There are several changes this year for the 88th running of the Chicago-Mackinac race, the biggest being a big celebration at the new Navy pier.
The Chicago YC has helped organize a send-off party at the refurbished Navy pier. From 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday friends and families will have a chance to give each of the 254 boats a rousing send off. Each boat in this year's race will pass by the pier (the sign-in boat will be 150' east of the pier) on their way out to the starting area. This will all take place on the very east side of the pier at the end of Grand Avenue. To get there you can take the Grand Avenue bus or park at the Navy pier. Spectators will also be able to see the start from the third floor observation deck.
But that's not the only change this year. Ann Moorman, chairman of the Mackinac Race, has worked with the rest of the host Chicago YC to publicize the race more than it has in the past.
This includes the involvement of Yachting as a sponsor for the first time. Yachting, which helped sponsor the Verve Cup in past years, has long been involved with race weeks, the most notable being Yachting Race Week at Key West, held each January. As part of its Mac sponsorship, the editors of Yachting are publishing this special newsletter, the second edition of which will be published Monday afternoon on the island. (In addition, the editors of Yachting will be posting regular updates on CompuServe, the world's largest commercial online service.)
Another factor in the race's growth is the inclusion of PHRF boats up to 207. The idea was to open up the race to a greater range of boats.
The first start is at noon with 13 sections starting the race at 15-minute intervals. There are two sections for IMS, two level sections (T-10s and Level 35s) and the rest are racing under PHRF.
The scratch PHRF boat is Renegade (-111) and the scratch IMS boat is Stripes (469.0).
The two biggest trophies in the race have traditionally been the Mackinac Cup (this year going to the top IMS boat) and the Chicago-Mackinac Trophy (to the top PHRF boat).
This year there will be added incentive to get to the island fast. The top boat of the race will not only get a trophy but a keg of Mount Gay Rum as well. Mt Gay, a sponsor of this year's race with Yachting, will donate the four-liter keg to the boat with the best corrected time. (IMS boats will be scored under PHRF to determine the top corrected time.)
The keg will be on display at the Chicago YC and the winner will be announced during the Mount Gay Rum and Yachting Magazine finish line party on Monday night (assuming enough boats are in.)
The keg is one part of the extensive involvement in this year's race by Yachting Magazine and Mount Gay Rum. In addition to Mount Gay Rum hats that will be given out, there will be Mount Gay Rum and Yachting Magazine Race Week 95 t-shirts for sales in the tent during the party.
Mount Gay Rum will also offer:So, before you hit the water tomorrow go through your closet to make sure you bring to the island a hat that is capable of winning. Just make sure you don't lose it overboard on the way up.
Dick Jennings will be crossing the starting line Saturday for the 10th straight year in Pied Piper, which Jennings figures is a record for a sled owner. No other sled owner on the Lakes has owned a 70-footer for as long as Jennings has. We think that's pretty impressive -- considering how long boats stay competitive these days.
Even though 10 years is a lifetime for some boats, Pied Piper has remained in the hunt over the years, helped a bit by a 20" extension on the transom and a longer boom.
The boat is probably best known for its record run in 1987, a record that still stands. And what makes it impressive is that it not only has stood the test of time, but also the test of new boats. A new wave of turbo sleds and purpose-built boats have invaded the lakes of late (Windquest, Renegade, Trader among them) but the record still holds.
This year Pied Piper will be facing the usual contingent of sleds: Cynosure and Stripes among them along with a newcomer: Thirsty Tiger (nee Ole) sailed by Al D'Ottavio of the CYC. Windquest and Trader are sailing the TransPac.
What is Jennings' key to success in the Mac? People, he says. Jennings gives his crew a lot of credit for their ability. He says his only other overriding philosophy is that the shorter distance you sail to the island the less you have to worry about speed.
Just before you cross the finish line and you call in a half-mile east of the bridge you'll be talking to one of three race committee members over the VHF.
All three are Mac race committee veterans whose voices have become better known than their names. In an attempt to rectify this situation, we introduce you to them here.
The voice of the 4-to-8 shift is Peggy Weber Barthold, who has been on the Mac race committee for 14 years.
The voice of the 8-to-midnight shift is Helle Getz, a 22-year member of the race committee.
For those of you who finish on the midnight-to-4 shift the voice you'll hear belongs to Freddi Brown. If she sounds a bit too chipper for someone up that late (or early) she's had practice. She just had her third child May 27 so she's spent a lot of time recently staying up when the rest of us are sacked out.
There's at least one entrant this week who will be wishing for plenty of weather work. Bill Alcott's Equation, a Reichel/Pugh 50 out of Bayview YC, does well when the wind is forward of the beam, particularly against some of the sleds he's competing against. The Mac doesn't always give the boats a lot of weather work so Equation might have a challenging race ahead of her.
But there's hope. Last year was the debut of the Concordia-built boat and he finished second in his division to Windquest. This year the DeVos boat (also designed by Reichel/Pugh) is competing in the TransPac so Alcott may have a slightly easier time of it. Helping Alcott and the crew of 15 will be Stu Argo who has stepped in where John Bertrand left off earlier this year.
One of the unique aspects of Equation is the fact that she was built to compete under both IMS and PHRF. Alcott wanted to compete in the grand prix circuit under IMS but also knew that the rule wasn't accepted in many places, including the Great Lakes. That doesn't mean PHRF is perfect either. Alcott finds himself at the mercy of local PHRF committees. For example, in the Detroit area he rates -36. In Chicago he rates 60. "In Chicago they have me up there with the sleds," he said.
That's one reason Alcott also wanted a fast boat that would keep its speed for several years.
For the past 19 years the job of fleet observer and surgeon has fallen into the capable hands of Dr. John Marquardt. Each year he headed up the lake aboard whichever Coast Guard vessel was accompanying the fleet to assist with medical questions and for Sunday afternoon call in. Several times he assisted in medical emergencies.
This year, though, the task will be handled by Dr. Michael Morgenstern. Dr. Marquardt is recovering from winter surgery and decided enough was enough. He admits that it's not going to be easy but he'll be pretty busy sailing his Freedom 35 Anthem and fulfilling his role as team physician for the Chicago Cubs. Not only is Dr. Marquardt missing this year's race but he says that his Mac days are over. And, unlike Michael Jordan, Dr. Marquardt says this is for real. "And I won't be changing my number," he jokes.
Jerry Horn, owner of the J/35 Instigator, decided to take a different approach to the Mac this year.
He cut back on his entire summer racing schedule but made sure Mac was included. And he also made sure that only his family was aboard with him. He's done the Mac 10 times before but wanted this year to be special. He didn't think it would be too hard -- most of his offspring sail or at least have spouses who fill the role.
A few weeks ago he discovered the crew was one short of the desired eight positions. Someone suggested they bend the rules a bit but they took a vote and decided to stick with their principles.
Crewing will be Jerry and his wife Caryl, son Jim, daughter Laura, son in-law Bud Nagle, son-in-law Bruce Ward and son-in-law Bruce Danly. (Danly, a brand-new dad, tried to get his six-week old Clayton to come along but the little guy is still a bit attached to his mom.)
Caryl, normally a member of the race committee, will be racing her first Mac and has appointed herself morale officer.
This year the Chicago-Mac race enters the world of cyberspace. Regular updates will be posted on CompuServe, the world's largest commercial online system, by the onsite editors of Yachting, one of the sponsors of this year's race.
Those of you who already are members can type GO SAILRACE at any prompt and check in for updates starting today. The final updates will be posted on Tuesday afternoon, around the time of the awards ceremony at the Mackinac YC.
The Mac coverage is based on many previous efforts by the system operators of the area, Brion Lutz and Keith Taylor. The two have pioneered live coverage of sailboat racing with constant updates on such events as the BOC, the Whitbread and the America's Cup.
This summer the forum has been covering the Transpac race and will have regular updates on the Admiral's Cup taking place in England later this summer.
If you're not a member of CompuServe, but have a computer with a modem, signing up is simple.
To join CompuServe and receive free access software, a month's free use, and a $15 credit, call 1-800-8990.
The following message was posted on the Internet May 7 by Shellie Taylor following the Vallejo race in San Pablo Bay near San Francisco. The editors of Yachting reprinted this in our July edition as part of our Safety at Sea issue. We think it's particularly appropriate before the start of a distance race like the Mac. This version was edited for space. At the end is reaction to the posting, all of which was printed originally in our August issue.
"On today's Vallejo race, my daughter, Victoria, slid under the lifelines and went overboard. She clung to the stanchion on the low side. We rounded up immediately. She was under water and the sea ripped her right off the boat. The wind blew us off and we couldn't get close enough to grab her. Like the rest of us, she was not wearing a PFD. We came about immediately, screaming "Man Overboard!" at any boat near enough to hear. We threw the horseshoe, but the wind caught it and it wasn't close to her. After screaming "Mom!" a few times and then just screaming, she regained her head and floated on her back. The water kept breaking over her. We came about and tried to get close several times, but the weather helm kept overwhelming us so we dropped our sails and started the engine. We came close again and my husband jumped in the water and swam to her. Our motor fouled in a sheet gone overboard. We called the Coast Guard, fired flares, read our GPS reading to them. By the time Joe got to Victoria and he grabbed her to keep her head above water, he believes, she may have already drowned. The Coast Guard got there very quickly. Ladyhawke got there first. The Coast Guard pulled her out and Ladyhawke pulled him out. We got a tow into San Rafael and waited for news. The Coast Guard officer told us she was dead."She was so scared, and she fought so hard, and we got someone to her as fast as we could. It wasn't enough. She was 20. I watched it all. Falling overboard happens so fast. It could have been any of us. She had raced with me before, and knew the risks. So did we all. When one crewmember was below and someone asked if we wanted him to get PFDs as long as he was down there, everybody shook their heads. Drowning happens fast, too. Victoria was a strong swimmer. We all thought we knew enough to rescue someone in time. We did, and we didn't. Please,, wear your PFDs. I bet not one in 20 racers was wearing one today. We heard other Maydays for "Man Overboard" as we struggled and as we were towed to San Rafael. And to the shorthanded and heroic Ladyhawke, and other boats whose names we don't yet know, the Coast Guard, and the San Rafael police boat, our heartfelt thanks for making every effort humanly possible."
Shellie Taylor and Joe Chew
Merit 25 Pink Panther Alameda, CaliforniaThe editorial about the tragic drowning of young Victoria Day generated a lot of discussion, including this first item from John Rousmaniere, noted safety-at-sea lecturer and author of Fastnet Force 10 and the Annapolis Book of Seamanship.
"I used the account of the drowning to introduce a recent Cruising World/West Marine/US Sailing-sponsored safety-at-sea seminar and it had tremendous effect, not only in grabbing the attention of the 150 people in the audience, but in illustrating some key teaching points. Sad to say, in their state of concern, they [the family] may have done several things wrong besides not wearing life jackets. First, they could have stopped the boat's forward progress (even by luffing the sails) and thrown flotation immediately and kept throwing it. Second, instead of trying to haul the victim out of the water, the other boat should have thrown a line and pulled her to the boat as they carefully talked her through the rescue. And third, the engine should not have been turned on; the record of fouled props (as here) and sliced-up victims is a long one. The point is that these things can happen, do happen, and should be anticipated through crew and boat preparation and plenty of practice in order to keep panic at bay. Worry and a rush of adrenaline are fully understandable when loved ones are at risk. The challenge is to avoid panic by focusing that energy through well practiced techniques. Anything the magazines can do to encourage people in this direction is extremely valuable."
We also picked up several informative comments from concerned sailors who use the Internet and share them with you here.
"You should aim not to go into the water at all. Look at the statistics for recovery of people who actually go overboard--it is very low. You should wear a harness with a reasonably short tether."--Colin Walls
"My own daughter [Dawn Riley] has sailed two Whitbreads and two America's Cup campaigns and, while offshore she realizes the importance of PFDs and harnesses, around the buoys it's a different story. I tried to get the A3 team to wear PFDs, but as you can imagine, unless it's mandated it won't happen. Peer pressure is just too great. However, when the Aussie boat sank, the order was given to get the boots off before jumping into the sea. We think this was a direct result of the publicity around the Larry Klein tragedy."
--Chuck RileyThe annual regatta, founded and sponsored by Yachting, will be bigger and better than ever. Next year's Yachting Race Week at Key West is scheduled for January 14-19.
Slip spaces down there go fast, so plan early.
As with past years, there will be daily course racing with two-a-days when the weather permits. There will be nightly prize givings in the tent at the Truman Annex.
The five-day regatta has become a big event for midwest sailors and attracts over 30 boats from the region.
For a copy of the notice of race and an entry form call: (212) 779-5085; fax (401) 848-7949. Address: Yachting Race Weeks, Box 579, Newport, RI 02840.
One of the best parts of this year's America's Cup was the television coverage and footage. The on-board cameras (and microphones) and the use of SailTrack made the event even more interesting than in past years. Now ESPN is offering a tape of the highlights from this year's racing. Narrated by Gary Jobson, editor at large at Yachting, the tape costs $19.95 plus $4 postage and handling.
Call 1-800-717-ESPN for a copy.