Toby Murray Wins Island Regatta
By Karen Gould

Skipper Toby Murray (center) and his crew, Steve Murray (left), won the 12th annual Horn's Bar Labor Day Regatta on Island Girl. Here, David Rowe presents their award. (Photograph courtesy of Peggy Largo)

First time racer Toby Murray won the 12th annual Horn's Bar Labor Day Regatta, Sunday, September 3, beating four other sailboats in a race around Mackinac Island.

"I'm just getting into sailing and Mark Chambers has been my mentor," said Mr. Murray. "It was wonderful fun."

Mr. Murray's cousin, Steve Murray, sailed with him on the winning boat, a 23-foot Bluenose named Island Girl. They won the race with a performance handicap of one hour, 28 minutes. Their actual sailing time was 1:52:50.

"Steve is a good sailor and sort of quiet about his skills," observed Mr. Murray.

Their strategy, he said, was to sail close to shore and take advantage of breezes coming off the Island, while the other three racers sailed further off shore, hoping to catch stronger winds.

"That tactic seemed to work for us," he said of the shore plan. "We want to be modest about our achievement, while remaining confident about our future," he joked.

Race manager David Rowe said sailing conditions were beautiful and most participants sailed the Island course in two long tacks.

"It is almost unheard of to go around the Island on two long tacks," he said. "It was a very tight race."

Mr. Rowe, sailing his Cal 39 boat Wild Honey, actually crossed first, though his corrected time of 1:45:57 seconds placed him third in the race.

Coming in second was Placebo, skippered by Rick Luxon of Atlanta, Michigan, with a corrected time of 1:40:47. Finishing fourth with a corrected time of 1:48:0 was Windermere, a Catalina 27 and a new vessel owned by Mark Chambers of Mackinac Island. Mr. Chambers won the event last year sailing on Snow Goose, finishing then 1:29:34.

Awards were presented at Mackinac Island Yacht Club following the race. Race sponsors Patti Ann and Steve Moskwa of Horn's Bar provided food and refreshments for skippers, crew, and family members.