From the Dining Room
Michael Amore, Food & Beverage Director
Longer Days, Livelier Nights
Good news! The sun is starting to travel higher in the sky now and daylight is lingering a bit longer. Daytime temperatures are going to be above freezing, mostly. As the river is becoming ice-free our thoughts turn to the excitement of the upcoming season and welcoming everyone back. Mark your calendars for Opening Day/Kentucky Derby on May 2 !nd
Before that, though, there are plenty of things going on here at your club. Join us for St Patrickâs Day on Tuesday March 17 . The corned beef will be hot, ready and piled high. So, enjoy it with pint of green beer. th
After that, Bayview is going Italian. Thursday, March 26 . We are hosting the historic Barolo house Fontanafredda from the Piedmont region of Italy. Make your reservations for Chef Chrisâ culinary delights paired with some exceptional Italian wines. Remember, space is limited. th
Keep reading your weekly newsletter for the specials during Lent. We have some delicious dishes in the works for you. Then, make your plans for Easter. Enjoy the best buffet in town right here at Bayview.
This is our preeminent buffet of the year and is an event that should not be missed. We will then be putting the final touches on the Spring menu rollout. The culinary team has really been working hard on improving their skills to amaze you every meal every time. We want Bayview to be the place you brag about to your friends.
It is not just special events that you should be coming down for. Although we do have lots of fun at them, your club is always more enjoyable when you are here. Thereâs lots of new members to welcome and tell them our traditions. Bring a friend to lunch or watch a game upstairs in the Regatta Bar. Every day is a good reason to be at Bayview. Letâs have fun and sail.
Michael Amore Food & Beverage Director Bayview Yacht Club
ANEWSEASON ON THE HORIZON
BY: ALISON AUGSBURGER
As we look ahead to the 2026 sailing season, I would like to begin by introducing myself and sharing how honored - and energized - I am to be stepping into the role of Regatta Director at Bayview Yacht Club
Bayview is more than a club to me itâs where I grew up. As a junior sailor, I had the privilege of representing BYC at regattas across the country, proudly wearing our burgee and learning what it meant to compete with integrity, preparation, and sportsmanship. To now serve the club that helped shape me is both humbling and deeply meaningful.
Bayview has long been recognized as a premier sailing institution, and its legacy is built not only on iconic events, but on the people who show up, volunteer, compete, mentor, and celebrate together. It is truly special to be part of a club where tradition and competition live side by side The 2026 season reflects exactly that spirit
We open the summer with the return of the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series â Detroit, bringing nationallevel competition and energy back to our waterfront Itâs an incredible opportunity to showcase Bayview and Detroit sailing to a broader audience
Growing participation and welcoming new sailors remains a priority. Our Adult Learn to Sail (ALTS) and Adult Learn to Race (ALTR) programs continue to provide an accessible pathway into the sport, whether someone is stepping aboard for the first time or looking to sharpen competitive skills. These programs are not just instructional they are community builders.
Our summer lineup returns with the beloved Thursday Night Race Series, the time-honored Fatherâs Day Fleet Review, the DRYAâBYC Long-Distance Regatta, legendary adventures to the North Channel, and the Alumni Regatta, welcoming familiar faces back to the river and Bayview.
Match racing remains a cornerstone of Bayviewâs competitive identity Our U20 fleet will once again host an exciting slate of events, including the Summer Invitational, Detroit Cup, the U S Women's Match Racing Championship, and the MCSA National Match Race Qualifier These events reinforce Bayviewâs reputation as a leader in high-level match racing and showcase our perfect venue for viewing the action
And of course, the pinnacle of our season the Bayview Mackinac Race returns for its 102nd running. Each year, this race reminds us why Bayviewâs name carries such weight in the sailing world. For many families, including my own, the Mackinac Race is more than a regatta it is a generational tradition. The preparation, the anticipation, the shared stories, and the epic celebration on Mackinac Island connect generations of sailors.
I encourage you to follow Bayview Yacht Club and Bayview Mackinac Race on Facebook, as well as BYCMACK on Instagram, to stay up to date with regatta announcements, behind-the-scenes content, milestones, and season highlights
What excites me most about this upcoming season is not simply the calendar of events, but the opportunity to strengthen the culture around them Whether you are racing every weekend, volunteering on Race Committee, mentoring a new sailor, or attending your first event, you are part of what makes Bayview exceptional
I look forward to seeing you on the docks, on the starting line, and at the finish. Hereâs to a safe, competitive, and unforgettable 2026 season.
CHARTING THE COURSE TO THE 102ND
BY: MICA REARDON
As we look ahead to the 102nd Bayview Mackinac Race, the energy building around this yearâs event is undeniable. With registration open for just one month, we have already surpassed 150 boats entered. This is an incredible show of enthusiasm from our sailing community and a strong signal that another competitive and spirited race lies ahead.
Before stepping into this leadership role of Race Chair, I had the privilege of volunteering for four races and racing in two The 100th Bayview Mackinac Race was my very first Mackinac as a competitor, a milestone I will never forget To cross that starting line during such a historic year was extraordinary, and I remain deeply grateful for the crew I get to race alongside. The camaraderie, trust, and shared determination on board are at the heart of what makes this race so meaningful. Experiencing Mackinac both behind the scenes and on the water has given me a profound appreciation for every detail that goes into this iconic event.
Each year, it is inspiring to watch the fleet begin to take shape. Returning competitors and first-time entrants alike are committing to take on this legendary freshwater challenge. The early momentum we are seeing reflects not only the enduring appeal of the race, but also the dedication of the sailors, owners, crews, families, and fans who carry this tradition forward.
I am especially grateful for our volunteers and committee members who are already hard at work preparing for July The countless hours they give, often quietly and without recognition, ensure that we deliver a race that is safe, fair, and memorable Their commitment is the backbone of this event. I also want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone on the Mackinac Race Authority (MRA) who is walking this journey with me. Their guidance, collaboration, and steady leadership make the preparation process both productive and rewarding.
It is truly a team effort, and I am thankful every day to work alongside such dedicated individuals as we prepare for this yearâs race.
We are equally grateful for the continued support of our sponsors, whose partnership elevates every aspect of the race experience both on and off the water. Their commitment enables us to uphold the world-class standard that competitors have come to expect. Sponsorship opportunities remain available for organizations looking to be part of this extraordinary tradition.
The road to Mackinac includes more than race day. In the months ahead, we look forward to several events that bring our community together and prepare sailors for success Safety at Sea in April will provide essential education and preparation to ensure a confident fleet Our âHow to Win a Mackinacâ winter seminar will once again offer insight, inspiration, and practical strategy from an engaging panel of experienced competitors. We will also welcome Chicago Yacht Clubâs Race Chair for a town hall discussion on the Chicago Mackinac Race and continue building meaningful collaboration across the Great Lakes sailing community.
As someone who has experienced the race from multiple vantage points, a volunteer, competitor, and now race leadership, I can say with confidence that what makes the Bayview Mackinac Race extraordinary is the collective spirit behind it. The preparation, the teamwork, the shared anticipation, and ultimately, the journey north.
Thank you for the strong early support of the 102nd race I look forward to seeing the fleet continue to grow and to welcoming sailors, families, volunteers, and fans back this July
Hereâs to great competition, strong partnerships, favorable winds, and another unforgettable journey to Mackinac.
Rich Dittman
A steady hand behind the scenes
by Zach Skaggs Membership & Member Services Manager
If youâve spent any time around the yard at Bayview in action, especially once spring hits and itâs officially âgo time.â
While winter brings a slower pace focused on maintenance, cleaning, and checking off long-overdue projects, the real energy begins when boats start arriving. Thatâs when it becomes all hands-on deck. From transporting boats by forklift to coordinating lifts at the crane and carefully setting them into the water, he helps play a key role in one of the most important seasonal transitions at the Club. If you ask him, putting boats in is the easy part⌠hauling them out is when the real fun begins.
Richâs contributions go beyond the daily grind. Over the years, he has been part of some memorable chapters in Bayviewâs history. He worked on the demolition of the original clubhouse, even discovering old beer bottles tucked away inside the wallssmall relics of generations past. He also helped during the tugboat era, when it served as our temporary clubhouse while the current facility was under construction - a unique and unforgettable time in the Clubâs history.
Outside of work, Rich is far more adventurous than many might guess. Heâs parachuted, bungee jumped and tackled white-water rafting, proof that life off the docks can be just as thrilling as life on them. Rich has been to over 200 concerts including Kansas, Nazareth, Boston, The Eagles, Billy Joel, Elton John, and Iron Maiden 15 times! While he jokes that he âused to be really athletic,â his work ethic today speaks louder than any past accomplishment.
When asked what he brings to the Bayview team, his answer is simple: hard work and a genuine love for the Club. That love is evident. He speaks proudly about the camaraderie among sailors and the sense of community that defines Bayview. Itâs not just a workplace - itâs a group of people who look out for one another and share a passion for being on the water.
If youâre wondering about the essentials: iced coffee over hot, pineapple absolutely belongs on pizza, and while he might quietly lean toward favoring powerboats personally, he knows where his loyalty stands - sailboats, of course.
Most of all, his favorite place isnât a specific corner of the property - itâs simply being outside and taking in the incredible riverfront view that makes Bayview special. Even if he rarely has time to sit and enjoy it, he knows how fortunate we are to have it.
Next time you see him in the yard - especially during launch season - be sure to say hello. Behind every smooth splash and seamless transition into the season is a hardworking team member who truly loves this Club and the community that makes it what it is.
FIVE GREAT LAKES. ONE BOAT. ONE SEASON. 2025.
FAST TANGOâS FIVE LAKES ADVENTURE (OR, WHAT WE DID LAST SUMMER) by Commodore Tim Prophit ItallstartedwithSamIrwin.
For those of you who do not know Sammy, he was a part of Bill Martinâs SC 70 âSTRIPESâ crew for many years, a greatsailor,andall-aroundgoodguy
In November 2024, Sam messaged me, requesting a meeting with our BYC Mac crew. Six or seven of us met with Sammy, where he produced a T-shirt from 1997, with a graphic of Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior on the front, and a list of 51 names on the back âWhatâs missing?â he asked us Of course, we all replied âLake Ontarioâ Sammy said, as far as he knew, no one had ever raced a distance race in all five Great Lakes, in one season, on one boat He said he had been keeping track of us and felt we were the crew to do it Of course, we allsaid,unanimously,âhellyeah,weâreinâSo,theseedwasplanted
SammyintroducedustotheSusanHoodTrophyRace,heldinLakeOntarioinlateMay,oneweekbeforethe MillsTrophyraceinLakeErieWedecidedthatwouldworkwellwithourschedule,especiallysince2025was alsoaTransSuperiorRaceyear.
Also,aroundthistime,DobbsDavishadwrittenanarticleinSeaHorseMagazine,toutingthefactonecould cometotheGreatLakes,andeasilygetover1000milesofoffshoreracingin.Naturally,wehadtotestthat theory
Winter2024/2025wasspent(inadditiontoallthenormalwinterprojects,plusoneunexpectedone)working withthecrew,figuringoutlogistics,timing,deliveries,whocouldcommittowhat,when,shoresupport,etc.etc.
ComeSpring,onceFastTangowaslaunched,andwetestedoutthewinterâsrepairsandfoundalltobegood, thetimequicklycametodepartforLakeOntario
On Monday evening, May 26th, 2025, at 11:30 PM, our delivery crew of Sam Irwin, RC Paschke, Jeff Dungan, and myself docked out of Fast Tangoâs well at BYC, headed for Port Colborne, which is the last stop before entering the Welland Canal, the eight Locks, and ending up in Lake Ontario. I was very excited to transit the Welland Canal and the locks, as I had never done so before.
36 hours later, we were tied up in Port Colborne, having topped off fuel, and having had a great dinner at the Smoking Buddha (highly recommend if you ever find yourself in Port Colborne).
On Thursday morning, May 29th, at 7:00 AM, we were lined up to enter the Welland Canal. We were directed to enter Lock #8 (locks are numbered in descending order, South to North, downbound to Lake Ontario). Lock #8 is only a few feet of a drop, then a fairly long (15-ish NM) transit to lock #7
Shortly after exiting lock #8, disaster struck Fast Tango experienced a condition called âRunaway Diesel,â which is when the engine starts to accelerate out of control because it is consuming an unintended fuel source, such as engine oil or flammable vapors, in addition to or instead of diesel fuel Although none of us had ever experienced this before, I remembered reading an article about it, and knew it was bad; If the engine was not shut off immediately, there would be catastrophic consequences. Long story short, we got the engine shut down, it did not blow up, but our trip was interrupted. At the time, I was down below trying to figure what was wrong, how to fix it, and could we do it in time to continue through the Welland Canal, reach Lake Ontario, and race the Susan Hood Trophy Race.
In the meantime, Sammy, RC, and Jeff were expertly getting Fast Tango to shore, lassoing a bollard when we had slowed enough to do so safely, and the VHF was blowing up with calls from Seaway Control, instructing us to stop immediately (hard to do with no engine and carrying momentum) Unbeknownst to me at the time, the root cause was a bad seal in the high-pressure fuel pump, which in addition to causing the runaway diesel condition, also allowed several liters of un-burned diesel to exit through the wet exhaust, leaving a very pretty rainbow sheen of diesel on top of the water This was not pleasing to the Seaway Control people (quite understandably so), and we were detained, Fast Tango surrounded by oil containment material, and a large vacuum truck summoned to suck the diesel off the water. After shutting down the Welland Canal for four and a half hours, we were towed back to Port Colborne by Pilot Boat to regroup.
Ultimately, we were unable to fix the engine, and instead were fortunate enough that Detroit area diesel guru Paul Lee had a used, but functional high pressure fuel pump, and was willing to make the time to drive to Port Colborne to install, and get us on our way. Our attempt to race in all five Great Lakes in one season looked like it was going to fail before we even got started.
Our crew for the Susan Hood Trophy race was scheduled to be Eva Paschke, Dave Simon, Molly Radtke, Art LeVasseur, RC Paschke, McKenzie Frame, Magnus Clarke, and Andre Beese. (Magnus and Andre are two excellent Toronto area sailors, referred to us by Mark McCrindle and Tommy Dawson).
LAKE ERIE
On Monday morning, June 2nd, we said goodbye to Port Colborne, and headed to Port Clinton, where we would leave Fast Tango until it was time to return on Friday, June 6th, for the Mills Trophy Race We were happy to have an uneventful delivery Big thanks to Port Clinton Yacht Club for the hospitality, and âlocal knowledgeâ regarding grocery stores, and divers
Late Friday morning, the Mills Trophy Race crew convened in Port Clinton, where we stripped off everything, we wouldnât need for the race, tossed some groceries on board, and started the four to five-hour trip to the starting area. Our crew were: Nicholas Kurta, Joseph Kurta, Kellen McGee, Brad Everingham, Art LeVasseur, RC Paschke, Candice Wolf, Kim Briedenstein, Lilly Miriani, and me.
Our trip out to the starting area was spent reviewing weather forecasts, current patterns, and wondering why on earth the Mills RC changed PHRF scoring from Time on Time (the way the entire PHRF world scores PHRF, and has for many years), back to Time on Distance My guess is they are proud of the fact they are behind the times and wish to remain that way (I point this out, as it had an adverse effect on our overall PHRF score)
Anyway, we started, and based on our conclusions from reviewing weather pre-race, decided that being left of the fleet the first two legs of the race were the way to go As it turned out, this was correct, we sailed well, and ended up winning our PHRF D class, winning ORC Overall, and placing third overall in PHRF. After the disappointment of our Lake Ontario attempt, this was a welcome result, and we headed back to Bayview feeling we had accomplished something .
Delivery crew were Kim Briedenstein and me.
Oncebackhome,itwastimetogetcaughtupwithnon-sailingstuff,plusattendtoresponsibilitiessuchasthe BayviewMackinacRaceChair,dosomelocalracing,andinduetime,getFastTangoreadyfortheupcoming BYCandCYCMacraces Also,Ihadamedicalâtune-upâscheduledforearlyJuly,whichwouldgivemejust enoughtimetorecoverbeforethestartofourBayviewMackinacRace.Unfortunately,duetoascheduling snafu,IwasunabletoundergothenecessaryproceduresandhadtostarttheTriLakesChallenge(BothMac racesplusTransSuperior)withoutgettingmytune-up
LAKEHURON
AfterapleasantanduneventfuldeliveryfromBYCtoPortHuronYCwithBradEveringham,TomGodmair,and myselfonthecrew,wetiedupatthePHYC,whoonceagain,outdidthemselveswiththeirhospitality,and showing,again,whytheyaresuchanimportantpartnerforBayviewwhenitcomestorunningourMackinac race
TheBayviewMackinacRacestartedoutwithalittlesquall,withbreezeinthelow20âs,thensettledintoanice 12-18knotsfortripuptoCoveIsland,thenmoderatingformostoftherestoftherace,exceptfortheverylight transitionzonesouthoftheDuckIslands.Wedidnotescapetheâdeadzoneânearlyaswellasourcompetition, nor did we place the boat particularly well approaching the Ducks, and that was our race. We finished a disappointinganduncharacteristicninthinclass,and57thoverall But,asalways,wehadagreattimeonthe island,and,asracechair,gettingtohandoutawardstoallthewinnerswasgreatfun,andIthoroughlyenjoyed emceeing the BEST post-race party, anywhere. Extra bonus was recognizing our âOld Goatâ band, Endless Summer,whoperformedforallofusanastonishing25thtime!
ProTip:DuetorecentrestrictionsonfuelingonMackinacIsland,immediatelyuponfinishing,motoreddirectly to St Ignace harbour, retrieved fuel cans and delivery sails from the chase vehicle, topped off fuel, and returnedtoMackinacIsland,thussettingusupforourupcomingdeliverytoChicagoYachtClub
CrewfortheBayviewMackinacracewereEricBrieden,MollyRadtke,DaveSimon,GrantMoore,DavidPaschke, ArtLeVasseur,RCPaschke,NicholasKurta,JosephKurta,andme
LAKEMICHIGAN
OurLakeMichiganexperiencestartedaround6:00PMonTuesday,July15th,aftertheBYCMackawardsparty, and a brief appearance at the LeVasseurâs annual âporch partyâ at their bed and breakfast, which theyâve hostedfordecades.OurdeliverycrewconsistedofDaveSimon,ArtLeVasseur,Artâsbrother-in-lawDanKing, andme.Theweatherwasnâtgreat,butitwasnâttoohorribleeither.WemadeittoLudingtonindecenttime, andduringfueldockhours,soourstopwasaquickone,justtotopofffuel Weâdbeenwatchingtheweather, andexpectedbigbreezeoutofthenorth,andsomelumpywater Sureenough,around10:00â11:00PM,we wereabouthalfwaytothemiddleofLakeMichiganfromthewestcoastofMichigan,inasolid35knotsof breeze,withbigwaves,motoringandtryingmaintainacourseof209,andnottrustingtheautohelmtodo betterthanhandsteering
Iwasdownbelow,asleepintheportquarterberth;dryanddreamingofrainbowsandunicorns.Thenextthing Iknew,Iwassoakingwet,mynosewaspressedupagainstthewirebundlethatisaboutsixinchesbelowthe hull/deckjoint,andrunsforeandaft,andforafewseconds,Iheardtheenginerevvinguncontrollably,evoking memoriesofrunawaydiesel.Thegoodnewsis,wedidnothavearunawaydiesel.Thebadnewsisacouple roguewaveshadcaughtusinsuchawaythefirstoneknockedusdown90degreestothewater,andbefore theboatpoppedbackup,thesecondwavefilledthecockpit,cascadedthroughthecompanionway,andin theprocess,soakingme,thenavstation,andeverythingelseaftofthemast.Likelockingthebarndoorafter thehorseranoff,weputthecompanionwayboardsin,Idewateredtheboat,andDaveSimoncontinuedto handsteerthroughthenightwithoutfurtherincident.(Atsomepoint,theautohelmfailedcompletely,andI decidedtowaituntildaylighttofixit) WefoundoutlaterthatRedHerringtragicallysankthatnight,withall handsonboardsafe.Oneofthem,MagnusClarke,foundhimselfonboardFastTangoforoursubsequentLake Ontariorace.
Also, once daylight came Thursday morning, I noticed our Dan Buoy MOB module was gone; the only thing remaining was the bracket that held it, and, the deployment trigger. I called the Coast Guard to inform them of the loss, and to advise them there was no MOB incident associated with the loss, and potential deployment. After explaining all this, was transferred to another Coast Guard person, to whom I explained all over again. Now, having explained the situation to 2 different Coast Guardsmen, felt I had fulfilled any responsibility to report the missing Dan Buoy
We arrived at Chicago Yacht Club midday Thursday July 17, and due to the generosity of Chris Duhon (2024 BYC Mackinac Race Hudson Trophy winner), and the great cooperation of the CYC, were loaned a shop vac, dehumidifier, and a very powerful air mover, and provided a place to tie up that had electric service. By the time we left the dock Saturday morning, Fast Tango was bone dry. We also enjoyed our traditional pre CYC Mac race crew dinner at Smoke Daddyâs, and bought a carry out order of 5 lbs of pulled pork, as our final act of provisioning for the race
Chicago Yacht Club celebrated their 150th birthday this year, and as such, their race was a âmilestoneâ event, and they introduced a course change, (the âSkylineâ course) that hopefully was a one-time only thing; but for this year, we started, and went up the shore for approximately six nm to a mark just off the Montrose Breakwater Light, then continued on with the âregularâ CYC Mac course
The race itself started downwind, as that race so often does, then we had a transition and a shift that resulted in much of the rest of the race being sailed upwind
Commodore Stormesâ Italia 9.98 Detour was in our class, and we enjoyed some very close racing; at one point, less than two boat lengths apart approaching Cathead Point off the tip the Leelanau Peninsula. While we finally pulled away from Detour by a very small distance and crossed the finish line ahead of them by less than two minutes, we were a long way from saving our time on them; and were also beaten by another boat in our class who went âaround the outsideâ of the Manitous, and so we finished third in class and 20 overall. Commodore Stormes finished first in class and third Overall. th
Post race, Tuesday morning, several of us were at breakfast, my phone rang, and it was the guy whoâd recovered the Dan Buoy His boat, CERULEAN had retired from the race, the crew came to Mackinac Island for the party, and long story short, he delivered the Dan Buoy to me at the restaurant before Iâd finished my breakfast It amazes me that in a lake the size of Lake Michigan that someone not only found it, but returned it. And that is why we are required to mark our safety gear with either our name, or, the boat name. It is now in a pile on the floor at Thomas Hardware, awaiting the re-arming kit.
Chicago Mackinac crew were Kellen McGee, Peter Wenzler, Minh Ha, Bob Duker, Molly Radtke, Dave Simon, RC Paschke, Leigh Savage, Art LeVasseur, and me
With 12 days to go between the finish of the CYC Mac and the start of the Trans Superior Race, I was hoping to re-schedule my medical procedures such that they could be done, with sufficient recovery time to be able to sail the Trans Superior Race. Unfortunately, it was not possible and so I had to plan on racing in a somewhat compromised state of health. It had become apparent to me after the two Mack races that I was not 100%; I was racing under a set of doctor-imposed restrictions that I mostly adhered to, and constantly grateful for our crew, who picked up my slack.
Also, I was still fairly irritated about our earlier failed attempt to do a race in Lake Ontario, and began searching in earnest for a suitable race to enter, in order that Fast Tango be able to achieve our pre-season goal of a distance race in each of the five Great Lakes
An internet search turned up the Whitby 100, a seemingly suitable race, but with not much information, and poorly attended in recent years But the seed was planted
First though, we had the Trans Superior Race ahead of us on the schedule
LAKE SUPERIOR
Our Lake Superior experience started immediately after the CYC Mac Island Awards party. Delivery crew of Dave Simon, RC Paschke, Molly Radtke, and I made the short delivery to Cheboygan, where Fast Tango would live the next eight days, while returned home to recharge, and prep for the Trans Superior Race. Big thanks to Daveâs daughter Emily Simon for picking us up and driving us home. After a stop for dinner and ice cream, I fell asleep and woke up in my driveway.
On Wednesday, July 30,th, Dan Moons drove me up to Cheboygan, where I did an oil change, and other maintenance stuff; got our race inventory sorted out, and thanks to Tim McGuire, got the bottom cleaned
On Thursday July 31st, our delivery crew of Paige Loskill and myself docked out around 6:00 AM and headed for Sault Ste Marie The trip up the St Maryâs River is interesting, and requires close attention to navigation in certain parts, as if you get outside the freighter channel, you will not have enough depth, and it is not a sand bottom up there. One highlight of the trip was seeing a bald eagle leave its perch, fly a lap around Fast Tango,
We arrived in Sault Ste Marie on Thursday around 5:30 PM without incident, and tied up in George Kemp Marine,wherewewouldstayuntilSaturdaymorningoftherace
The Trans Superior Race is also the third race of the Tri Lakes Challenge Championship Series for the Commodore Barthel Trophy. To be eligible for the Barthel Trophy, you must compete in the BYC Mackinac Race, Cove Course, the CYC Mac, and the Trans Superior Race. Irrespective of which rating rule one sails under, all Barthel Trophy competitors are scored under ORC. The Trophy is awarded to the single yacht which successfully completed each of the three races and maintained the best combined total finishes of all Yachts competingfortheTrophy
Despite our lackluster Mac race performances, we were sitting in third place for the Barthel Trophy (out of a field of 17 boats) going into the Trans Superior Race, 1:16:46 behind Marc Hollerbachâs Valor dba Stripes, a few minutes behind Charlie Hessâ FUNTECH, and a mere 25 seconds ahead of Tim McGuireâs Elevation. We were under no illusion it would be easy, much less possible, to beat Valor dba Stripes. The Barthel Trophy is usually (not always) won by the bigger boats, as Stripes, has previously won the Barthel Trophy, and the Trans Superior Race. Shortly before the start of the race, FUNTECH had to withdraw, and so we were now sitting in second, in a fieldof16
The Trans Superior Race offers both PHRF and ORC Divisions. After much consideration, we opted to race in the PHRF Division, as we would be racing boats more like Fast Tango, i.e., carrying symmetric spinnakers and spinnaker poles. And, as Dave Simon pointed out, it would be like playing poker at two tables, with one set of chips,astheBarthelTrophyscoringwasdoneunderORC.
On Saturday morning, August 2nd, after locking up 21 feet to Lake Superior, we had about an hourâs motoring time to the starting area. The race started in light, shifty upwind conditions. Later, as a moderate breeze filled in, weweredecentlypositionedasweroundedWhitefishpoint,insecondplacebehindBella,andaheadoftherest of our class. Bella took a hitch into shore (to the south of us), which hurt them. As we rounded the Keweenaw Peninsula, 120nm NW from Whitefish Point, we were in a three-way fight for first place in PHRF B, with Bella and Keith Stauberâs J-35, Papa Gaucho, the 2021 Barthel Trophy winner. Bella ended up taking a hitch to the south, which didnât pay off, hey abandoned that strategy and headed north. Meanwhile, boats that had taken a more northerly path than us were gaining, and I was starting to become concerned. The breeze had moderated, more for us than the boats on the more northerly line. I became more concerned. By this time, we were sailing fairly deep angles, and a gybe to the north would have had us crossing transoms RC, Art, and I spent many minutes (seemed like hours) poring over weather forecasts and current models, to pick a time to gybe out Finally, we made our move, and in 20 minutes were rewarded with a five to eight knot increase in wind speed, and a 25degreeknock! Wegainedoneveryonetothenorthof us, andanyonetothesouthof ushadtogybeout toclear the Apostle Islands After that, our boat placement was perfect, and because we sailed less distance, and in more pressure in the latter part of the race we ended up winning our PHRF Class, PHRF Overall, and because the Barthel Trophy was being scored under ORC, we had the lowest corrected time in the ORC Division as well (Unofficial, as we were not entered in the ORC Division). Moreover, our race was good enough to overcome our deficitfortheBarthelTrophy,andwewonthattoo.Needlesstosay,wewereecstaticaboutthatoutcome. Ishouldalsopointouttherehavebeenmultiplereferencestocheckingtheweather,current,otherboats,etc,in this article We were able to do that at will, as we were racing with a Starlink Mini Satellite Receiver This was a gamechanger,andifyouracedistanceraces,itâsanessentialpieceofequipment
Crew for the Trans Superior Race were Dave Simon, John Walton, Art LeVasseur, RC Paschke, Leigh Savage, JohnnyWalton,KellenMcGee,EvaPaschke,MinhHa,andme.
The Duluth hospitality is legendary, and some of us were able to stay for the Barthel Trophy Presentation Wednesday night, and fewer of us stayed for the PHRF and the rest of the awards dinner Thursday night (plus a repeatpresentationoftheBarthelTrophy).MydaughterMarenflewinfromNYCtohelpwiththedeliveryback,
as sheâd never been on Lake Superior, and we were joined by Brad Everingham (also flew) and Tommy Godmair (drove) for the delivery back. Before leaving, we also enjoyed a tour of the steam powered freighter, SS William A. Irvin, the Great Lakes Aquarium tour (they have a âpettingâ tank for sturgeon, I kid you not), the antiques mall, and oneofmyfavoriteicecreamshopsinAmerica,LoveCreamery
Our delivery crew departed Duluth around 11:00 PM on Thursday night, August 7th, shortly after leaving the awards dinner. We had a mostly dry trip, and at daybreak found ourselves able to cut through the Apostle Islands, which were gorgeous, and looked like a good place to spend some time cruising. Friday evening, we entered the North Inlet of the Keweenaw Waterway, with an eye on the time as we wished to make the lift bridge at Houghton, which closed at 10:00 PM. At 9:50 PM we were going under the bridge, and shortly after 10:00 PM we were tied up at the Houghton County Marina, where hot showers were available, and a fuel dock which would open in the morning Upon waking at 7:00 AM on Saturday morning, we learned the fuel dock wouldnât open until 9:00 AM So, we sent Brad and Maren off to the Soumi Restaurant, for some carry-out breakfast I had Finnish pancakes (Pannukakku), with raspberry sauce and a side of bacon That was so unbelievably delicious, I found the recipe and itâs now in heavy rotation at my house After that incredible breakfast, and fueling up, we departed, with our next destination, the harbour at Munising Our intention was to tie up in Munising and depart atfirstlightsowecouldseePicturedRocksfromthewater,whichisexactlywhatwedid,anditwasspectacular
Later in the day, we rendezvoused with Dave Simon and his wife Anne on their Beneteau 46 Indigo, which Dave had left in Mackinaw City whilst racing the Trans Superior Race, and then gone back to get it and spend some timecruisingLakeSuperiorwithhiswifeAnne
Later that same day, we made a slight change in our logistics. To give you just a small taste of the logistics involvedthissummer,Iâlldetailthisonelittlepartofit:
Originally the plan was to continue to Sault Ste. Marie where Tommy Godmair and Maren would get off Fast Tango, Tommy would drive home as he had a doctor appointment the next day, in his car, which had been driven there from Duluth by RC Paschke and his daughter Eva, and Kellen McGee, who had left Tommyâs car there, and retrieved their car, which theyâd driven to Sault St. Marie, to do the race. Maren would drive Jen Osmunâs car home from Sault Ste. Marie; Jen having driven up to join Brad and I for the rest of the delivery home. Confused yet? Because it was getting late in the day, and Tommy did NOT want to miss his appointment, Jen agreed to drive to the harbour at Whitefish Point, which is a bare bones, no amenities, harbour of refuge, and thatâs it. Tommy got off, Jen got on, Tommy headed to Sault St. Marie to swap cars, and Jen, Maren, Brad, and I continued toGeorgeKempMarina
When we got to the locks, it was like Manhattan for freighters. We had to wait a bit before we could lock down, and once we dropped 21 feet to Lake Huron level and got to the Marina, it was well after the gas dock had closed. Jen drove me and our three empty fuel cans to a local gas station where we filled up, returned to the Marina, and headedout,andMarendroveJenâscarbacktoDetroit.
Brad was exhausted and went down for a well-deserved rest. Going down the St. Maryâs River at night can be a little intimidating; many of the channel markers are unlit. You know that high powered searchlight that is required safetyequipmentonthedistanceraceswedo?Itwassuperhelpful,andJenandIpulledanall-nighter.Oncethe sun started to light up the sky, Brad got up, and I went for some sleep. Jen, who may be part vampire, stayed up tokeepBradcompany.
Since weâd gotten some fuel in Sault Ste Marie, we did not have to stop in Detour for fuel and instead headed for Presque Isle. I woke up about an hour out from Presque Isle, and when we were about 20 minutes out, ordered a couple of pizzas from Ida Maeâs Portage Deli, just across the street from Presque Isle Harbour. Upon arriving at the fuel dock, Jen went to Ida Maeâs to pick up the pizza (she was still awake!), Brad and I fueled up, and off we went. Once underway, we inhaled one of the two pizzas, saving the other for later. If youâve never had Ida Maeâs pizza,youshoulddefinitelygiveitatry;itâsoneofthebetterpizzasIâvehadanywhere.
At some point, the wind shifted so that, for the first time in any of our deliveries to date, we could hoist the main, andmotorsail WehadapleasantrestofthetriptoPortHuron,andputthesecondpizza,stillinthebox,ontop
oftheenginetowarmitupfordinner
WearrivedatBYCat7:22PMonTuesday,August12afterapleasantandbenigndelivery
Justtogiveyouanideaofthedeliverytimes,ittakesFastTango82hours(onthewater),togettoChicago YachtClubfromBYC.FromDuluthtoBYCwas90hours(onthewater),onlyeighthoursmore.Ifyouâveever consideredracingtheTransSuperiorRace,Ihighlyrecommendit
Atsomepointinthepreviouscoupleweeks,Iwasfinallyabletoschedulemymedicalprocedures,andhad registeredfortheWhitby100.Iwasstillconcernedaboutactuallydoingit,asIwastheONLYboatregistered.
OnAugust13(lessthan12hoursaftertyingupatBYC,Ihadmyfirstoftwoprocedures,whichwentwell OnAugust22,Ihadthesecondprocedure.WhenIcameto,WOW,whatadifference.Thatprocedurewasa Trans-VascularAorticValveReplacement(TAVR),orasIrefertoit,atuneup.IquicklyrealizedIâdbeenmore compromisedthanIâdthoughtallsummer,andwasamazedat(andhappywith)mynewfoundenergylevelIjust hadtotakeiteasyanother10dayssoasnottoblowthefemoralarteryaccesspointsopen.
Also,aroundthistimeIlearnedthatsevenmoreboatshadenteredtheWhitby100Race,inLakeOntario.With roughlyfourweeksbetweenmylastprocedureandthestartoftheWhitby100,ImadethedecisiontogoThat timewasspentrecovering,catchingupwithadultingstuff,andorganizingthecrewfortheWhitby100. Amazingly,wewereabletosailwiththeexactsamecrewthathadcommittedfortheSusanHoodTrophyRace earlierinthesummer
LAKEONTARIO(Part2)
FastTangodockedoutofBYCat11:00PMonMonday,September15.OurdeliverycrewwasRCPaschke,Eva Paschke,andme.Afteranuneventful33hours,wetieduponceagainatPortColborne,withplentyoftimeto fuelupandgrabdinnerattheSmokingBuddhaWewerejoinedbySamIrwin,whowouldbeourexperienced handattransitingtheWellandCanal.Wewereupbrightandearly,readytoentertheCanalat7:00AM. Unfortunately,duetohavingtowaitforsomeupboundcommercialtraffictoclear,wedidnâtevenenterthe Canaluntilaround10:00AMOncein,andthroughLock#8,wasrelievedtopassbythespotwhereweâdhadthe runawaydieselonourlastattempt.EverythingafterthatwasallnewtomeandEva;RChadbeenthrough before,butithadbeenmanyyears;Sammyhadmadethetripanumberoftimesaswell
Ifyouhavenotbeenthroughthelocks,itisatrulyimpressivefeatofengineeringWhiletheyarearelatively simpleconcept,themagnitudeofthelocks,thevolumeofwaterbeingmoved,andthesightof1000foot freightersascendinganddescendinginthelocksisincredible.Withtheinitialdelay,andoccasionalwaitsduring thetrip,ittookus13:30hourstopopoutoftheWellandCanalintoLakeOntarioBythistime,itwas8:30PM, andwestillhad40nmtogotoWhitbyYachtClub,andofcoursethebreezewasup,onthenose,withalumpy seastate
WehadbeenincontactwithStanNaylor,WhitbyYCâsRaceChair,andwewereawaretheirharbourwasalittle trickytogetinto.Whenwearrived,at3:35AMonFridaymorning,StanandanotherWhitbyYCMembermetus onaRIB,ledusintotheirharbour,andonceweweretiedup,hadhotpizzaandcoldbeerwaitingforus! Incrediblehospitality,andmuchappreciated.
Afterafewhoursofsleep,wegotupandstartedpreppingFastTangofortheupcomingrace,whichstartedat 7:00PM.Unlikeotherdistanceracesweâvedone,theWhitby100startsandfinishesatthesameplace,sowe wereabletotakeevenmorestuffofftheboatAstherestofthecrewweredrivingin,wehadplentyofvehicles tostoregearthatwasnâtcomingfortherace.FastTangowasprobablythelightestsheâseverbeenfora distancerace.
Soonenough,itwastimetoheadouttothestartingarea,whichwasabout20minutesfromwhereweweretied up.
We started in about five to six knots of breeze, upwind, and shifty. Our two Canadian crew, Magnus Clarke and Andre Beese provided invaluable input on where to position Fast Tango in the light and shifty breeze, knowing there would be a transition zone before the new, fresh breeze arrived. If the name Magnus Clarke sounds familiar, he was one of the crew on Red Herring, which took second place in class B in the BYC Mackinac Race, then, while delivering to Chicago for their race, lost their rudder and sank All five crew on board were rescued, andherehewasonFast Tango
Once the new pressure arrived, a building breeze out of the northeast, we enjoyed a downwind blast past Toronto (which looks spectacular at night from the lake), then a gybe for a mark in the southwest corner of Lake Ontario, some 20 miles away. We were generally hitting eight to nine knots boat speed, and with a mile or so to go to the mark, we passed by a Henderson 30 that was going at least two knots faster than us. While we never like being passed, we also knew the next leg was a 45-mile beat to a mark near Oshawa, in 20 plus knots of breeze, with six-to-10-foot waves that would not favor the Henderson An hour or so into that leg, it became apparent we were sailing on average 10 degrees higher than them, and, slowly putting them back (At somepoint,theyunfortunatelybroketheirtillerandhadtowithdraw)
At approximately 1:00 PM on Saturday afternoon, we rounded the Oshawa mark and set a spinnaker for the seven-mile run to the finish, finishing just after 2:00 PM, making 19 hours to finish a 103 nm race. We found out later,onlyoneotherboatfinished.
Fast Tangowasfirstoverall,andthesevenofuswhoâdnever sailedonLakeOntariowerepleasedwithourresult.
TheWhitby100crewwere:EvaPaschke,DaveSimon,Molly Radtke,Art LeVasseur,RCPaschke,McKenzieFrame,Andre Beese,MagnusClarke,andme
Afteranextremelyshortnap,weloadedallthegearthatwas stowedinvehicles,wenttotheawardsdinner,andagain,the WhitbyYC hospitalitywassuperb;veryfriendlygroupof people,anditwastoughtosaygoodbyeat11:30PM,whenwe dockedoutandheaded toPortWeller,andtheWellandCanal forthetripback
Our delivery crew from Whitby to Port Colborne were Sammy Irwin, RC Paschke, Eva Paschke, Tommy Godmair (who drove to Whitby to join the return delivery crew), and me Our trip across was, of course, upwind,althoughwewereeventuallyabletomotorsail,andwithalumpyseastate WebarelymadetheCanal attheappointedtimeof9:00AM,thenhadtowait90minutestobeadmittedtothefirstlock
Going up the locks is a little different than going down, in that the water filling the locks is introduced from a couplespotsonthesidesofthebottomofthelock,andyouendupwithverystrongwhirlpools,whichrequire a lot of attention to keep the boat properly positioned in the lock. Anyway, we had a shorter trip up, and at 7:30 PM, we were tied up at Port Colborne once again, where Sammy, RC, and Eva said goodbye, and headed backinSammyâsvehicle
On Monday morning, Tommy and I fueled up, and left, next stop, Bayview! On Monday evening, motoring only (light air, on the nose), and I realized the Lions game was on Monday Night Football. I fired up the Starlink, and the streaming service I use has an app that allows me to stream content on my tablet. Connected the tablet via Bluetooth to the Fast Tango stereo, (which is ludicrously powerful), and was able to watch the game on my tablet and hear the audio (over the sound of the engine) and do so whilst eating cheesecake. What a time to be alive! After a non-eventful delivery (those are the good kind of delivery), we tied up at BYC at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, September 23, thereby completing our mission to race a distance race in each one of the five Great Lakes,inasingleseason
A total of 57 people were involved in this endeavor. 24 different sailors raced one or more of the five races on FastTango.
ThreesailorsracedallfiveracesonFastTango;RCPaschke,ArtLeVasseur,andme.
Two other sailors raced on all five Great Lakes on a combination of their âregularâ boats, and Fast Tango: Eva PaschkeandMcKenzieFrame
Thetotalnumberofmilescovered(racesanddeliveries):3245nm
Total miles RACED 1145 nm Actual course length per SIâs was 1045 The additional 100 miles were extra miles sailedduetoconditions(sailingupwind,therebyincreasingthedistancesailed),orstrategicconsiderations:
In addition to the linear distance, Fast Tango also traveled 347 vertical feet, from the highest elevation of Lake Superior,tothelowestelevationofLakeOntario
In keeping with the practice established by Bill Martinâs Stripes in 1997, all 57 people who participated in this adventurewillreceivethiscommemorativeshirt*:
Whenaskedwhyhesuggested,andparticipatedindeliveries,logistics,etc,Sammysaidheâjustwantedashirt withallfiveGreatLakesonitâ.
Thanks,Sammyforthegreatidea.Weallhadsomuchfun;wewillhavetodoitagainin2027.
Com.TimProphit
*ShirtsdesignedandproducedbyHighWindsGraphix
by Donna Smith
Raised by the Wind: Lessons From a Life on the Great Lakes
From a small-town youth program to collegiate racing, one sailor reflects on the people and places that shaped his passion for the sport.
by River Servia
My passion for sailing began when I was seven years old and my family signed me up for sailing camp. After that first week, I was hooked. I spent every possible moment on the water, fascinated by the way a boat could move so quietly, almost effortlessly To a seven-year-old, being alone in a little Opti was like the coolest thing ever to me.
After a few summers of learn-to-sail programs, I got into racing. Growing up in Alpena, MI, our sailing community was small, but special Our one design fleet centered around the Yngling, an old Olympic keelboat based off the Soling. As I got older and more experienced, I returned to where it all started and taught sailing at the Alpena Youth Sailing Club.
For a while, teaching sailing and racing on Ynglings was the extent of my time on the water But I always had this goal to sail in the Bayview Mackinac Race. When I was fourteen, I told my parents I was submitting a post to the Bayview crew finder page. I had never sailed anything bigger than a Yngling but I knew I wanted to learn about offshore racing. Shockingly, a few weeks later, I received a call from the owner of Itâs a Zoo, a Santana 35 out of the Port Huron Yacht Club. My parents couldnât believe that someone was willing to take a chance on a random 14-year-old with no experience
That summer I joined the amazing crew of Itâs a Zoo and completed my first Bayview to Mackinac. I loved it not just for competition, but
for the endurance and teamwork that define offshore sailing. I was obsessed. From that first Mac on, my sailing life took off Iâve now completed five Bayview Mackinac Races, won two Yngling North American Youth Championships, and raced in regattas all acrosstheGreatLakesandtheEastCoast
WithallthetimeIspentracingotherpeopleâs boats, I eventually decided I wanted a few of myown.Today,IcruiseaC&C29MkInamed LolaandracemyownYngling,PandoraâsBox.
Afterhighschool,IheadedtotheUniversityof Michigan where I joined the Michigan Sailing Team I now serve as the teamâs Keelboat Chair,leadingouroffshoreprogram Thisyear,I worked hard to grow that side of the team since most collegiate programs focus primarily on dinghy. With Bayview only fifty minutes from Ann Arbor, we traveled there weeklytofillcrewspotsandgetoursailorson somebigboats.Formanyofthemitwastheir firsttime
stepping onto anything other than a 420 or an FJ and they had a blast. The boats and crews who welcomed us were incredible and I canât thank them enough for the opportunities and help they gave our team.
One of my favorite things about sailing is how welcoming the community is. Every opportunity Iâve had traces back to the guidance, support, and relationships Iâve found within this world. It becomes a small community very fast, filled with people who will be lifelong friends and family.
Today, when Iâm not in school, Iâm the Director of the Alpena Youth Sailing Club, I run a small marine detailing business, and race sailboats. Sailing has shaped a huge part of me, and Iâm very grateful for the community and people that made all of it possible.
byJohnHarper
Thisisanoverlylongtalesopleasepardonmyenthusiasm
The North Channel Race is a long running classic on Lake St. Clair. Something over 75 years running and still going strong. A race up the lake, around Harsens Island and back down the lake to finish at Bayview Yacht Club, hopefully in time to gather at the mahogany altar for all the usual race banter, congratulations, and this year, to crash a high school reunion party in the Mackinaw room. The guys left their female classmates without dance partners,sothesailorguysandgirlsgladlyfilledthatrole
Originally meant for one design boats under 30 feet, the fleet has expanded to offer starts and awards to PHRF rated boats. There are still one design classes competing. This year there were two qualifying classes, Cal 25s andNonsuch30s.ThisstoryisfromtheCal25perspective.
As the longest running and now growing again, consistently racing, one design class on Lake St Clair; Cal 25 class boats have been sailing this race for over 60 years without ever missing one, even the one that blew most boatsoffthelake. Theprize:themuch-coveteduniqueMorrillDunn
trophy, awarded to the one design yacht finishing first on corrected time over all other yachts in all the one design classes under 30 feet. Itâs on the bottom shelf in Bayview Yacht Clubâs trophy lined entrance hall. Look for the low lying trophy with two sailboats on green oxidized copper water with little pointed buoys near by. It needs an extended base to accommodate more award plaques. Iâm sure the recent winner is motivated to make that.
ThisyearwasaspinnakerrunwithgybesfromthestartattheLittleClubtoNC2,thebuoymarkingthe beginningoftheNorthChannelentrancefromLakeStClairThenjibandspinnakerreachinguptheNorth Channel,whichincludedsailingalongsidethedocksonthenorthsideofthechannel,skimmingalongunderthe nosesofspectatorswatchingthiscircusfromtheirdocksasweseektheleastamountofopposingcurrent slowingourprogressoverthegroundunderneathusThankyoutomembersandfriendsthatshowedupon shoretocheerthesailorson.ThenmakeasharprightturnaroundtheRusselIslandbuoyahalfmileorso upstreamoftheisland,whilemanagingatleast4knotsofcurrenttherethatistryingtopushyouintothatbuoy ThenanupwindbeatdowntheSouthChannel,whichinvolveddozensoftacksacrossthefullwidthofthe channelandsomeshorttackingbetweentheCanadianshoreandadownboundfreighter.Moreshorttacking downtheSouthChannelbetweentherocksontheleftandtheshoalsaroundGullisland,(thinkjobbynooner), justbeforeenteringLakeSt.Clair.Nowalong,porttackfavoredbeatdownthelakeandatlastaporttackfetch fromWindmillPointetothefinishline.
Keepingthedetailsshortandfocusedonourownclass,WhitefangwasthirdtoNC2.SomeNorthChannel currentsavviness,gleanedfromdecadesofdoingthisracegotusintosecondbythesharpleftturninthe channelpasttheHarsensIslandferrydocks.ThankyouHarsensIslandferryforwaitingtodepartthedockon themainlandsideaswesailedjustunderyourbow,nicelyoutofthestrongcurrentjustacoupleboatwidths furtheroffshore
Atthatturn,theleadingCal25,TheHotness,ownedandhelmedbySuzanneScoville,wasbynowwithinstriking distanceaheadofWhitefang.ShechosetoheadtowardstheHarsensIslandsideofthechannel,stayingonthe starboardgybebutnotgoingdeaddownwindwhilebuckingthecurrent.Wechosetostayonstarboardgybe butsaildeaddownwindtohugthemainlandshoreratherthancrossthecurrentandthenfacetheverystrong currentbetweenthetipofRusselIslandandtheRusselIslandbuoy.Todothatwestayedonthestarboardgybe
but had moments sailing by the lee, which was not fast, so we had to head up occasionally, which took us away from the shore and into the opposing current. Second by second, any slight wind shift that allowed Whitefang to bear away and get closer to shore, even a few boat widths, was taken advantage of. Releasing the vang to twistoffthetopbattenkeptthetopofmainsailworkingwhenwewerebythelee.
The Hotness and Whitefang came back together five boat lengths from the Russel Island rounding buoy Hotness was entitled to room at the buoy, despite approaching it on port tack In a flurry of activity, The Hotness had to raise the headsail for the coming beat, clear their spinnaker pole, gybe, take down the spinnaker, turn sharply right while trimming in sails for a beat, all the while fighting the fast southbound current trying to push both boats into the buoy. Whitefang, with one less task and slowing ever so slightly, managed to swing its bow clear of Hotnessâs outboard motor and squeeze between them and the buoy, with about 24 inchesorlessoneachside.ByfarthemostdramaticroundingofthatbuoyinmydecadesofNCraces.
Meanwhile, Chicken Hawk with a crack crew had reeled both of us in and it was now a three-boat tacking battle down the South Channel Whitefang held on to our lead into the lake With all the three leading Cal 25s now on the favored port tack, Chicken Hawk chose to try to break through to leeward of us I have been burned twice before in this race by that boat and crew doing just that I was NOT going to let it happen again Meanwhile, The Hotness, artfully helmed by Suzanne was gaining lanes to windward and keeping closer to the nowfavorablecurrentinandneartheshippingchannel.Oh,thestress!
We chose to keep the steam gage at 55 knots, overruling the tell tails at times, but seemingly maximizing Whitefangâs upwind vmg Having enough breeze to keep all five guys on Whitefangâs weather rail proved a slight advantage in speed through the water Keeping ultra-sensitive to whatever sail trim and side to side crew weight placement felt and performed best in the current moment was superbly performed by Whitefangâs crew
After about eight covering tacks to protect our position as these three Cal 25s beat down Lake St. Clair, we successfullyheldontoourleadtoprevailatthefinishline.Beatingdownthelake,asthesungotlowandmore westward, the wind slowly headed us on the favored port tack, just enough to keep that intensely bright celestial spotlight right next to the forestay and right next to my focal point on the headsail tell tail window. Good old Sol fried my face, but it was so worth it because Whitefang also won the coveted prize, the Morrill Dunn trophy!
Thank you to my crew. Dan Dameren, flawless and quick on foredeck. Paul Mauer, constantly on top of mainsail trim. Rudy Wedenoja, headsail trim, spinnaker trim, chief information officer and trusted counselor, keeping my head from over thinking and focused on my helmsman job. Jeff Polkowski, new Bayview Member and recent newbie to our beloved pastime He had to learn the pit tasks on the job He was also the winch engine on all our tacks the entire race Tacking down the channel he had worked up a visible sweat When I mentioned that, he replied, âIâm loving thisâ
Lastly and perhaps my most rewarding aspect of this race, Jeff sailed his first North Channel race and his first one design race Providing him with that experience and giving him a win to boot was priceless.
See you all on the North Channel race start line next year
TALES FROM DEAD MAN'S CURVE TALES FROM DEAD MAN'S CURVE
Submitted by â Ralph Richards, Historian
Publication: âHeritage: A Journal of Grosse Pointe Lifeâ
Author: George Van, Sr. (former Detroit News writer and prominent Grosse Pointe sailor for over fifty years)
Date: August/September 1985
FLOTSAM AND JETSAM
A spry Old Goat reminisces
lt is not true, as some senile bilge boys mutter in wonderment. that I had no childhood. They say I appeared at twenty out of nowherenaturally enough - steering a catboat. It is true that many of my childhood days were spent on the water - the days that I spent on the Dodge yacht as a cabin boy, for instance. I would serve drinks all around - to guests the likes of then Mayor Oscar B Marx, Milton and Bob Oakman, Jim Couzens and Henry Ford I do remember that Ford lagged behind the others in handling the refreshments For my efforts, I'd get a fin from one Dodge and two bucks from his brother along with a slap on the transom. But, boy, did it make me a big kid on the block.
The Dodge boat, Hornet II, was a 110-foot crude-oil-burning yacht. It was narrow of beam, loaded with brass cockpit, a flying bridge and a pot-lead bottom, and it looked like a destroyer to me then I was allowed to shine the brass, and learned to swim in the en
closed boatwell. I tested my talents around a big gunboat the U.S. had captured in the Spanish-American War - the Don Juan de Austria which was anchored in the river
I also had the use of the bunty - the rectangular, cushioned railing craft used for cleaning the Hornet's white hull After work, I'd get my gang (Cocky Mason, Al Driscoll and Louie Stella), and we'd paddle across the river into the Belle Isle canals which then opened into the river.
This was the heyday of the canoe because the Yuppies had new cars in that era. Their canoes were loaded with satin pillows and Victrolas, and they packed the area around the Belle Isle Band Concerts. When they bellowed at our bunty gang to scram, we threatened to splash their satin pillows. Needless to say, we were towed out of the lagoon several times by Harbour- master King, who knew my Grandpa.
Of course, I got a spanking. It was around 1914 when the east side first got an inkling of the things to come. The Dodge's Hornet ll was challenged for a race to Mackinac lsland by the sixty-five-foot cruiser (I think it was a Hacker) Naiad. The challenging boat was supported by Charley Armstrong who owned a boat dock at the foot of Sheridan Avenue, two blocks from theBelieIslebridge.
The start was in front of the Fellowcraft Club, a fancy spot used by the first-generation automobile crowd. It was at the foot of Alter Road, opposite Peche Island. Hornet II, with a thirty-knot speed, lost the Naiad off Thunder Bay Island, when the gasoline-powered cruiserbrokedown.Hornet IIracedontoMackinacwith all in good order. The race, however, caused some damage suits against the Dodges, due to the yacht's wash splashing on docks and rowboats nearby as it sped up the St. Clair River.
Sailing - or yachting, to use the dressier term has long since moved out of the Detroit River. In the early days (that is even before my time - in the last century) the sport's center was off the foot of Joseph Campau. The yachting gangâs hangout was Bidigaire's Saloon on that street. Yachts with the longest bowsprits and boomkins were the classiest, according to the late Commodore Harry Kendall. They raced from Joseph Campau to Lake Sc. Clair and back. Sometimes when a towline was slack, the racers sailed over them. Unbelievable!
One of my best memories, being an Old Goat myself twice over, is the Bayview-Mackinac race. The Bayview Yacht Club, though, when it was founded in 1915, was stationed in a boathouse at the foot of Motor Boat Lane, just off Waterworks Park. The club received its first wide recognition when it followed the suggestion of Yachting editor Herb Stone and chartered the Lloyd W. Berry Schooner and won Class B in the 1924 Bermuda Race. Stone went along as navigator for Skipper Bill Wilson. Russell Pouliot, one of Bayview's founders, brought the R-class sloop Bernida in as the first boat to finish in 1925. The forty-footer finished in forty-six hours. Dr. Alpheus Jennings also was a 1927 winner in the racing class with Rascal.
In those days, Bayview's cruising fleet was generally made up of a group of leaky crocksthough not all of them were. Barbette was the first of only three boats specifically built for the Bayview-Mackinac between 1925 and 1935. The others were the sixty-foot Trident of the Booth-Shelden-Thurber team, and Russ Alger's forty-six-foot Baccarat.
Of course, some others, when speaking of the Mackinac Race, might think of the Chicago
version. The Chicago Yacht club started theirs at the turn of the century. In those days, they virtually ignored Bayview's Mac. "You come up in the little race from Detroit?" was one snub I received then from Tony Koefoot, C.Y.C. race chairman. Well, Tony's ninety-four now, and we ' re good friends, but that day I burned. I was already an addict of Bayview's Mac - a Viking without the horn
To the sailing enthusiast, this area is blessed with many clubs. One of the oldest in today's world is the Detroit Boat Club, founded in 1839. The Detroit Yacht Club closely follows, with its beginnings in 1862. In the last century, both clubs were situated on the American side of the Detroit River. Kendall informed me of how they ended up moving to Belle lsle. The city had just built a bridge on the island (in 1883), to the new locale since people weren't using the island.
They did move - the Detroit Boat Club near the bridge, and the Detroit Yacht Club up the river in the woods. The point, though, is that the legality of the club's position on the island has been questioned, when it was the city which originally requested the move.
The Edison Boat Club, another unique entity, is the only public utility company in the country with a yacht club for employees. It has been in existence since 1914. Founded by Alex Dow and Jack Wilde, it has a large fleet of one-design sailboats and powerboats and holds a regatta every year.
Then there's the Little Club. What many people don't know is that this used to be the Country Club of Detroit More than fifty years ago, the CCD was located at the foot of Fisher Road, and had a dock jutting far out into Lake St Clair It was an old club, but still active in yacht racing The rich membership owned not only the club
and grounds, but a big chunk of the Pointe north of Fisher (the present site of South High School and the surrounding countryside). Some of those Country Club members had succumbed to the delight of hitting a defenseless little while ball around with a stick - in a word: golf.
It was this group who wanted the club moved inland to their property on Kercheval. They ended up getting their way. The membership split - withsome like Charles Godwin Jennings, Dexter Ferry, and some of the lumber barons like the McMillans, Algers, Newberrys, and the Ledyard Mitchells electing to stay on the lake for their preferred sports - sailing and racing.
The golfers erected a larger building for the new Country Club of Detroit (and let no writer leave out the Detroit part of that name) and called this club the "big club." The sailors called the old site the Grosse Pointe Club, but everyone referred to it as "the Little Club" - in contrast to the "big" one on Kercheval.
The Dodge brothers, by the way, were turned down when they wanted to join the Little Club Perhaps they were too rowdy - because those early automotive pioneers weren't sissies Actually, the breed hasn't changed much According to legend, this is when Ed Dodge said he'd build a place next door that would make the Little Club look like an outhouse. The result was Rose Terrace (which is now gone). He also built a dock that went beyond the Little Club dock, and bought a 243-foot luxury liner, the Delphine. Ironically, Ed Dodge never got to use either before his death.
Then there's Crescent Sail Club, which is still turning out sailing champions That was the idea of its founder, Chalmers Burn, who moved the club from its lean-to site on the Colonel SY Seyburn estate near the Belle Isle Bridge to its
present layout in the Thirties The number of Mackinac winners who took their discipline at Crescent Sail is amazing - like Doug Wake, or Stanley Puddiford. Crescent, with its remodeled clubhouse, has recovered from the loss of Bosun Jim, their one-man staff who baked the best cherry pies in America. The boathouse and harbour was once owned by Henry Joy, who didn't really like the Volstead Act According to legend, Joy looked the other way when boatloads (or carloads in the winter) came into his harbour from Canada with Prohibition refreshments.
To keep all of these elements together, the Detroit River Yachting Association was formed To ease the conflicts in regatta scheduling, the DRYA was begun in 1912, with Kendall from the Detroit Yacht Club, Harry Austing from the Detroit Boat Club, and Dr. Alphaeus Jennings from the Country Club of Detroit. There are now twenty-four clubs in the Association, and it stretches from Toledo to Sarnia. One of the most active DRYA clubs is the Great Lakes Yacht Club in St Clair Shores Its May regatta opens the DRYA season
But, as I was saying, not all of my life was sailing Other things about my childhood were magical Like the amusement park in Indian Village (then known to us as Van Dyke Woods). It was a fairyland for me before it was tom down in 1926. It extended from the Belle Isle bridge to Baldwin Avenue. I can remember the coasters -- the Derby Racer, the Mountain Ride and Grenada Park; The Boardwalk, Beller's Beer Garden and bathhouse, and all the dance halls -the Pier, the Palais de Dance and the Alhambra
I can remember catching frogs in the swamp just east of Windmill Pointe, with Freddie Bery The swamp was part of Owen's subdivision He must have made a bundle selling those lots in the area that is now Grosse Pointe Park. Actually, the site where I used to hunt for frogs later became the headquarters for the Grosse Pointe Sail Club. Every Tuesday night they bring out a fleet of more than 100 racing sailboats for regattas during June, July and August
Ah, but then, I guess all memories eventually lead back to sailing. Maybe those bilge boys had a point, after all
