The deadline to register for the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race is June 4 and organizers of the July 20 event are working to “keep it safe, keep it fun, and keep it real,” according to a press release.
The race features two courses after a start on lower Lake Huron. The Cove Island Course is 259 nautical miles and is designed for larger boats, while the Shore Course is 204 nautical miles. Both courses end at Mackinac Island after an upwind journey battling wind, waves and whatever Mother Nature has in store. A seminar based on race strategies is being offered this year at three local yacht clubs: Bayview, Port Huron and Catawba.
By making safety an important feature— including requiring 30% of sailors on each vessel to meet minimum safety education requirements — organizers hope to make it the safest race in the 95 starts.
“With a June 4 deadline for entry, we have crossed the threshold of 157 registered boats, putting us well on track to have 200 by the start date,” says race chair Robert Nutter, noting that the largest boat is 104 feet in length and the smallest is 27. “We are urging owners and crew bosses to proactively check flares, life vests and life rafts in advance of the race, even if it means using up a $20 cartridge.”
For more information and to register for the event, visit bycmack.com.
