Port Huron-to-Mackinac Race Enjoys Rich History
A Look at History
Port Huron-Mackinac
By Frank Straus

This is the week when boats are scheduled to arrive at Mackinac Island after sailing courses of more than 200 miles through the entire length of Lake Huron. The sometimes grueling Port Huron-to-Mackinac race, which has gone by various official names in its 80-year history, is one of the longest sailboat races on fresh water. Together with its older brother, the Chicago-to-Mackinac race, the Port Huron race is one of the highlights of the Mackinac Island summer season.

Port Huron sailors have a special language of their own. They use many words and phrases unique to their race, some of which are printable. Let’s share some of the rich language history of the Port Huron race.

Yachts are docked at the Island in this vintage photo of the race week. (Photograph courtesy of Tom Pfeiffelmann)

Bernida - Name of the first winner of the Port Huron-to-Mackinac race, held in 1925. This 32-foot-long yacht, currently under restoration in a nonprofit effort led by Mackinac Island Yacht Club commodore Bart Huthwaite, preserves the hull lines of the Golden Age of sailing boats and ships. Advances in design during the 1940s and following decades drastically changed the appearance of more modern racers. In 1925, the Bernida sailed from Port Huron to Mackinac Island in 49 hours and 50 minutes. Sail lovers hope that the restored Bernida can travel the shorelines of Michigan to show her classic lines to people of all ages.

An aerial view of the 1961 yacht season shows the Chippewa 3 and Huron at the Arnold Dock, U.S. Coast Guard and Naval Reserve race escort vessels at the Passenger and Coal Docks, and the barge Shamrock at the Coal Dock. (Photograph courtesy of Tom Pfeiffelmann)

Carbide cannon - Finishing yachters are traditionally greeted by a shot from a “carbide cannon” as they cross the Mackinac Island finish line. Carbide is safer than traditional black powder and can actually be squeezed from a tube like toothpaste. Union Carbide used to operate one of the world’s largest carbide-producing factories, in Sault Ste. Marie.

Cove Island - Old-timers often recall the challenges of the former Cove Island segment of the Port Huron race course. Queen Victoria’s men had reduced the dangers of boating near Cove Island a bit by raising a lighthouse in 1858. However, numerous rocks and shoals lying in wait about the island, and the high probability of mist or fog lying about the mouth of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay, continued to make this former race landmark an edgy spot for racers. The Port Huron race’s two current courses no longer approach Cove Island.

Old goats - Any man or woman who arrives at the Mackinac Island finish line for the 25th time, after 24 previous races, is at that moment automatically promoted to the rank of “Old Goat.” It is not clear what the connection is between yachters and goats, but some people say it has something to do with spending two to four days of hard labor out on Lake Huron without access to a bathtub.

Pickle boat - The last boat to finish the Port Huron-to-Mackinac race is unofficially dubbed the “pickle boat.” The phrase has nothing to do with the supplies in the boat’s galley and is actually a very old epithet that dates back to the days before electric refrigeration. Fish flesh spoils quickly, so slower fishing boats had to dunk their catch in brine while returning to port, thus creating pickled fish; from this practice, the custom arose of calling slower sailboats “pickle boats.”

Pink Pony - One traditional gathering place for successful yachtsmen is the “Pink Pony” bar and grill on the ground floor of Mackinac Island’s Chippewa Hotel. The hotel is even older than the Port Huron race, having been built in 1902. The Pink Pony was operating as a bar under its current name in 1940, and has probably been serving drinks since the repeal of Prohibition a few years earlier (1933). During the 1930s and 40s, only a few dozen boats raced annually, and all of their crews could easily gather at the “Pink Pony” to greet each other and swap stories. However, with as many as 3,000 yachtsmen and women participating in this year’s Port Huron race, successful yachters can now be found all over Mackinac Island’s downtown area.

Port Huron - The starting point of this week’s race has many longtime ties with Mackinac Island. Fort Gratiot was built in 1814 as part of American operations during the War of 1812. For several years after that, Fort Gratiot, like Fort Mackinac, served as a local gathering place for fur traders and part of the defense of the United States against a potential second war with Canada. Well into the 20th century, passenger steamboats operated by the D & C and its competitor lines plied Lake Huron from Port Huron to Mackinac Island.

Race week - Each Port Huron race starts at a single moment, with the firing of the starter’s gun at the southern end of Lake Huron. However, because some of the boats are faster than others, it often takes several days for all of the 300+ boats entered in the race to arrive at their destination. Some of the successful yachters face work or other commitments that force them to leave the Island as soon as possible, while others stay for days of partying and winding-down. The week after the Saturday that starts each race is often called “race week” on Mackinac.

Team shirts - One way of distinguishing successful Port Huron yachters from other Mackinac visitors during “race week” is that many of the yachters are likely to be wearing “team shirts” bearing the name of their boat and some sort of humorous logo or comment. Many boats have a designated greeter waiting for them on Mackinac Island to hand out clean clothes and drive south with those yachters who must leave as soon as possible.

Unidentified flying object (UFO) - A reference among Port Huron yachters to a “UFO” could be a mention of a genuine unidentified flying object such as the “bright white sphere” seen by racer Ed Lepps on July 14, 1998. “It was moving very slowly and quite erratically” in the sky offshore from Presque Isle, Michigan, Mr. Lepps is said to have reported. In this race, however, an “unidentified flying object” could also be a reference to a very large multihulled sailboat owned by someone who is comparatively well set up in life.