Bayview Mackinac Yacht Race To Set Sail July 21
By Eric Fish

JayHawker readies the sail to come about in the 2006 Bayview Mackinac yacht race. Ken Brown is the skipper and David Sandlin is the owner. This year, a crew of 12 will sail JayHawker in the 83rd sailing of the Bayview Mackinac race. (Photograph by Martin Chumiecki, Element Photography)

It won't be just your ordinary Bayview Mackinac yacht race when the event begins July 21 from Port Huron. This year marks the 83rd sailing, a new corporate sponsor, and the 150th anniversary of the founding of Port Huron.

Celebratory events at Port Huron are being held all week, concluding with the start of the race, when an estimated 25,000 people will line both banks of the Black River, in Port Huron and Sarnia, Ontario, to wave farewell to the fleet. The race will officially start about 4.5 nautical miles north of the Blue Water Bridge.

Calling the race start "a phenomenal tradition," Bruce Babiarz, the club's public relations director, said, "It's really a dramatic sight."

The first Bayview Mackinac race was held in 1925 and featured only 12 boats, four of which finished the race. Now, 82 races later, more than 250 boats and around 3,000 sailors participate. Skippers hail from Michigan, Ontario, Illinois, and even Texas to compete in the annual summer tradition.

The course for the 2007 Bayview Mackinac yacht race is the same for all boats this year. Boats will start in Port Huron and round a NOAA buoy 43 miles northeast of Alpena before heading on to Mackinac. More than 250 boats are scheduled to compete in the 83rd annual event. (Image courtesy of the Bayview Yacht Club)

In past years, the Bayview Mackinac race has boasted such celebrity participants as Gordon Lightfoot, Roy Disney, and Ted Turner, and Michigan's Bob Seger has won twice.

"The Mackinac race is a rite of summer in Michigan and an event that is looked forward to all year until the starting gun goes off," Race Chairman Phillip Lyon said. "When it is all said and done, whether a yacht is first to finish or last, this race is about the challenge and spirit of competition."

The 252-nautical-mile race generally takes a day or two to complete, depending on the winds. The fastest recorded finish was in 1950 in just under 26 hours.

"Sailing is a great sport of camaraderie," Mr. Babiarz said. "These people watch out for one another. They're competitors on the water, but they're families on shore. It's about having fun. It's an exhilarating experience." This year, for the first time in 16 years, all boats will race on a single course, which will parallel the Michigan shoreline and lead to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoy 43 miles northeast of Alpena, before heading into the home stretch toward Mackinac Island. Chrysler Jeep Superstores is the new sponsor. For almost two decakes, the race also included a shorter, 204-nautical mile shore course for smaller boats.

The race will conclude a weekend of sailing and celebration with an awards ceremony Tuesday, July 24, at Mission Point Resort.