Bayview Mack Gun Goes on July 16
Jun 29, 2022
Detroit’s Bayview Yacht Club, just across the river from Windsor, ON presents the 98th consecutive running of the Bayview Mackinac Race on Saturday, July 16, with the first boats crossing the starting line at 11:30 a.m. near Port Huron opposite Sarnia, ON in southern Lake Huron, just north of the Blue Water Bridge. More than 180 boats are scheduled to participate in this year’s race.
For the first time since 2019, sailors will race on two courses in Lake Huron, the 290 nautical mile Cove Island Course which takes boats into Canadian waters, and the 204 nautical mile Shore Course along the Michigan shoreline.
According to Chris Clark, 2022 Bayview Mackinac Race Chair, “Crews have anticipated the return of the Cove Island Course for the past two years, so we expect fierce racing among competitors.”
Boats and crews sailing on the Cove Island Course will compete for the J.L. Hudson Trophy, while Shore Course races compete for the Canadian Club Classic Trophy. The Corinthian Trophy will go to the boat with an all-amateur crew and achieves the best corrected time in seconds per mile on either course.
Over the last five years, the Mackinac Race Authority has consciously taken steps to become an increasingly environmentally friendly race. From minimizing printed material and replacing it with digital communications and documents to eliminating plastic bow stickers and changing to virtual course markers. To this end, for 2022, the Bayview Mackinac Race has registered as a Clean Regatta with Sailors for the Sea. All owners and crews have access to the Clean Regatta toolkit, which outlines 20 Best Practices for teams, including eliminating plastic waste and other green boating practices.
Over 3,000 events have shown their commitments to sustainability by becoming Clean Regattas. The program has reached nearly 800,000 sailors and attendees in 50 countries. The certification process recognizes and accounts for the varying capabilities and constraints of both large and small events happening all over the world.
As previously announced, in anticipation of the 2024 Bayview Mackinac Race, its 100th consecutive running, the Chicago Yacht Club has agreed to switch start dates with Bayview for 2023. Traditionally, the race run the second and third weekends of July are alternated between the two clubs. As a result of the agreement, the 2023 Bayview Mackinac Race will take place first (July 15, 2023) and the following year, the Centennial Race will take place second (July 20, 2024).
More than 1,600 sailors and 1000 shore crew will take part in this year’s race. Sailing fans worldwide can track individual boats or the entire fleet on the official race site, www.bycmack.com through Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices on each boat provided by YB Tracking.
