2008 Chrysler Jeep Superstores Bayview Mackinac Race

        Earth Voyager, Windquest set new Thunder Bay course records



    MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich., July 14 /EMWNews/ -- New "Thunder Bay"

course records were set by both a mono-hull and catamaran yachts in the

84th sailing of the 2008 Chrysler Jeep Superstores Bayview Mackinac Race

race. The 60-foot twin hull Earth Voyager and single hull 86-foot Windquest

rocketed to finish the 254-mile course from Port Huron to Mackinac Island.



    The overall race winner -- Windquest -- a maxi 86-footer won after

corrected time adjustments were made in the IRC division. The overall

winner in the cruising class division was Solutions, owned by Mark Craig of

Grosse Pointe Park. The last to finish, known as the "pickle boat" or

bottom of the barrel was Sacre Bleu, owned by Dennis Dudley of Mason,

Michigan.



    The catamaran Earth Voyager was the first to arrive on Mackinac Island

at 4:57 a.m. on Sunday just 14 hours and 55 minutes after its 2:00 p.m.

Saturday start in Port Huron. The first mono-hull to cross the line was

FUJIMO, aka Windquest, owned by Dick Devos and chartered to the Schostak

family in honor of Jerome Schostak's 75th birthday. The blue-hulled boat

rocketed to Mackinac Island in just 16 hours and 50 minutes. The 86-foot

yacht reached speeds of 18 knots just one mile from the starting line

propelled by stormy winds that raked across lake Huron.



    A total of 235 sailboats in 19 different classes registered and 223

boats started in the race that began under billowing cloud-filled skies

with storms threatening and winds blowing 20 knots and seas kicking up

3-to-5 foot waves. The first class to start did so under sunny skies before

the massive westerly storms ripped across southern Lake Huron.



    While an official total of 223 boats started in the race, 8 boats

retired from the race due to mechanical or other issues. Notably the 1998

America's Cup winner Stars and Stripes dropped out around 1 a.m. Sunday

after its rigging was stripped down while the boat was making 26-knots and

its mast sank to the bottom of the lake. The custom rigging was valued at

more than $250,000.



    "This is one of the fastest races in recent memory and a record setter

for the new Thunder Bay course in its second year," said Race Chairman John

Burke. "It was an amazing race in every respect -- especially the speed of

the start and overall race with storm winds propelling these boats at

maximum speeds to make for a fast race."



    "Michigan's variable weather conditions provided sailors a rapid

variety of high winds, rain and 5-foot waves," said Burke. "This made for a

very challenging race for the sailors whose skills were put to the test

throughout the race."



    Burke said the pre-race favorite, Stars and Stripes, was leading the

race when an equipment failure caused the mast to fall. The crew took 2

hours to cut the rig away from the boat and dump it over the side to enable

the boat to be towed. A buoy was tied to it in an effort to locate and

salvage it at a later date.



    Starboard green bow lights dotted the straits of Mackinac as a parade

of boats finished in succession in the minutes before midnight on Sunday as

crews braced and raced for last call at the historic Pink Pony bar on

Mackinac Island. The bulk of the fleet -- some 100 boats -- arrived through

the morning hours on Monday.



    Bayview Commodore Timothy LaRiviere, captained his 45-foot Sparkman

Stephens "Eagle One" to a near record pace, missing first place in the IRC

D class by just a few minutes.



    "It all had to do with weather conditions," said LaRiviere. "It was

blowing Saturday night in excess of 30 knots across the deck. Those that

pushed their boats fared very well. Those that decided to use less sail did

not fare as well because of the heavy wave action and gusting winds. This

will be a race to remember for a long time to come."



    LaRiviere said the fast race was a stark contrast to the first year of

the new Thunder Bay course. "This year everyone pretty much stuck to the

rhumb line given the heavy winds. We were always at 20 knots of breeze and

faster as we sailed toward the NOAA buoy. Eagle One pushed equipment gear

and crew beyond expectations. It was a great Mackinac race."



    "The Thunder Bay course is outstanding -- as challenging as any race

course we've ever had," said LaRiviere. "What makes this race course

interesting is the smaller boats are now on the same course and they start

first and are very much a part of the race and mark their progress against

the big boats as they approach."



    The newly renovated docks at Mackinac Island became a virtual forest of

masts with race pennants and colored flags flying. An array of sails were

set on the docks and lawn drying in the light breeze.



    The "Thunder Bay" course marks its second year -- only the fourth

course change in race history. The sailboats will head due North on a

single course toward a National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

weather buoy located about 43 miles Northeast of Alpena, Michigan.



    The U.S. Coast Guard vessel Biscayne Bay rescued one sailor who was

injured Saturday while in a boatswain's chair. Sailor Jim Rodgers was

injured aboard Night Train and taken by helicopter to a hospital in Alpena.

He was badly bruised and released from the hospital after treatment.



    The 2008 Mackinac race awards flags will be presented to the top three

winners in each class at a party on the grounds of Mission Pointe resort at

noon on Tuesday.



    Chrysler Jeep Superstores is the title sponsor for the second year in a

row. Also returning as a major Presenting Sponsor is Flagstar Bank and more

than a dozen other sponsors are also supporting the 2008 "MAC" race.



    Bayview Yacht Club donated a portion of all race entry fees to the

Great Lakes preservation effort. The Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives Tour for

2008 features a catamaran and Mackinac Racer called Earth Voyager. The boat

will sail to ports in each of the Great Lakes states over the summer to

raise awareness of the social, economic and environmental benefits of

restoring and protecting the Great Lakes. The tour is affiliated with the

Healing our Waters Great Lakes Coalition that is comprised of more than 100

organizations dedicated to water preservation.



    The Healthy Lakes. Healthy Lives Tour will begin in Buffalo, NY June

4-7 and sail through the Great Lakes stopping in 12 cities before returning

to Rochester, NY Labor Day weekend.



    Bayview, founded in 1915, is widely regarded as the premier sailing

club in Michigan and the Midwest. The private club is located on the

Detroit River near the mouth of Lake St. Clair and has more than 1,000

members.



    The "2008 Chrysler Jeep Superstores Bayview Mackinac Race" is organized

by the Bayview Yacht Club, http://www.byc.com . or:

http://byc.com/mack07/raceupdates.cfm . For more information on the Healthy

Lakes, Healthy Lives Tour please visit: http://www.healthylakestour.org .



    The Chrysler Jeep Superstores Advertising Association is a group of 39

independently owned Chrysler Jeep Superstores in Southeast Michigan from

Monroe to Fowlerville and from Clinton to Port Huron. Web site:

http://www.chryslerjeepsuperstores.com .