Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race
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The Bayview Mackinac Boat Race is run by the
Bayview Yacht Club Bayview Yacht Club is private, sailing-focused yacht club located in Detroit, Michigan. Bayview is famous for hosting the Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race as well as a number of other regional and local regattas. Bayview is a member of the Det ...
of
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
,
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
. It is one of the longest fresh-water races in the world with over two hundred boats entering the race each year. There have been at least six changes to the course throughout the race's history. All of the race's courses start in the waters of Lower Lake Huron, north of the
Blue Water Bridge The Blue Water Bridge is a twin-span international bridge across the St. Clair River that links Port Huron, Michigan, United States, and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Water Bridge connects Highway 402 in Ontario with both Interstate 69 ( ...
near the American shoreline, traverse the length of
Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...
, and finish in the
Round Island Channel The Round Island Channel is a navigable Lake Huron waterway located between Mackinac Island and Round Island (Michigan), Round Island in the Straits of Mackinac. It forms a key link in the lake freighter route between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan ...
off
Mackinac Island, Michigan Mackinac Island ( ) is a city in Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a permanent population of 583. The population numbers in the tens of thousands from May 1st to October 31st due to an influx o ...
. Currently, the Race features two courses, one Shore Course sailing up the Michigan shoreline, and a Cove Island Course that takes boats around a buoy off Cove Island in northeast Lake Huron. Both courses finish at Mackinac Island.


History

The first race was held in 1925 with the sloop Bernida skippered by Russ Pouliot winning against 12 yachts. In the 2012 race, Bernida once again raced with owner/skipper Al Declercq claiming victory in PHRF H and Overall for the Shore Course along with his crew Matthew (son), Ken and Connor Flaska, and Fred and Ward Detwiler. They finished around 1130 AM Monday. Dozens of divisions and classes of boats were added over the years. During the 1985 sail race, the whole fleet experienced heavy weather. The 35-foot yacht Tomahawk was damaged and her crew of eight abandoned ship. They were rescued from their life raft by Charles Bayer, skipper of the yacht Old Bear. Tomahawk sank 28 miles northwest of Tobermory, Ontario. Of the 305 boats entered in the 1985 race, 96 abandoned the race. The estimated total damage to the fleet was $500,000. Throughout the history of the race, with strict safety enforcements, Bayview prides itself on never having had a fatality. The inaugural race course was up the Michigan shore line south of Bois Blanc. Originally it was started at the same time as the Chicago Race to Mackinac with the yachts crossing the finish line from two different directions. In 1935, the course was lengthened to and required participants to round Cove Island Buoy off the Bruce Peninsula. Fog created confusion and the longer course was abandoned as dangerous and slow in 1936. In 1940 the race rounded the Six Fathoms Shoal buoy for that year only. The following year the race went back to shore course but left Bois Blanc to port. In 1972 the Cove Island course was restored. Twenty years later, participating yachts were divided into two separate fleets, with one heading east to round Cove Island and the other following the original shore course. After the Canadian government's decision to decommission the Cove Island
buoy A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. Types Navigational buoys * Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of yac ...
in 2000, the longer course was replaced with the Southampton Course in which sailors are directed toward
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
and then to the finish line at Mackinac Island. In 2007, the Bayview Yacht Club announced a new course (Thunder Bay Course) in which all boats round at NOAA Weather Buoy 45003, located about northeast of Alpena, Michigan. Longer than the shore course but not quite as lengthy as the Southampton or Cove Island courses, it marked the first time in 15 years that all Port Huron to Mackinac racing yachts followed a unified course. In 2009 the race returned to the Cove Island course (rounding a private buoy), with cruising and smaller boats sailing the Thunder Bay course. In 2010 the Thunder Bay course was eliminated and the Shore Course reinstated. From 2010 to the present the two courses have been the Cove Island course and the Shore Course. In 2012 the finish line was relocated from the east end of the island off of Mission Point. Boats now finish between the Round Island Lighthouse on Round Island and a point on the shoreline located west of the main harbor. The
Round Island Passage Light Round Island Passage Light is an automated, unmanned lighthouse located in the Round Island Channel in the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan. The channel is a branch of Lake Huron. History The Round Island Lighthouse was constructed in 1895 to mark ...
, which is located off the west breakwall of the harbor, was added as a mark of the course in 2012. From 2011 until 2019 the title sponsor of the race has been Bell's Brewery of
Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...
and the race was designated the Bell's Beer Bayview Mackinac Race. Since 2020, the race has been officially termed the "Bayview Mackinac Race." The July 2019 running of the race was the 95th such annual event, with 202 sailboats registered. News coverage at the time indicated that the race continued over the years in spite of war and economic depression.


The race

The two Port Huron race courses allow for maximum participation from yachts ranging in size from to more than . In 2015 they allow a new minimum of to compete. Allowing Target Practice and Solvo to be the first Cal25s to participate and complete the race. The Port Huron to Mackinac Race is often confused with the
Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac is a annual yacht race starting in Lake Michigan off Chicago, Illinois, and ending in Lake Huron off Mackinac Island, Michigan. It is hosted and managed by the Chicago Yacht Club. The "Mac" (as it is know ...
. They were held on the same weekend until 1939, when both clubs agreed to alternate the date of their Mackinac races, scheduling them a week apart. In even years the Port Huron race is first to allow participants of the
Newport Bermuda Race The Newport Bermuda Race, commonly known as the ''Bermuda Race'', is a biennial, 635 nautical miles (1175 km) sailing yacht race from Newport, Rhode Island to the British island of Bermuda. According to its website, the Race is the oldest r ...
to sail both events. The Chicago-to-Mackinac race is older, starting in 1898, and slightly longer. The Friday night before the start of the race is called Boat Night. Thousands of people: sailors and cheerful spectators, alike, line the banks of the Black River,
Port Huron Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...
to view the yachts. The parties will last until well after dawn on Saturday. The race begins Saturday afternoon with the smallest boats starting first and the largest the last to cross the starting line. Boats typically begin finishing at
Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( ; french: Île Mackinac; oj, Mishimikinaak ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ; otw, Michilimackinac) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac an ...
Sunday evening through Tuesday morning. The finish line can be viewed from a number of places including
Fort Mackinac Fort Mackinac ( ) is a former British and American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century in the city of Mackinac Island, Michigan, on Mackinac Island. The British built the fort during the American Re ...
and
Mission Point Resort Mission Point Resort is a summer resort hotel located on Mackinac Island, an island in the Straits of Mackinac between the US state of Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas. It is located on the southeastern shoreline of the island, also called ...
. Boats are measured to determine handicaps. The fastest boat in the fleet is the scratch boat and has no time allowance. All other boats have time allowance handicaps which are subtracted from the elapsed sailing time. Over the years various handicapping systems have been used including CCA, IOR, PHRF, IMS, IRC and ORR. In 2016 the Cove Island course used the ORR handicap system while the shore course used PHRF. In 2017 the shore course will start using the ORR-EZ handicap system. Since 2009 the race has used internet tracking for all the participants. Throughout the event race fans can track the progress of the yachts. The last boat to finish the race is called the "pickle boat". The origin of the name comes from English yachting, where the last boat was called the "fisher." The boats used to stop to fish for herring and then pickle them. The pickling required the boat to take even longer to come into port. The race and an awards celebration, while held on the lawn of Mission Point Resort in a number of previous years, was held in Woodfill Park below the Grand Hotel from 2012 to 2021. That celebration moved back to the lawn of Mission Point Resort in 2022. Flags and trophies are presented to all the winning skippers of each division and class.


Tradition

Racers who have completed 25 of the annual Port Huron to Mackinac races are called "Old Goats," while those who have completed 50 are called "Grand Rams." People who work for 15 years on the Race Committee are honored with the title "Old Forts."


References

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External links


Official SitePure Michigan's Official SiteDetroit News: Race HistoryBoat Night Home Page
Yachting races Sailing competitions in the United States Sports in Michigan Mackinac Boat Race Annual sporting events in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1925 1925 establishments in Michigan Tourist attractions in Mackinac County, Michigan Tourist attractions in St. Clair County, Michigan Lake Huron Mackinac Island