A WILD RACE TO MAC

REFLECTING ON A WILD RACE TO MAC

BY ADAM COLLINS

As the calendar turns from 2022 to 2023 and people look back wistfully on the year’s events, any sailor who competed in the 113th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust will no doubt have memories that will last a lifetime.

In one punch after another, a string of strong storms rocked the Racing and Cruising divisions Saturday evening and Sunday morning. The two divisions experienced the storm systems in very different ways. The Cruising Division had nearly a 24-hour head start and was already farther north in the lake near Ludington and Manistee, Michigan; the Racing Division boats were located between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Grand Rapids, Michigan. When the first round of storms hit, the winds shifted dramatically from south to north for the Racing boats. The Cruising Division’s version got more of a push from the south, further propelling them up the Michigan shoreline.

Chris Bedford, the Race to Mackinac’s weather router, said that while storms like those experienced during this year’s race are not uncommon in the summertime, he doesn’t recall a whole night of storms like this. “Usually, it’s a one and done kind of thing, but this year it was something we refer to as training, which is one storm after another.”

The conditions tested pre-race planning, safety preparation and sailors’ nerves and made the race one for the history books. By the end of the first evening, there were reports of blownup main sails, exploded spinnakers and broken equipment, but no serious injuries. As Rocky Levy, sailing aboard Dakota, the second boat to finish in Cruising 1 said in an early morning social media post, “We’ve had 50-knot winds knock us down and a bunch of things broke, but not our spirits!” Aboard Philip O’Niel III’s TP52 Natalie J, the first race boat to finish, weather planning and practice were crucial. “We took our main down when it hit 40 knots and saw 69 knots at one point. The team had already talked through the scenarios, so when it happened everyone knew what their job was,” he said. “It was a big deal, but it wasn’t a big deal; everyone jumped in and did what they planned on doing. When it was over, we got back to racing.” Across the Cruising and Racing Divisions, 20 sections earned podium flags. Winning the overall ChicagoMackinac Trophy for best overall large boat (typically 40 feet and above) was the J/120 Proof owned by Michael Fozo and Robin Kendrick of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan; and the Mackinac Cup winner (awarded to those under 40 feet) was the Tartan 10 Erica, owned by Brian Kaczor of Chicago. In its inaugural race, the Wintrust Sailing Team earned a section win in the Beneteau 40.7 class. “It was everything and more than I could have expected for my first distance race,” said Rich Murphy of Wintrust, the Race’s presenting sponsor. “What an incredible experience to do this with our team.” “With one of the fastest, toughest and most exciting races in years, we saw yet again why the Mac is America’s Offshore Challenge,” said Sam Veilleux, Chair of the 113th Race to Mackinac. “Regardless of how each individual boat finished, every single sailor who competed in this year’s Mac can stand proud as part of the community of people who have taken on the challenge. I can’t wait to see everyone back on the water in 2023!” ✶