inland CO here who are trailer sailors as well. Bob McGovern (?) comes to mind http://www.sailnet.com/forums/members/bobmcgov.html
I believe he trailers his San Juan 21' to various locations in Wyoming.

Welcome.

[bljones]

Hello mudda...
and Hello fada!

Welcome aboard.

[FadaMor]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

[nickokelly]

Karl, I feel your pain. My wife and I spend three years there in the Front Range when I was doing weather down at KUSA. We missed the ocean too much, and moved back to the SF Bay Area.

I think there must be a gene or something for living so far from the ocean, and my wife and I just don't have it!

Welcome the forum!

Nick O'Kelly

[Livia]

Welcome - I bought my current boat while living in Colorado.

[FadaMor]

Update:

Fada Mór is now in Maryland and living on Chesapeake Bay. She has been out four times, including once to launch and once to haul out for bottom paint.

It was a new experience for me when I launched to boat at Breezy Point, MD and then moved the boat to a marina in Rose Haven, MD, about five miles away. Then I had to get my wife to meet me there and take me back to Breezy Point to get my van and trailer.

The botom painting is half done. I hope to be back in the water in a couple of days. We are looking forward to sailing in the bay.

[FadaMor]

Just an update:

We are now sailing the Chesapeake Bay (Rose Haven on Herring Bay).

Originally Posted by FadaMor

My name is Karl Long and I miss the ocean.

I currently own a 1998 MacGregor 26X which spends its off-duty time on the trailer on my driveway. It is well suited for the kind of sailing we have available here a mile above and 1000 miles from the sea.

1500 pounds of removable water ballast make the boat relatively light when trailering and the flat bottom make it easy to launch and retrieve.

We usually sail at a lake about 10 miles from home, but have sailed in lakes in Wyoming, Nebraska and California. We have also sailed in the Columbia River near Hood River, Oregon.

We took the boat to Houston, Texas one Christmas with the intent to sail in Galveston Bay, but the weather was miserable. It was 50 degrees and raining. We just stayed and visitied with the relatives we went to see.

We also took the boat to Santa Cruz, California, but spent too much time at the beach. We didn't have time to go sailing.

History.

I started sailing in California. While I was in high school, I joined a Sea Explorer group (Boy Scouts). We did a lot of small boat sailing in local lakes.

After high school, I went to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut. There I sailed the extremes. First, everyone sailed dinghies. Then we sailed on the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter "Eagle", a 295 ft barque (three masts, square sails on first two, gaff rig on mizzen, 22 sails).

After graduation, I spent two years a deck officer on a power boat (ducking for cover), 210 ft CG Cutter Venturous in Los Angeles.

I did not do much sailing (or motoring) for many years. 15 or 16 years ago, we decided to buy a sailboat. We bought a MacGregor 26X.

If you just did the math, you would see that we could not have bought a 1998 Mac 26X 15 or 16 year ago. If you didn't do the math, take my word for it.

Our first Mac died on the highway on the way back from California. Our car was slightly damaged but the Mac was totalled. We replaced it with the one we have now.

I sometimes sail single handed (even when my wife comes along). Our three (now) adult children have spent many hours or days on the boat.

--

Someone will probably ask what the boat's name "Fada Mór" means. It is named for my father who passed away in 1999. My father was very much interested in our Irish heritage, even to the point of learning some Gaelic.

He made a belt buckle with "Fada Mór" on it, representing his position as the patriach of our Irishness. "Fada" is Irish Gaelic for our family name "Long". "Mór" means big, large, great etc. similar to gran in French or grande in Spanish.

So "Fada Mór" means something like "Big Long", or "Great Long". He was, in effect, our clan chief.

By the way, I learned from a person who helped me with the translation, the "long" in Gaelic means "ship" in English.

I guess I have gone on long enough.

Here wishing you all
Fair winds and a following sea.