img8750CHICAGO, IL — This year's annual inland freshwater long distance classic was up to its usual bag of tricks, serving up promising weather for a potential record-breaking pace for the big boats and offering lots of sun and nice breezes for the balance of the 200+ boat fleet. Toss in the usual holes here and there in the middle of the lake, off the Michigan shoreline, going through the Manitous and in the Straits of Mackinac and you have another recipe for a navigational and tactical challenge unequalled in most offshore classics.

Over 290+ boats showed up at the starting line on a near idyllic day off the Chicago waterfront. Temperatures in the low 70s and easterly breezes around 6 to 10 knots had crews excited about a nice and easy sleigh ride up to Mackinac. The Tarten Ten one-design class started first, the rest follow in 10 minute increments for the next three hours, starting with the smaller PHRF classes, then the J/105 and Farr 40 Classes, and toppping it off with the GL 70 Class (the former Santa Cruz 70s), and the Maxi class.

Bacchant, a 75' skerry cruiser

Bacchant, a 75' skerry cruiser



In yet another attempt to break one of the longer standing race records, Larry Ellison and his Oracle Racing crew showed up in grand style with his famous Farr 83 race horse, Sayonara, with a pumped up extra special "lakes rig", monstrous asymmetricals and Code Zero's ready to tackle Pied Piper's 25 hour record. The course is a 289 nm (333 statute miles) track between Chicago, IL and Mackinac Island, MI, off the northern tip of Michigan. It has become nearly a Sisyphean goal for Ellison to break this record in what is his home town (he grew up on the south side of Chicago).

The weather prognosis was pretty straightforward; a large lazy High was wobbling in an ESE direction just south of Chicago with breezes on the backside at 5 to 10 kts. from SW at 220 to 250. Saturday the breezes were forecast ESE 5 to 10 kts, then shifting to SW as the front slowly passed by. As the fleet progressed further north, a lazy Low was meandering across the Manitous and Northern Michigan with little activity, but producing a wind shift into the ENE to ESE at 10 to 15 kts in a period of hours.

Chris Thornton

Chris Thornton



As the last class to start, Sayonara blazed through the fleet staying to the west of rhumbline and by sunset was the lead boat working its way into the middle of the lake. It was clear they made their best efforts to avoid crushing any little boats in its path. Kudos to Ellison for being a thoughtful big boat racer. Hot on their afterburners was the Turbo Sled Decision, Roy Disney's old Pyewacket. On Holua, the GL70 where I was Skipper/ Tactician, we were still a bit further to the west of these two big boats and were leading the 14 boat GL70 Class down the track sunset. During the night, we could "puck" on radar Sayonara and Decision out in front a few miles and the second GL70 Pied Piper about 2.5 miles astern of us. The third GL70 Equation was dead astern of us about 5 miles back.

During the night, the wind did backfill in across the lake from the West and went around from 200 to 250 in fairly short order blowing up to 15 knots at times. Those who gybed early made out like bandits. This included Equation and Pied Piper in our class; we gybed a wee bit too late as we were ahead and East of our competitors when the wind shift started working through the fleet. We understand a similar fate befell Sayonara with respect to its nip and tuck battle with Decision. Those behind picked up the shift first and flew down rhumbline during the night. By the morning hours, we on Holua were somewhat thunderstruck, as we saw about seven of our class around us with both Equation and Pied Piper in front by a mile or two.

A battle broke out amongst the top three GL70s, Holua, Pied Piper and Equation during the first half of the day. These three leaders fought to make the best of an extremely fluky morning on Sunday off Little Sable and Big Sable Points as we headed upwards towards Pt. Betsie and the turning point into the Manitous. Equation, by virture of being first to gybe West during the night, retained its slim lead and grew it over the day. Pied Piper continued to close through the afternoon with Equation. Holua managed to hang in there despite "experimenting" with some tactics that often pay with SSW winds funneling along the Michigan shoreline dunes. By late afternoon, the SW was dying as the slow moving Low started to have an affect on the SW gradient from the High departing far to the southeast. A combination "current" gate (yes, it is true there are currents on Lake Michigan) and no wind gate formed south of Pt. Betsie, effectively closing down the fleet from any further progress at speed under spinnakers.

Sayonara, Larry Ellison's 83 foot Maxi

Sayonara, Larry Ellison's 83 foot Maxi



Just north of the Manitous, the three lead boats, Equation, Pied Piper, and Holua sailed into the front to the east of the Low and after a brief period of slogging upwind, started to "power beat" with sheets eased to Grey's Reef in a strong ESE breeze of 12 to 14 knots. All 3 boats made it through what turned out to be another "gate" which had formed at the Manitous and the Manitou Lighthouse...with violent 3 to 5 foot chop and little wind. Popped through like watermelon seeds at the Manitous, these three boats continued on through the night to finish between 2 and 3 AM on Monday morning. Meanwhile, Sayonara had re-asserted its lead position over Decision in this same section just prior to Pt. Betsie and proceeded to steam away, leading the fleet in for line honors at 10:30 PM on Saturday night...beating us in by just 4.5 hours. Alas, Sayonara missed the record run by 6.5+ hours. Ellison will have to give it another try next year.

The fleet was very much split into two large packs, the lead group which made it through the two gates at Pt. Betsie and the Manitous and those who were the "have nots". Even by noon time on Monday, over 2/3 of the fleet had yet to finish...most making it in later that night.

Such is the fun and exasperation of sailing the Mackinac Race. On board Holua, between the owner Peter Thornton and son Chris, myself, Dean and David Tank, and Brett Reed we had collectively over 50 years worth of Mac experience. Nevertheless, such collective wisdom is often overcome by the roll of the dice. What is clear is that perseverance always pays and simply training your gun sites on the next boat in front of you is the best way to motivate your crew (and demoralize the competition).

Complete results on the event site: www.sailnet.com/chicagomackinac/