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Port Huron to Mackinac Race Preview - July
20
For sailors who participated in the Chicago Mac, it is time to
peel off the cobwebs. It's time to put the first race behind you, good or bad, and focus on
another challenge on a different Great Lake.
Port Huron's Black River is filling with rafts of boats. All sizes of boats are expected to race. The 70
footer Decision arrived yesterday and docked by one of the Black River bridges. Smaller boats are
prepping for a race up the west Lake Huron shore. They sail the shorter Shore Course. What the Shore Course
lacks in length it makes up for in navigational challenges.
For example, Thunder Bay off Alpena the location of an underwater sanctuary for ship
wrecks.
The city of Port Huron goes into a whole different mode in preparation for this Mac race. The paper publishes special editions- this
year's copy complete with 3D glasses! Businesses attempt to sell to the visiting sailors. Numerous vendors sell
shirts of varying design and attitude.
Unlike Chicago, where all boats arrive from the north, Port Huron is reached via 2 directions. You either
come from the north via Lake Huron and a short transit of the Black River or from the south via the Saint
Clair River.
Once in Port Huron the fleet will head to the Saturday start. The first start will be at 11:30 am with the Shore
Course Cruising Class B going off. This class contains Snow Goose, an Allied Sea Breeze 34, rating at
213 highest in the fleet.
The first Southampton course start is at 11:40 am. The Southampton course is in its 2nd year and takes the
fleet to a turning buoy off Southampton Ontario. The buoy is sponsored by NGS. Leading boats should arrive
at the mark late on Saturday.
Winds are forecast to make this a pleasant race. South winds are expected at 5-15 knots, then increasing
to 10-20 knots. This will put the boats under spinnaker.
The final 3 starts contain the contenders for first to finish honors. At 1:40 pm the Great Lakes 70
class will start. Pied Piper was first to finish amongst this class in 2000, the first year of the
Southampton course. At 1:50 pm Decision, rating -111, will start. Decision trailed Sayonara by an hour in
the Chicago Mac and will be a prime line honors boat in this race.
The 16th and final start will feature the Multi Hull class. Earth Voyager, a 60 foot trimaran rates -186,
making her the fleet scratch boat.
All in all, the 2001 Port Huron to Mac appears to have the makings of a pleasant and competitive race. However, a
glance at a Lake Huron ship wreck poster shows that Lake Huron can certainly
turn nasty at anytime.
As usual, neither sailors nor spectators have a firm predictive grasp, so visit this web site for race updates.
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