Bluenose Regatta

The Bluenose Regatta, still blowing strong after 84 years

How the race came to be. And how it got its funny name

By Past Commodores Kevin B. Granger and Sloane R. Barbour

The Club’s second-oldest sailing competition rounded another mark in its storied history on September 24 when sailboats from around the DRYA (Detroit Regional Yachting Association) met on Lake St. Clair for the 84th time in as many years for this end-of-summer shootout. As usual, participation was among the highest on the DRYA calendar.

The very first Bluenose began as summer ended in 1939. The U.S. economy was finally pulling itself out of the Great Depression and the Club had recently emerged from bankruptcy. With the Club doors open again, a celebration was called for by Com. George Slocum, including a long-distance sailboat race. The race course began in front of the Club, extended across the freighter channel all the way to the Belle River buoy in Canada, then came back to finish at GPYC, a distance of some 40 miles. The weather in late September in those days was apparently brisk enough to turn one’s nose blue. Hence the name “Bluenose.” But that isn’t the only possible origin of the name. Back in the 1920s and ‘30s, there was a famous ocean race contested by fishing schooners from New England and Nova Scotia. The boat that frequently won was named Blue Nose. Her winning record was such that a Canadian dime with the image of Blue Nose was minted in her honor. Com. Slocum, an accomplished sailboat racer himself, was undoubtedly aware of the event. And in the beginning, the name of our race was spelled as two words, “Blue Nose,” just like the winning Canadian schooner. Whatever the circumstances, the name stuck. The Bluenose Regatta has been an annual Club event ever since and remains one of the highlights of the yacht racing season. As the last race of the DRYA series, it often determines the season’s champions among the various racing classes.

Although yacht racing has declined in popularity in recent years, the Bluenose Regatta enjoyed rock star status among sailboat racers – and still does. At its peak, the race drew more than 200 competitors, prompting sportswriter George E. Van, who wrote extensively about sailboat racing in the 1960s, to report:

“That armada-like turnout of 347 starting boats in the July [GPYC Summer] regatta, the biggest ever on Lake St. Clair, followed by 230 in the annual Bluenose fleet, makes the [Grosse Pointe Yacht] club the most prestigious sailing organization in the Detroit River [Regional] Yachting Association this year.”

The late-summer race was the inspiration of Com. George Slocum, founder of Automotive News, who led the Club out of receivership in 1939. GPYC boats have been frequent Bluenose winners. Brandilee, owned and campaigned by member Steve Nadeau, is one of them.

Less than a month after the official end of World War II, the victorious crew of Rambler 4th celebrates the 1945 Bluenose with Com. E.B. Thomas.

Regrettably, the July Summer Regatta, originated by our club in 1929, that Mr. Van was referring to is discontinued, but the mighty Bluenose sails on. At one point, its entry list was populated with boats from GPYC with legendary names such as Apache, Gypsy, Belle Aurore, Sassy, Roulette, Aggressive, Hotspur and Valkyrie. And even today the event is steeped in history, spawning bar top tales of intrepid sailors and immortal boats battling stubborn seas and falling temperatures.

A bit of sail racing esoterica here: From the beginning, the Bluenose was conceived to be a long-distance, point-to-point race; but over time those points changed. For many years, the course points were the start/finish line near the Club, the St. Clair Light and the Thames River Light. The boats were sent in either a clockwise (marks to starboard) or a counterclockwise (marks to port) direction, depending on the direction of the wind. (In setting a race course it is always preferable to get as close to an upwind leg as possible; so whichever direction will give the sailors the best chance for an upwind leg is usually selected.)

But as traffic on the lake grew, the Coast Guard became increasingly concerned over the potential problem of sailors and freighters navigating the same marks. Then, with 9-11 border closures, racers were no longer allowed to cross to the Canadian side of the freighter channel. As a result, the Bluenose course was amended into two shorter configurations: a long course of 19.12 nautical miles for the bigger boats and within it a short course of 12.51 nautical miles for smaller craft. Both are confined to U.S waters.

Just as the Bluenose race course has changed with time, so have the awards for Bluenose winners. What was once the (GPYC) Commodore John R. Sutton, Jr. Perpetual Trophy that was awarded for the best corrected time in Class A, B and C

has since been rededicated to honor the most outstanding Junior Sailor program. Likewise, the William P. Fisher Trophy for the best corrected time in Class A (originally won by the famed boat Apache under first owner T.K. Fisher and then W.D. “Toot” Gmeiner) has been rededicated to honor the annual Yachtsman of the Year at GPYC. The award is respectfully presented along with Member of the Year honors at the Club’s Annual Dinner.

While the format and popularity of the Bluenose have changed since the “good old days,” the Bluenose event is still a prestigious mark on sailors’ resumes and still a proud tradition at GPYC. If you’ve ever stood along the East Wall of the harbor in early fall and watched the sails filling against a threatening gray horizon, you know exactly what the name is all about.

Legendary Bluenose competitor and winner, Gypsy, with GPYC member/owner T.K Fisher (one of the famed Fisher Brothers) at the helm.

Dos Mas, owned and skippered by Past Com. Gary Gonzalez, was a top competitor in the Bluenose.