Sunday, July 21, 2013

Bayview Mackinac Preview

J/120s sailing in Bayview Mackinac Race (Port Huron, MI)- This coming weekend, the Bayview to Mackinac Island Race starts Saturday July 20th.  This year's event has 239 entries participating across the spectrum of double-handed and fully crewed divisions in PHRF or ORR handicap racing.  The race organizers offer the sailors two options for courses: the longer Cove Island course takes teams up onto the Canadian side of Lake Huron up north near a buoy to the entrance of the North Channel in Ontario, then head nearly due WNW to Mackinac Island for the finish.  The other course is a direct shot, mostly up the eastern Michigan shoreline right to Mackinac, generally a reaching course.

Sailing in the Cove Island course in Division I are the highly competitive fleet of Great Lakes J/120s. The fleet of eight boats includes Frank Kern's famous CARINTHIA, Bill Bresser's FLYING IRISH,  Mike and Bob Kirkman's HOT TICKET, Gerald and Joanne Hines's IRRESISTIBLE TOO, Ed Vermet and John Hughes's NAUTI BOYS, Henry Mistele's NIGHT MOVES, Dennis Detmer's PERVERSION and Tom Lewin's SLEDGE HAMMER. Dueling with this gang will be two J/111s, including the Brummel/ Henderson/ Mayer trio on KASHMIR and Tim Clayson's UNPLUGGED, and the J/124 STILL MESSIN' sailed by Adam Messelman.

Sailing the Division II short course are the J/145 VORTICES sailed by Chris Saxton, the J/122 SUFFICIENT REASON led by Mitch Padnos and the crew that recently won Division 4 and the Chicago-Mackinac Trophy Overall, J/44 SAGITTA sailed by past commodores Jon Somes and Larry Oswald, the J/33 SHENANIGANS helmed by Dick & Dan Synowiec, J/100 BLUE JAY skippered by Larry Soutar, the J/92 KOHATSU sailed by John Stromberg and the J/30 CONUNDRUM helmed by Don King,

The J/105's have a strong contingent of seven teams sailing, including BUZZ sailed by Mark Gurney, GOOD LOOKIN sailed by Dean and Lana Walsh, past race winner PTERODACTYL skippered by Mary Symonds, RAMPAGE led by Matt Haglund, SNAKE OIL skippered by Don Harthorn, TRINITY helmed by Tom O'Grady, and WINDSHADOW sailed by Jim Murphy.

The J/35's in the Great Lakes have turned out en'masse for this race with nine very competitive teams sailing, including DYNOMYTE sailed by Gary Warner, FALCON sailed by the trio of Bayer/ Bayer/ Barbes, GRIFFIN also skippered by a trio (Hayward/ Huneke/ Levin), MAJOR DETAIL skippered by Bill Vogan, past Bayview-Mac champion MR BILL's WILD RIDE sailed by Bill Wildner, RAGTIME led by Allan Schmidt, STEELIN GOLD helmed by the White/ Mosher team, TIME MACHINE sailed by Robert Gordenker, and WHIPLASH skippered by Gregg Whipple.  For more Bayview Mackinac Island sailing information