Port Huron Mackinac Race Coverage

Race Coverage:

Be sure to check out our complete selection of news reports for more information about the race.

For real time finish updates see Bayview Yacht Club's finish page

Report 8 @ 0620 Tuesday Once again Lightning a Santa Cruz 52 owned by Bob Seger has captured overall honors in the Port Huron to Mackinac race.  Lightning was also last years overall winner.  2nd overall and 1st in PHRF B was Power Tripp a Tripp 40, formerly from Muskegon.

On the Shore Course Chippewa a Tartan 34 beat Bantu winner of numerous Great Lakes races by 10 minutes for PHRF I and overall shore course honors.

Bayview Yacht Club has posted complete race results.  Tomorrow's Around the World of Sailing will carry a wrap up story on the 2002 Port Huron to Mackinac.

Report 7 @ 1030 Monday- Summary/Recap
  Evolution SC 70 hull # 11 was 1st to finish @ 0133 in the 2002 Port Huron to Mackinac race!  For Evolution 1st to finish is a bit of vindication.  In 2000 this same group sailing Cynosure grounded on Spectacle Reef and DNF'd.
This year Evolution has netted both 1st to finish and corrected time honors in the GL 70 class.   Lightning last years overall champion finished @ 0647.  Lightning still has a significant corrected time lead over other PHRF Southampton course finishers

Report 6 @ 0950 Monday  For Evolution, her co-owners and crew their 1st to finish is a bit of vindication.  In 2000 this same group sailing Cynosure grounded on Spectacle Reef and DNF'd. This year Evolution has netted both 1st to finish and corrected time honors in the GL 70 class.  

Lightning still has a significant corrected time lead over other PHRF Southampton course finishers.

Report 5 @ 0720 Monday Lightning last years overall champion finished @ 0647.  They are once again 'in the noise' listed as provisional 1st place in PHRF A.  

Report # 4 @ 0610 Monday  Congratulations to Evolution 1st to finish @ 0133 in the 2002 Port Huron to Mackinac race! Reports indicate that the fast tactic was to stay near the shore after the Southampton.  Boats that did this had a no tack fetch rather than a true beat to the finish.

Evolution also led around the Southampton mark.  Colt 45 which was 2nd, and Equation 3rd also held their places. Evolution gained more on Colt 45 from Southampton to the finish than did Colt 45 over Equation.  This indicates that the deciding leg was Port Huron to Southampton and once past the buoy, it was rich get richer time.

 According to Bayview Yacht Club 13 boats on the Southampton course have finished.  No Shore Course boats have finished.  Winds over nite at Mackinac Island have been under 5 knots, making for slow sailing for other boats.

Report # 3 @ 1830 Sunday  2nd nite out on Lake Huron for the fleet.  Winds appear to have reached double digits during the day.  However, currently The North Lake Huron weather buoy is once again under 10 knots.  These wind measuremants take place at a level well below that of the boat's masts.  No wind on the water does not always mean no wind!  Mackinac Island Airport shows winds of 5 knots.  1st boats should reach the Island sometime after sun down.

Report # 2 @ 1130 Sunday  A majority of the Southampton course boats have rounded the NGS Buoy.    The 1st boat around was Evolution a Santa Cruz 70 @ 0614.  1st non Santa Cruz 70 was Pied Piper at 0638.  Comparing 2002 rounding times to 2001 times, the boats are about 6 hours behind.  This would put the 1st finish into the early morning hours of Monday, winds depending.  Winds are up a bit.  The North Lake Huron weather buoy shows 7.8 knots of wind from the SSW.  With winds of 10-20 knots forecast for tonite, the race could yet speed up.  

Report 1 @ 0800 Sunday  The first nite of the 2002 Port Huron Mac was both slow and warm.  The south Lake Huron weather buoy showed winds under 6 knots from the SW or SE.  The north buoy showed marginally more wind- from 5-8 knots out of the south.  However, this did decline as the nite progressed.  

The weather forecast is does not show much more wind.  SW winds are forecast with a bit more pressure being shown for the north part of the lake.  In either case 10-15 knots looks to be the maximum.

Until tonite the weather should be held in check by a high pressure system.  Then either tonite or Monday morning a cold front will enter the racing area.  Who is positioned to benefit from this  front maybe a determining factor in this front.  Getting ahead of the front could give a boat a temporary fast ride from following winds.

As of this report the Bayview Yacht Club site does not show any boats as having rounded the turning mark off Southampton.  If this is correct, the pace of the race is slower than normal.