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Sports | Sanford Burris skippers Maverick to record time…

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Sports | Sanford Burris skippers Maverick to record time in Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac

That was 1 hour, 6 minutes and 11 seconds faster than the record set by Roy P. Disney aboard Pyewacket in 2002.

The Maverick crew celebrated briefly as it crossed the finish line between Mackinac Island and the Round Island Lighthouse on Sunday. It then kept sailing as part of the “Super Mac” race, a combination of the Chicago Mackinac and Bayview Mackinac races that continued into Lake Huron for a total of 496 nautical miles.

Maverick also claimed the Royono Trophy for being the first racing monohull to finish the 115th edition of the race, which is sponsored by Wintrust. Southerly winds and overnight storms created the perfect conditions for an incredible downwind race.

Burris, from Kirtland, Ohio, is co-owner of the carbon fiber Andrews 80 along with William and Ward Kinney. Burris sails with his sons and many longtime friends. Also among the 20-member crew is Evolution Sails founder Rodney Keenan.

“I will tell you from my perspective, I wish the record had lasted longer, but these things are inevitable,” said Disney, a grandnephew of Walt Disney. “Given how long it took to break that record shows how difficult a course it is and what a classic sailboat race it is.”

Photos: 115th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac

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Chicago to Mackinac sailing race record smashed by more than an hour

• Updated: Jul. 15, 2024, 7:31 a.m.
• | Published: Jul. 15, 2024, 7:20 a.m.

The Maverick broke a 22-year record in the 115th Chicago Yacht Club Race To Mackinac Presented By Wintrust. Chicago Yacht Club Race To Mackinac

• Tanda Gmiter | [email protected]

MACKINAC ISLAND, MI - Before the first boats ever left Navy Pier this weekend, Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac organizers knew the weather forecast would make this 115th competition one of the faster courses in the race’s history - if the sailing crews could avoid the storms forecast to sweep across Lake Michigan.

And while the storms did send at least three damaged boats limping out of the race and caused a man overboard situation, southerly wind conditions were a boon to the frontrunners, creating a downwind drag race and leading to a record-breaking win that smashed the old Race to Mackinac record by more than an hour.

The Maverick’s crew beat Roy P. Disney’s 22-year-old record with a time of 22 hours, 24 minutes, 23 seconds. This bested the Disney heir’s record set in 2002 with Pyewacket by an hour, six minutes and 11 seconds.

The Maverick team was led by Sanford Burris and William and Ward Kinney. The boat also claimed the race’s Royono Trophy for the first racing monohull to finish the 115th edition.

“I will tell you from my perspective, I wish the record had lasted longer, but these things are inevitable,” said Disney, a well-known figure in the sailing world who is the grand-nephew of Walt Disney. “Given how long it took to break that record shows how difficult a course it is, and what a classic sailboat race it is! Many congratulations to the owner, the crew and the boat, Maverick.”

The Katana and the Natalie near the finish line of the 115th Chicago Yacht Club Race To Mackinac Presented By Wintrust. Chicago Yacht Club Race To Mackinac

Nearly 250 boats joined the 333-mile race from Chicago’s Navy Pier to the finish line near Mackinac Island. Known as America’s Offshore Challenge, it’s the world’s longest annual freshwater sailing race. The race is divided into the Cruising Division, which left Chicago on Friday, and the sleeker Racing Division, which began racing on Saturday.

What was the secret to this weekend’s fast times?

“Most important is a southerly wind direction and strength, combined with advancements in boats and sails,” said Winn Soldani, chair for the 115th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust. “Plus you add in last night’s storms that brought increased breeze and it’s literally the perfect setup for a record-breaking year.”

Some of the boats are still finishing the course today. You can see them there on the race tracker.

Maverick’s Sanford Burris is from Kirtland, Ohio. “He sails with his sons and many longtime friends on the carbon fiber Andrews 80 they have spent the past three years upgrading. Joining the 20 crew onboard was Evolution Sails founder Rodney Keenan,” race staff said.

“The team celebrated briefly as the Maverick team crossed the Race to Mackinac finish line between Mackinac Island and the Round Island lighthouse … and then kept on sailing.”

The Maverick is one of a couple dozen sailboats competing in this year’s “Super Mac” race - which means it keeps going instead of stopping at Mackinac Island for the big afterparty. It races south down Lake Huron to reach Port Huron - a race of 495 nautical miles. The Bayview Mackinac Race - which is next week - starts near the Blue Water Bridge and competing sailboats will race north to Mackinac Island. Those boats running the “Super Mac” can also do the Bayview and it’s like running three races in a week’s span.

The Racing Division of the 115th Chicago Yacht Club to Mackinac race got underway Saturday. Photo provided by Barry Butler, Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust. Barry Butler, Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust.

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The world’s longest freshwater sailing event and is recognized as one of the most prestigious sailing races in the world. Today, sailors from Maine to California make this race an invariable part of their summer. For more information please visit: www.cycracetomackinac.com

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Chicago to Mackinac sailboat race: Storm snaps masts, tosses sailor into Lake Michigan

A fast-moving summer storm Saturday night on Lake Michigan left carnage in its path after three huge sailboats snapped masts and a fourth boat had to rescue a man after he fell overboard, all in the middle of the night under total darkness during the first day of the Chicago to Mackinac race .

“It was about 11:30 Eastern Time and we outpaced a couple storms. The team was getting ready … when a squall hit us. The wind picked up from about 18 knots to over 30 knots and shifted 80 degrees,” Skip Dieball, 53, of Wilmette, Illinois, a tactician racing on the 52-foot Usual Suspects, said on Sunday. “Sometimes in the daytime, you can see some of the shifts coming, the wind pattern on the water. But it was so dark we couldn’t see anything. We told each other we would prepare early. We were, and it just came really fast.”

Disaster was averted after Madcap, a Santa Cruz 52 owned and skippered by John Hoskins, responded to a man overboard report from Callisto, a J/125 owned and skippered by Jim Murray. Both boats resumed racing the 333-statute-mile (289-nautical-mile) race without injury.

In addition to Usual Suspects, owned by Eric Wynsma, masts broke on the 65-foot Sagamore owned by Laura and Tone Martin, along with the 45-foot Sapphire, owned by Robert Radway. No injuries were reported, according to Laura Muma, communications director for the Chicago to Mackinac race.

Despite being on high alert to take down sails, the demasting events were intense.

‘Loud as the loudest thunder’

As soon as the mast snapped, Dieball said the crew started doing a head count to be certain all 13 sailors were still onboard. The rig could have come down on the crew if they had been in their normal stations, but they were scattered. While the mast “broke violently,” Dieball said, “it did not come down violently.”

The race boat, with its custom carbon fiber mast, strong and light but brittle, is designed for high-performance racing and often used in America’s Cup races.

When the mast broke, it sounded like a “crack of thunder” immediately overhead, Dieball said. “It’s as loud as the loudest thunder.”

When the mast settled, the crew had to rapidly assess next steps. The biggest fear is that the broken mast will bang against the boat and puncture a hole, Dieball said. A mast on a boat that size can be 60 or 70 feet tall, he said.

“Part of your safety equipment is having cutting devices that get the mast away from the boat. The mast had broken in three different spots and it was time to start cutting things away,” Dieball said. “Carbon fiber, in many ways, is sharper than steel. We had to make sure no one was in a spot where one of the pieces would actually cut them.”

So sailors took out cutting tools and knives they’re required to carry as part of the racing protocol — and sliced away rigging as fast as possible, letting material sink into the water.

‘Survival mode’

Skipper Eric Wynsma, a real estate developer from Grand Rapids, had three of his grown kids racing, too. This was his 25th Chicago to Mackinac race.

“We were just in survival mode,” Dieball said, cutting away for about 30 minutes. “After the (storm) cell went through, the wind died off. So it wasn’t like we were battling elements. We were into the race about nine hours, finishing about a third of the course, and we returned to Muskegon.”

After stabilizing the situation, the Usual Suspects crew contacted the U.S. Coast Guard and reported debris in the water. The race boat didn’t need assistance once the rigging was cut away, Dieball said. They made certain nothing was wrapped around the propeller and Usual Suspects spent the next three hours motoring back, arriving about 5 a.m.

No one was freaking out, Dieball said. “It was all business.”

The costly damage prevents Usual Suspects from racing the Bayview Mackinac race from Port Huron to Mackinac, which starts Saturday.

Fast Tango fights DeTour

Tim Prophit , of St. Clair Shores, owner and skipper of the 40-foot Fast Tango, didn’t get slammed by the storm, but his nine-member crew prepared by making sail changes and reefing the main sail for better control.

“All of a sudden, the waves felt different, a different pattern, a different height. And the temps dropped,” he said Sunday while racing. “We were paying very close attention to the weather.”

Fast Tango won its class and placed second overall in the Chicago to Mackinac race last year, and was the overall winner in the Port Huron to Mackinac race.

This year, Fast Tango is battling the 34-foot DeTour, owned by Chuck Stormes, of Grosse Pointe Farms, no stranger to winning class and overall trophies.

Christy Storms said early Sunday afternoon she couldn’t look at the tracker to see how her husband was doing. It made her crazy. She didn’t know there had been a storm, she said, thank God, or she would have been worried sick.

“This is the first year I’ve been trying to not stalk him,” she said. “It’s tough looking every minute. It just makes me crazy.”

Family members are known to sleep with their phones under their pillows, call and text each other every hour through the night until the race is finished.In years past, Christy Storms said, “it was like crack. It just make me so anxious.”

So, she went online, noticed he was doing great, took a snapshot of the tracker, put her phone down and went to bed with their 11-year-old dog Striker.

Early Monday, Prophit confirmed that Fast Tango won first in class against 11 competitors. They crossed the finish line in 41 hours, 59 minutes, 47 seconds.

Chaos on other boats, too

Following the storm, 15- to 20-knot southerly winds continued to propel the 247-boat fleet north, Muma said in the race update.

While mast loss made headlines with sailing reporters, other boats had serious issues that went unreported. And they kept going, hoping for the best.

Mark DenUyl, of Marysville, Michigan, owner and skipper of the 34.5-foot Good Lookin’, watched his carbon fiber bowsprit snap in half during the high winds right about 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Now it’s held together with electrical tape and sail tape.

Crew member Brennan Churchill, 22, texted his dad at home in Kimball, Michigan, with an update on the damaged equipment used to extend the sail, so it captures more wind.

“He knew better than to tell his mother,” Tracy Heany Churchill said Sunday. “He knows I go into freakout mode.”

Ron Churchill always sails with his son, who won his first Mackinac race at age 15, but Ron couldn’t leave work as a senior operations manager for a natural gas storage facility to do both the Chicago and Port Huron races to Mackinac.

“I feel like I’m lost right now. I just feel like I’m supposed to be there,” Ron Churchill said Sunday.

Brennan Churchill described the boat tipping so far to one side that the crew was in waist-deep water, his father said. “Everybody stayed on the boat. Water was washing over them.”

The sudden gust of wind created such force that it likely flexed and snapped, he said. As a result of the damage, the crew held steady until daylight to try and figure out what to do, Churchill said. “They did a good job with just staying composed and keeping the boat moving well.”

On Monday morning, Good Lookin’ crossed the finish line in third in class against a dozen other J/105 boats despite damage to critical equipment.

Cara DenUyl and her 19-year-old daughter, Riley, woke up at 5:30 a.m. Monday to watch online the Good Lookin’ finish. “It was a nail-biter. It was close between second and third. They were in second place at 2 a.m. Sunday, when that storm hit. Then they fell back all the way to seventh place. At the time, we didn’t know the storm had hit. Somehow they got everything fixed enough to keep going, thankfully. I feel relief that they made the podium.”

‘Breathtaking’ speed

With storms come great wind. Or, in sailor speak, great air.

Winn Soldani, race chair of the Chicago to Mackinac race, said this weekend’s storms brought “epic” conditions that weather models predicted, which is important for safety.

“We’re watching boats going 20 knots, or about 23 mph, and it’s breathtaking,” Soldani told Shifting Gears from the finish line near the Mission Point hotel on Mackinac Island on Sunday.

“When the squalls hit, the wind changed direction very rapidly, from out of the south to out of the west, at 33 to 35 mph,” he said. “Some of these sails are the size of tennis courts. They’re huge. So this changes pressure on the mast.”

That’s what causes masts to snap, Soldani said. Strict safety protocols protect the 2,200 sailors racing this year, and that’s why they’re required to wear special tracking devices on their bodies at all times.

Storm winds create record-setting conditions

As a result of the strong winds, this race broke the speed record.

The 80-foot Maverick finished in 22 hours, 24 minutes, 23 seconds, breaking a record set 22 years ago by 66 minutes, 11 seconds. 

Sanford Burris, of Kirtland, Ohio, sailed with his sons and friends on the carbon fiber Andrews 80 they have spent the past three years upgrading, according to Muma. The 20-person crew included Rodney Keenan, founder of Evolution Sails.

“The team celebrated briefly as the Maverick team crossed the race to Mackinac finish line between Mackinac Island and the Round Island lighthouse … and then kept on sailing,” said the Chicago to Mackinac news release.

Maverick is one of 25 sailboats registered for this year’s “Super Mac” race, a combination of the Chicago Mackinac and the Bayview Mackinac races, which means they will continue into Lake Huron, heading south to Port Huron, for a total of 565 statute miles (495 nautical miles).

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Phoebe Wall Howard, a Free Press auto reporter for nearly seven years, now writes a column on car culture, consumer trends and life that will appear periodically on  Freep.com  and in print. Those columns and others will appear on her Substack at  https://phoebewallhoward.substack.com/about  Contact her at [email protected].

The most boats ever will compete in the 100th Bayview Yacht Club race to Mackinac Island

Billed on its website as the “world’s longest continuously run long-distance freshwater yacht race,” the 100th Bayview Mackinac Race is set to start Saturday.

A record-setting 334 boats have registered for the 100th year of the race, shattering the record of 316 in 1985 and a huge contrast compared with the 200 boats that raced last year, said David Stoyka, spokesman for the Bayview Yacht Club, which puts on the race.

Bayview Yacht Club says boats start leaving the Black River in Port Huron around 8 a.m. on race day and will continue leaving until around noon. From the Black River, they will proceed up the St. Clair River, under the Blue Water Bridge, into Lake Huron.

The first scheduled start time in Lake Huron is 11:30 a.m., with starts every 10 minutes until approximately 1:30 p.m. The starts may be delayed due to weather conditions.

This year, for the 100th running, the race will follow the original 1925 route and span 204 nautical miles. From the starting point, the boats will head north along the Michigan shoreline, passing south of Bois Blanc Island, sailing west to east at the finish line between Round Island and Mackinac Island, organizers said.

The range of boats are expected to finish in between 30 and 60 hours.

The sailors

Teams at all skill levels have entered the race, which draws competitors from around the world.  The highly skilled racers know they will cross the bow of competitors within inches. Still, there's always risk of a crash with the slightest miscalculation.

"Everybody recognizes this is super intense," said champion sailor  Tim Prophit , 65, of St. Clair Shores, past commodore of Bayview Yacht Club and owner of Fast Tango, a North American 40 sailboat.

The teams are vying for trophies and flags to show their accomplishments.

The J.L. Hudson Trophy is awarded to the boat with the best corrected time in Division I, and the Canadian Club Classic Trophy is awarded to the boat with the best corrected time in Division II.

How can spectators follow the race?

Spectators can go to bycmack.com during the race and click on “RaceTracking” link to watch real-time GPS positioning of all the race boats, or, on your mobile device, download the free app YB Races and select the current race.

Boats will start arriving at Mackinac Island on Sunday afternoon and continue until Monday evening, all dependent upon the wind.

Finishes can be seen from Windermere Point on Mackinac Island at the south end of Main Street.

Sailors who have completed 25 Bayview Mackinac races are called “Old Goats,” according to the club, while those who have completed 50 are called “Grand Rams.” 

"Double Goats" are sailors who have completed 25 Bayview Mackinac races and 25 Chicago Yacht Club race to Mackinac races. This year’s Chicago to Mackinac race encountered strong winds in Lake Michigan , snapping some boats’ masts and tossing one sailor overboard. No one was hurt.

Volunteers who have served for 15 years on the Race Committee are honored with the title “Old Forts,” as designated by the Race Committee.

This story includes material from a staff report by former Free Press reporter Phoebe Wall Howard and from the Bayview Yacht Club.

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Record 334 boats lined up for 100th Bayview Mackinac race; 'All out war' on the water

Some things endure. In 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald published "The Great Gatsby" and Mount Rushmore was dedicated. Here in Michigan, Bayview Yacht Club launched its first sailboat race from Port Huron to Mackinac Island.

Yep, 100 continuous years of racing with sailors from all over the world — despite war, economic crisis or pandemic.

A record-setting 334 boats have registered for the July 20 event, shattering the record of 316 in 1985 and a huge contrast compared with the 200 boats that raced last year, data confirmed by David Stoyka, Bayview Yacht Club spokesman.

The course will follow the original 1925 route and span 204 nautical miles. From its traditional start in southern Lake Huron, the boats will head north along the Michigan shoreline, passing south of Bois Blanc Island, sailing west to east at the finish line between Round Island and Mackinac Island, organizers said.

'Everybody will be fighting for every last inch'

Sailors describe excitement and slight trepidation, as part of the course involves shallow water filled with shoals and challenging wind patterns.

In recent years, sailors chose one of two courses, the longer Cove Island course or shorter Shore Course. Only the Shore Course is running this year, but the ending has an unusual twist, coming into the Straits of Mackinac from the opposite direction as usual, and sailing the narrow passage between the Michigan shoreline and Bois Blanc Island.

The finish line is expected to include some chaos, competitors predicted.

"Imagine it's 3 a.m., a cloudy and moonless night and the wind is blowing 25 knots per hour out of the northwest," said champion sailor Tim Prophit , 65, of St. Clair Shores, past commodore of Bayview Yacht Club and owner of Fast Tango, a North American 40 sailboat. "Everybody will be fighting for every last inch. It's dark, choppy."

He expects to finish in 32 to 36 hours this year, studying weather patterns and running wind simulations since January to prep for the competition. A lot of boats have spent thousands of dollars on new sails. All skippers want to carry as little as possible in gear, food and crew to be competitive. All skill levels have entered the race, and the highly skilled racers know they will cross the bow of competitors within inches. Still, there's always risk of a crash with the slightest miscalculation.

"Everybody recognizes this is super intense," Prophit said. "Do we hug the Michigan shoreline ... you don't want to get stuck where the air just goes away. It's death. The secret is to find that little ribbon of wind and stay in it but don't run aground. Everybody is going to be compressed together."

Two lessons a veteran sailor knows: Cockiness will kill you and never let up when you've got your foot on the throat of a competitor, especially seasoned sailors who have picked up secret intel along the way, Prophit said.

Charlie Trost, of Grosse Pointe Woods, this year's race chairman, said this event will have a little bit of everything and a lot of surprises.

More: Sailors overcome emergency at 2 a.m. in rough waters to win Bayview Mackinac race

"People are coming out of the woodwork, whether it's the weekend warrior or a professional racer," Trost told the Free Press. "A lot of people are interested, whether the accomplishment is getting from Point A to Point B or the goal is doing whatever it takes to win first place."

Trost, 35, will sail his 22nd race to Mackinac on the J-130 sailboat known as Pendragon. He follows in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, hoping one day his 1- and 3-year-old sons will race. The whole family will be on the island, which is mostly sold out for this event.

His mother, Barb Trost, of Grosse Pointe Woods, oversees race registration. And his sister, Ali Augsburger, 37, of Grosse Pointe Park, will be helping coordinate logistics.

Mike Hendrie, 47, of Chicago, follows in the sails of grandfather George Hendrie Sr., of Grosse Pointe Farms, who raced from Port Huron to Mackinac Island in 1926 for the second race ever held. The starting line has always been within view of the family waterfront cottage between Krafft and Keewahdin in Fort Gratiot — a Hendrie hangout since the early 1900s.

"George Hendrie Sr. was also famous for being ice boating world champion for 10 years," Mike Hendrie said. "That boat was named Ferdinand the Bull."

In fact, a Hendrie has raced the Mackinac for 98 of the 100 years running, Mike Hendrie said. And family members still, to this day, watch racers from the cottage. Mike Hendrie, who grew up in Grosse Pointe Farms, will skipper the J-109 Bull with eight crew members, including his father and cousins.

HIs uncle, George Hendrie Jr., sailed his first Mackinac race in 1947 and raced 68 times, Mike Hendrie said. "He sailed his last one at 90 years old six years ago. He passed away in January, and we'll be sailing in his honor. And that makes it really special."

Because the race is so significant to so many, the level of competition is elevated significantly.

"Everyone is going to be sailing harder and sailing smarter," Prophit said. "With a race that's expected to last less than two days for most boats, people will be getting less rest because they'll be more focused on pushing the boat as hard as possible ... every second is going to count. It's going to be an all-out war, fighting for every inch."

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Editor's Note: Phoebe Wall Howard covers sailing for the Detroit Free Press, and she had been going to Mackinac Island to meet her father at the finish line since age 12. Robert Wall, of Algonac, won his last Port Huron to Mackinac race on Chippewa, a Tartan 34C, in 2014 at age 85.

Contact  Phoebe Wall Howard :  313-618-1034  or  [email protected] . Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter  @phoebesaid .

Race History

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Chicago Yacht Club's most famous event is the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, which is the longest annual freshwater sailing race in the world.

Starting in 1898 with a mere five boats, The Mac has evolved into a world-class sporting event. After the first race in 1898, the Race to Mackinac was not held for five years until the second race in 1904. By 1906, the race had developed a healthy following and, in that year, the original Mackinac trophy was purchased. The race has seen occasional sustained violent weather in the blows of 1911, 1937 and 1970. After gale force winds took down most of the fleet in the Mac of 1911, the finish in the 1912 and 1913 races was changed to Harbor Springs on Little Traverse Bay instead of Mackinac Island. Race organizers felt the shorter distance was safer. From 1914 until 1916 the Mac was back to its full distance until WWI. From 1917-1920 there were no Mac races due to the strains of the War, which took away yachtsmen and put many boats out of commission. Since 1921, the Race to Mackinac has run consecutively every year, remains the longest annual freshwater distance race, and is recognized as one of the most prestigious sailing races in the world.

Today, sailors from Maine to California make this race an invariable part of their summer. Moreover, each year the Mac hosts sailors from as far off as Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia. Although the Mac remains primarily an amateur event, this race has a proven track record of attracting some of the finest sailing talent in the sport. The monohull record of 23 hours, 30 minutes, and 34 seconds set by Roy Disney’s Pyewacket in 2002, and Steve Fossett on Stars and Stripes set the multihull record of 18 hours, 50 minutes, and 32 seconds in 1998. Both records still stand today. The unpredictable weather and fickle winds on Lake Michigan make the Race to Mackinac a supreme test, which many competitors feel rivals any ocean race. As one veteran sailor put it, "It’s fun, but it’s serious fun."

2008 marked the 110th anniversary of the first race, and the 100th time sailors raced 333 miles from Chicago to Mackinac Island. Although there have been changes to the race over the years, the basic elements of this venerable contest have remained unchanged for over 100 years. Stripped down to its essence, The Mac, like all sailboat racing, is still primarily a test of strength, endurance, strategy and willpower. And let’s not forget the dearest friend (and most menacing foe) of all sailors-- the wind. 

The First Mac 

Although the races began in 1896, the race outcomes were not conclusive. The first race to Michigan City was disputed when Vanenna claimed the race and Siren protested because she had old sails that were inadequate for the race. To this day, the second race to Milwaukee is still in dispute, for the fog caused both sloops to sail off course and thus started the question, "did the race ever finish?"

A couple of years passed until the 1898 announcement for a series of three races sponsored by the Chicago Yacht Club. Owners George Peate of Siren and W.R. Crawford of Vanenna set out to make the record straight. They agreed to a three day regatta on June 4th, 11th and 18th. Both owners engaged in much boosting and betting, and they were prepared to spend whatever it took to be ready.

Behind this backdrop was the hangover from the loss of the Fisher Cup of 1883 between Chicago's Cora and the Canada's Atlanta. This loss began a declining effect on memberships to the Chicago yachting community for close to 15 years. By 1897, there were only six members and two yachts representing the Chicago Yacht Club. A strong drive for membership in 1898 increased this number rapidly to sixty members and sixteen yachts, thus laying the groundwork for creating new excitement and an era of racing at the Chicago Yacht Club.

After three races in June of 1898, Vanenna remained undefeated and the discussion emerged to have a very unique and challenging race. In 1897, the New York Yacht Club sponsored a long distance race attracting vessels of larger sizes. The Chicago Yacht Club saw an opportunity to create its own attraction for larger vessels and renew the sport of sailing for the Chicago sailing community. Mackinac Island was a destination that was favored by many sailors by taking a multi-port route up Lake Michigan. Many Chicago Yacht Club members throughout history had houses or stayed on the island for vacations. These members conceived of a race that would challenge every sailor to the weather, winds, storms, and seas, as well as the big question: What course do you take on a 333 mile race?

And so began the first Mac Race with two sloops, Siren and Vanenna and three schooners, Hawthorne, Toxteth and Nomad. The excitement was immediate and the wagers and posturing began. Once again, Siren and Vanenna would dance with each other on the Great Lakes.

After 52 hours 17 minutes and 50 seconds - Vanenna claimed her place in history as the first winner of the Race to Mackinac Island. Siren placed second, 37 minutes and 20 seconds behind her nemesis, but beat the schooner Hawthorne by 45 minutes. 

Mackinac Island hotel rooms already selling out for one special week in July 2024

Hotels on historic Mackinac Island are already filling up for an especially big week next July.

Why? The countdown has begun for the 2024 Port Huron to Mackinac 100th anniversary sailboat race.

At 202 pre-registrations, more race boats have signed up for next year than raced a month ago, according to Bayview Yacht Club . Organizers are expecting up to 250 entries.

They're coming from North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, New York, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin and Arkansas. Plenty of sailors from Ontario, Canada, are registered, too.

This is one of two back-to-back races to Mackinac Island; Chicago to Mackinac on July 13 and Port Huron to Mackinac on July 20. The races can last days. And the experiences are the stuff of movie scripts .

When sailors get to the island, it's a long-lasting party. Non-sailors are actually warned prior to visiting the island during race weeks that the celebration is, well, significant. Eating, drinking, dancing and grooving night after night at Horn's and the Pink Pony.

Hotel rooms are often booked Sunday through Tuesday during Mackinac, as family members wait on the island to cheer arrivals, which happen anytime from Sunday through Tuesday. With racers crossing the finish line at all hours, day and night, cocktail hour never seems to end.

Sailors from around the country see old friends and familiar faces . People from all over Michigan run into high school classmates. The event ends with an awards party on the lawn at Mission Point with the Endless Summer band. The ferries fill up as the island empties of sailors by Wednesday after the race. Many boaters sail their vessels home while others carpool.

Apart from sailing, Mackinac is beloved for its horse-and-buggy taxis, and bicycling around an island filled with historic hotels and restaurants. No motor vehicles are allowed on the island.

Some crews celebrate victory, other racers celebrate the goal of just crossing the finish line.

"There is already so much buzz out there for next year's big anniversary," Tim Hygh, executive director of the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, told the Detroit Free Press. "Any event that can last 100 years shows just how significant and important it is. We look forward to welcoming all sailors back next year for the big celebration."

He surveyed hotels to learn who is booked, who has room and who might make room on Mackinac Island during Bayview Mackinac race week:

Taking reservations now

• Hotel Iroquois
• Grand Hotel
• Bicycle Street Inn
• Sunset Condos
• Mackinac House
• Mission Point Resort
• Harbour View Inn (past guests only until September, then by phone only)

Taking reservations after summer season ends

• Inn at Stonecliffe , starting in October
• Windermere Hotel , starting in December

Sold out, waiting list

• Chippewa Hotel
• Lilac Tree Suites
• Island House Hotel
• Bogan Lane Inn

More: Merritt, Scott Sellers come from 'dead last,' win 46.5-hour race from Chicago to Mackinac

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Organizers behind the scenes

Mike Helm, 2024 Bayview Yacht Club commodore, will oversee the centennial event that attracts professional sailors and amateurs. Many racers try their whole lives to make the podium.

The 2024 Honorary Race Committee consists of these Michigan natives with longtime ties to Bayview, according to the club on the Detroit River:

• Stuart Argo Jr. , has been part of seven America's Cup campaigns including winning the America’s Cup XXVIII in 1992, aboard America3.  He won the 1988 Canada’s Cup aboard Challenge 88 and competed in several other Canada’s Cup campaigns. Argo has 65 combined Bayview and Chicago Mackinac races.
• David and Peter Askew won the World Sailing Team of the Year after winning the Caribbean 600 in 2019;  and by being the first American boat in more than 30 years to win the Rolex Fastnet Race on their Volvo 70 Wizard , winning the race overall. (It starts near the Isle of Wight on the south coast of England, crosses the Celtic Sea, rounds Fastnet Rock off the coast of Ireland and finishes at Cherbourg, France.) That same year, they also won the 3,000-mile Transatlantic Race and Pineapple Cup from Miami to Montego Bay, and in 2018 won the Sydney to Hobart Race.  Other offshore wins for the Askew brothers include the Transpac and Newport Bermuda Race.
• Bruce Burton served as commodore of Bayview Yacht Club in 2010 and went on to serve as U.S. Sailing president and the U.S. Olympic sailing chair. He is a back-to-back world champion in the Etchells class.  
• Bora Gulari, the 2009 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, has won championships in various classes, including the International Moth (two-time world champion); Melges 24, and he represented the U.S. in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He often sails on the PAC 52 Natalie J owned by Phil and Sharon O'Niel.
• Bill Martin has served as president of U.S. Sailing, the U.S. Olympic Committee and as athletic director at the University of Michigan. He was inducted into the US Sailing Hall of Fame in 2017.  
• Dawn Riley sailed as part of the first all-female crew in both the Whitbread Round the World Race and America's Cup. Now she is executive director of New York-based Oakcliff Sailing , a national training organization. She is the youngest and first female to become a ‘dual famer’ at the National Sailing and America’s Cup Halls of Fame.

More: Sailors on Fast Tango overcome emergency at 2 a.m. in rough waters to win Bayview Mackinac race

More: Horses return to Mackinac Island for upcoming season

Editor's note: Phoebe Wall Howard, an autos reporter, also writes about sailing and Mackinac Island. She is a member of the Port Huron Yacht Club and  part of a longtime sailing family  that has visited Mackinac since her childhood.

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard : 313-618-1034 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid .

Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry Co. stops trips out of St. Ignace indefinitely

The two main ferry services to Mackinac Island have halted certain trips out of St. Ignace during peak season.

The Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry Co. stopped running trips out of St. Ignace, in the Upper Pensinsula, indefinitely, according to a post Monday on the Saint Ignace Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page.

Star Line was allowing visitors to exchange already-purchased tickets at their St. Ignace office for the Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry instead, according to the post.

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In addition, Shepler’s announced in a post on Thursday that it would only run direct trips to Mackinac Island out of St. Ignace and not run its narrated Mighty Mac journeys from the location “for the foreseeable future” citing “the high volume of guests during peak season.”

Official comment on the stoppage was not immediately available, however MLive reported a smaller fleet, with fewer fast options, had been conducting Mackinac Island trips this season after a Florida billionaire purchased Star Line this summer and found major mechanical work needed.

The same Florida billionaire, David Hoffman, already owned Shepler’s. A representative of his organization, the Hoffman Family of Companies, could not be immediately be reached for comment.

The Detroit Free Press was also told no comment would be made by a person who picked up the phone at Star Line, then directed to call Chris Shepler, of Shepler’s Ferry. That ferry outfit reported Shepler was out of town for a funeral Friday and would be the only one to comment.

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It’s been a major summer of change for the Mackinac Island fleet and the Shepler family.

The Shepler family saw the loss of a patriarch last month when co-founder and Captain of Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry Bill Shepler died.

Star Line still showed an available schedule online for ferries out of its Mackinaw City location on Friday.

Tim Hygh, executive director for the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, also spoke to Shepler's continued work in an emailed statement Friday,

“Shepler’s Ferry is committed to ensuring our guests get to and from the island and are doing so in an efficient manner this season," Hygh said. "They have implemented changes including increasing the cadence of their departures to every 15-minutes during peak times and the guest lines are very similar to the volume we typically see this time of year.”

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry Co. stops trips out of St. Ignace indefinitely