New record for Bacardi Bayview Mackinac Race

by Barby McGowan on 22 Jul 2006 Last year's headline-grabbing record became old news at the 2006 Bacardi Bayview Mackinac Race, the venerable and wildly popular distance race that begins in Port Huron, Mich., and finishes on the tiny but overwhelmingly hospitable Mackinac Island.

The 82nd edition of the race started Saturday afternoon (July 15), and by Sunday morning, the Max Z86 Windquest, skippered by Doug DeVos (Macatawa, Mich.) had claimed for itself the elapsed-time speed record for finishing, shaving an hour and 12 minutes off the previous record time set in 2005 by Bill Alcott’s (St. Claire Shores, Mich.) Andrews 68 Equation and establishing the new benchmark at 24 hours, 17 minutes and 38 seconds.

'We thought Equation's record would stand for a while,' said Race Chairman Lance Smotherman, 'but it only lasted one race!'

Alcott still could be proud, however, as he corrected out on handicap time to beat all other boats in 12 classes on the Southampton Course -- at 254 nautical miles, the longest of the two courses offered -- and take first overall to Windquest's third in IRC Class A. The elapsed-time winner of the 204 nm Shore Course (where nine classes competed) was the Bristol 27 Sea Wise, owned by Charlie Weiss (Grosse Pointe, Mich.). Sea Wise finished Monday morning just after 10:00 a.m. and won its IRC Class J on corrected time.

Smotherman noted: 'Normally boats are still straggling in on Tuesday, but the last boat finished Monday at about 4:30 p.m. There was a time when nearly 80 boats finished within 30 minutes of each other. To have the sailors take notice of how well the harbor was managed and congratulate the Race Committee on handling the finish -- well that just shows how tight things were this year.'

As for the racing itself, it was challenging, with a variety of wind and weather conditions. Early forecasts for a light, southeasterly breeze proved dependable for the Saturday afternoon start but outlandish by Sunday morning, when the wind 'really started blowing, sometimes up to 35 to 40 knots,' according to DeVos, who finished under reduced sail power of a #4 jib and a reefed main. The conditions required constant sail changes, up to three-per-hour on Windquest, which had not been in sight of another boat since 8 p.m. on Saturday night when it rounded the only required turning mark on the Southampton Course-- the NGS Buoy, off Canada and about 99 miles up the course.

Windquest finished around 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon, and DeVos and crew immediately began preparations for the Chicago-Mackinac Race, which begins Saturday (July 22). Like many Midwest sailors, DeVos is a veteran of both races, having sailed in the Bayview event 15 times and won it twice. 'It was a great ride,' he said of his 2006 experience.

One of the longest fresh water sailing races in the United States and the world, the Bacardi Bayview Mackinac Race this year hosted 244 entries and around 3,000 sailors, also attracting thousands of spectators to Lake Huron’s shores. The revelry of competition and camaraderie starts with Port Huron's colorful Black River Parade of Ships on Saturday before the start and continues through to the following Tuesday’s closing ceremonies on Mackinac Island, where horse-drawn carriages and bicycles are the only mode of transportation. New this year was the IRC handicap racing offered on the Shore course (where only PHRF prevailed last year).

All elapsed and corrected times are available at http://www.byc.com/mack06/results-overall.cfm

Once again, Bayview Yacht Club is proudly sharing title sponsorship with BACARDI U.S.A. INC., the #1 distilled spirits distributor in the United States and the world.

BACARDI U.S.A., INC. is the sole marketer and distributor of Bacardi rum products, Grey Goose Vodka, Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante and Vermouth, Bombay Gin and Sapphire Gin, Dewars Scotch, B & B, Benedictine and Drambuie and DiSaronna Amaretto. The Bacardi Bayview Mackinac Race joins another prestigious event, the Bacardi Cup, the international competition for Star Class Boats first held in Cuba in 1927. The race has since moved to Florida with Bacardi proudly participating.

The Race’s associate sponsors include the 90 Outstate Lincoln Mercury Dealers; WJR-AM 760 and WDIV-TV 4 as official media sponsors; Hour Detroit Magazine; Acheson Ventures; Big Boy Restaurants International; Meijer; Ahee Jewelers, Sperry, LaSalle bank. Shepplers, Coca-Cola, and West Marine

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(top-three results follow)

2006 Bacardi Bayview Mackinac Race
Top 3 Finishers in Each Class
(Position, Boat Name, Boat type, Skipper Fname/Lname, City, State)

CC 35 Class - Shore Course
1. Siochail, C&C Mk-I, Brian Geraghty, G.P. Shores, MI, USA
2. Mystery, C&C Mk-I, S. Jay/C. Carruthers, Point Edward, ONT, Canada
3. Bravo, C&C Mk-I, Frank Tenkel, G.P. Shores, MI, USA

Cruising A Class - Shore Course
1. Comfortably Numb, Beneteau 42 TM SD, Mark Miller, St. Clair Shores, MI, USA
2. Sassy's Lee, Peterson, R. Schmidt, New Baltimore, MI, USA
3. Chizzler, Morgan Nelson/Marek, Steven Lawson, Canton, MI, USA

Cruising B Class - Shore Course
1. Insatiable, Tartan 4600, Gregg Anderson, Whitmore Lake, MI, USA
2. Wind Toy IV, Morgan, Robert Bunn, G.P. Park, MI, USA
3. Dog Dayz, Tartan, Daniel VandenBossche, New Baltimore, MI, USA

Cruising C Class - Shore Course
1. Allure, Catalina, Carl Bihlmeyer, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, USA
2. Laura LEE, Irwin Sloop, Richard Lambert, St.Clair, MI, USA
3. Columbia IV, Catalina, Michelle Krembel, Shelby Twp., MI, USA

Cruising D Class - Shore Course
1. Yare, S&S, John Tipp, Troy, MI, USA
2. Talaria, Pearson, Thomas Slanec, Holland, MI, USA
3. Unplugged, Catalina 30T, Tim Clayson, Farmington Hills, MI, USA

Cruising NA40 Class - Shore Course
1. Velero VI, NA-40, Michael Feldman, Grosse Pointe Park, MI, USA
2. Majic Star, NA-40, John Rummel, Sterling Heights, MI, USA
3. Velero VII, NA-40, John Barbour, Grosse Pointe, MI, USA

GL 70 Class - Southampton Course
1. Evolution, SC-70, Kohler/Reichelsdorfer, Sheboygan, WI, USA
2. Pied Piper, SC-70, Jack Jennings, Niles , IL, USA
3. Nitemare, SC-70, Tom Neill, Berkeley, IL, USA

IRC A Class - Southampton Course
1. Equation, Andrews 68, Bill Alcott, St. Clair Shores, MI, USA
2. Glucklich, Transpac 52, Jim Mitchell & Bryon Ehrhart, Gockhausen, Zurich, Switzerland
3. Windquest, Max Z86, Doug DeVos, Macatawa, MI, USA

IRC B Class - Southampton Course
1. Dolphin, Mull, Larry Ruhland, Bay City, MI, USA
2. Spirit Walker, Bashford Howard, Vern Mccain, South Bend, IN, USA
3. Margaret Rintoul IV, Frers, K. Anderson/E. Smyth, G.P. Farms, MI, USA

IRC C Class - Southampton Course
1. Power Tripp, Tripp 40, Paul and James Kraft, Troy, MI, USA
2. Burden IV, Express 37M, H. Burton Jones, G.P. Woods, MI, USA
3. Surprise, Mumm 30, David Irish, Harbor Springs, MI, USA

IRC D Class - Southampton Course
1. Titan, C&C, Aitken/Schultes/Dumouchelle, Grosse Pointe, MI, USA
2. Pendragon, Contessa, G. Thomas/ J. Trost, G.P. Park, MI, USA
3. Night Ops, C&C 115, Richard Johnson, Harrison Township, MI, USA

IRC E Class - Southampton Course
1. Farr Out, Beneteau 36.7 SK, David Ash, Canton, OH, USA
2. Critical, Beneteau 36.7, Claudio Martin, London, ON, Canada
3. Legend, Beneteau 36.7, Dan/David Shriner, Sterling Heights, MI, USA

IRC F Class - Southampton Course
1. Shenanigan, J-33, Richard Synowiec, Grosse Ile, MI, USA
2. Jubilee, Cal, Allen & Jay Gillespie, Fort Gratiot, MI, USA
3. Polarity, J-36, Murphy Palmer, Clinton Twp., MI, USA

IRC G Class - Southampton Course
1. Collina, C&C 40, James J. Gerometta, Lake Orion, MI, USA
2. Freeway, Morgan, Doug Carlson, G.P. Park, MI, USA
3. Racer X, X 3/4 Tonner Mk II, Matthew Dubois/Roger Pollack, Grosse Ile, MI, USA

IRC H Class - Shore Course
1. Tar Baby, Tartan 10, Don Lang, G.P. Woods, MI, USA
2. Rush, Evelyn, Rush Racing Syndicate, Bay City, MI, USA
3. Eliminator, C&C Mk-