Sailing News
Subscribe to RSSMuskegon area marinas offer free sailboat rides as part of "Summer Sailstice"
June 14, 2013 - Mlive.comExperienced and novice sailors alike will take to the waters around Muskegon on Saturday, June 22 as part of the 13th annual Summer Sailstice. The Summer Sailstice is a worldwide event held in celebration of sailing. Celebrations are scheduled to take place in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, but Saturday’s event in Muskegon is one of just four official events in the state of Michigan. As part of the event, Torresen Marine and the Muskegon Yacht Club will offer free sailboat rides to the public. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Cleveland Race Week - Renowned fleets ready for Edgewater action
June 3, 2013 - Sail World.com
Cleveland Race Week is the largest sailing regatta on Lake Erie and one of the largest on the Great Lakes. The annual event, now in its 33rd year, attracts hundreds of boats from across the Great Lakes and beyond. Nationally, Cleveland Race Week ranks as one of the largest sailing events based on number of sailing classes. Building on that eminence, this year’s CRW Regatta will also play host to the T-10 Lake Erie Championship. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Report: Lake Superior level jumps 9 inches in May
June 2, 2013 - Detroit News
The level of Lake Superior jumped 9 inches in May, more than twice the normal monthly increase and the second most for any month since 1918, a new report said. Lake Superior usually rises only about 4 inches each May. But thanks to late snow and a cold spring that held back runoff until ice and snow melted, May more than made up for the difference. The lake now sits just 7 inches below its long-term average for June 1. It is a full 3 inches above the level at this time last year, the International Lake Superior Board of Control reported Friday. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Emergency dredging helps, but see some areas that will be challenging for Michigan's recreational boaters
May 31, 2013 - Mlive.com
Emergency dredging projects should salvage the boating season for many of Michigan's public harbors, but this summer could still prove frustrating for those who use and operate certain marinas. Record-low lake levels have plagued harbors throughout the Great Lakes as well as inland waterways, prompting state lawmakers to approve about $21 million for emergency dredging projects at 58 public harbors and marinas this year. While many harbor masters breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving those funds, challenges remain. Some projects might not get done until partway through or after the summer boating season. And some privately owned marinas are left scraping for money to fund their own dredging projects. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Coast Guard warns of flood-related debris in Michigan
May 31, 2013 - Detroit Free Press
Boaters should be on the lookout for large trees, logs and other debris let loose into Michigan waterways in part by spring flooding, the U.S. Coast Guard has warned. Debris is of concern in the Grand River, which empties into Lake Michigan at Grand Haven, as well as other waterways, MLive.com reported. Boaters in the Grand Haven and Holland areas are among those being urged to use caution. "We have seen and we still continue to see trees and logs of a significant size floating down, and we do get a lot of reeds and grass and things of that nature that come down," said First Class Petty Officer Kent Sypniewski. Boaters should stay "highly alert." For more of this article, click on the title above.
SailMichigan Midwest Collegiate Rankings - Spring 2013
May 20, 2013 - SailMichigan.org
Now that regular season collegiate sailing action has ended in the Midwest, it is time to tabulate the results and provide some perspective. SailMichigan calculates a ranking series based on collegiate performance over the course of the Spring. Of the 9 regattas held from March to May, the average participation by a Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association (MCSA) team was 2.58 regattas. For the purpose of evaluation, a cut-off was rounded to 3 events. This means that a team must have participated in 3 MCSA events to be considered for ranking. For those that met that threshold, their ranking score was determined as the average of their 3 best performances. For more of this article (and the rankings), click on the title above.
Sail celebration: A look back at 15 years of the Appledore IV in Bay City
May 15, 2013 - Mlive.com
The Appledore IV has offered tallship sailing opportunities to the Bay City community for 15 years. As organizers celebrate the ship's anniversary at 4 p.m. today, Wednesday, May 15, in Wenonah Park, here's a look back at how the Appledore IV came to port in Bay City. The Appledore IV was purchased in May 1998 for $550,000 with a combination of corporate and community donations. The schooner was purchased from Bill Allgaier of Bay Breeze Yacht Charters of Traverse City, where the boat was docked. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Clear sailing for '13 Mackinac race
May 10, 2013 - The Times Herald
The winner of the J.L. Hudson Trophy in this year’s running of the Mackinac Race will be decided differently than in years past. In a change announced Wednesday at a press conference at the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, and reiterated Thursday in a press conference at the Vintage Tavern in Port Huron, the winner of the division with the greatest number of boats registered in the race, which is July 20, will win the trophy and the flag designating it as first overall in the race. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Mona Lake association launches dredging project in Lake Michigan channel
April 22, 2013 - Mlive.com
For the first time in 13 years, the Mona Lake Improvement Association this month will complete dredging that will help boats travel through the channel to Lake Michigan. Late last year, the mouth of the channel was completely impassable and while it has improved, it has not come up nearly enough, said the association's president, Tom Hillstrom said. The association, the nonprofit volunteer group responsible for initiating and paying for the $100,000 project, placed the dredging equipment in around noon on Friday, April 19, near the Muskegon Heights boat launch site, Hillstrom said. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Muskegon Lake boaters will be challenged with low water at launch ramps this spring
April 9, 2013 - Mlive.com
Record-low water levels in Lake Michigan will play havoc with recreational boaters and anglers looking to have access to Muskegon Lake this spring. The city of Muskegon’s launch ramps will officially open April 15 but access will be limited at several to small boats only. The low water on Muskegon Lake has made the city’s Hartshorn Marina and Fisherman’s Landing the best access for larger boats, city officials said. Even smaller boats might have problems getting in and out of the popular Jaycees' Launch Ramp at Cottage Grove, which gives boaters the quickest access to the Muskegon Channel and Lake Michigan. There are also low-water issues at the city’s Grand Trunk Dock ramp. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Sailing Hoopla and Sailing the Summer Sailstice
April 7, 2013 - SailMichigan.org
In our humble option, sailing gets very little recognition in the Michigan press and at governmental levels (i.e. DNR). Except for a flurry of a few Free Press articles at the time of the Mackinac races, the occasional boating mishap, or a few local articles from the state's "sailing centers" (ie. Traverse City, Port Huron, Macatawa, etc.), relatively little hoopla is made. Click on the title above to read the full blog post regarding an annual event to help generate sailing recognition.
Set sail: Teach on Bay City's Tall Ship
March 30, 2013 - Mlive.com
Time to test out your sea legs and hop on board Bay City's Tall Ship. BaySail is seeking volunteers to teach aboard its Appledore Tall Shipfor the Science Under Sail program, which educates school-age children. Programs include science education for K-12 school groups, overnight voyaging for children and adults, public sails, charters, group tours and port visits. When it's not out on the water, the Appledore can typically be seen docked at Wenonah Park in downtown Bay City. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Gov. Rick Snyder signs $20.9M bill to dredge Michigan harbors
March 28, 2013 - Detroit Free Press
On what felt like one of the first real days of spring so far this year, Michigan's boating season got a boost when Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill Wednesday pouring $20.9 million into an emergency dredging program. The money will allow 58 public bays and harbors, used mostly for recreational boating, to be cleared of the sands and sediment that are clogging them and leaving many boats stranded. "This dredging is critically important in this state. We have the third highest number of registered boats in the nation," Snyder said. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Boat explosion, fire damages North Shore Marina in Spring Lake
March 23, 2013 - Mlive.com
A boat exploded and caught fire inside a Spring Lake marina on Saturday, causing significant damage to the building. More than 30 firefighters from three Grand Haven-area fire departments responded to North Shore Marina on the Grand Haven Channel late Saturday morning. Heavy smoke was still billowing out the 80,000-square-foot storage building at the business Saturday afternoon. For more of this article, click on the title above.
St. Joseph Harbor to get U.S. funding for dredging
March 16, 2013 - Detroit News
U.S. Rep. Fred Upton says emergency federal funding will be used to dredge St. Joseph Harbor for the second straight year. The St. Joseph Republican made the announcement Friday. The dredging is necessary because of Lake Michigan's low water levels. Upton says in a statement it's critical that "local harbors are well maintained and open for business." MLive.com reports the St. Joseph Harbor is used for the commercial shipping of natural resources from around the Great Lakes. It's also home to seven recreational boating marinas. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Burt Lake boat launch to be closed temporarily
March 15, 2013 - Cheboygan News
A boating access site on Burt Lake will be temporarily closed this spring for improvements.The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division has announced the Burt Lake Maple Bay Boating Access Site in Burt Township will undergo a temporary site closure for a major site improvement. Improvements will include a double launch ramp, two courtesy piers, 38 vehicle-trailer parking spaces, two vault toilets, naturalized storm water management systems and full, barrier-free accessibility. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Michigan Senate approves $21M for emergency harbor dredging
March 8, 2013 - Detroit News
State lawmakers on Thursday took first steps to help harbors and marinas suffering from record-low water levels in the Great Lakes. The Michigan Senate approved spending $21 million on emergency dredging of 49 public harbors along the Great Lakes before the summer boating season gets under way. In addition, Sen. Jack Brandenburg, R-Harrison Township, introduced legislation Thursday creating a $5 million loan program to allow public and most private marinas to apply for low-interest loans up to $500,000 to pay for dredging waterways. Private lenders would assume the risk for the loans which would be limited at five years. For more of this article, click on the title above.
See which harbors and marinas would be helped with Michigan emergency dredging plan
February 11, 2013 - Mlive.com
Harbors and marinas from the Upper Peninsula to metro Detroit would get some financial help under an emergency dredging plan developed by state officials in response to declining Great Lakes water levels.The plan would rely on $21 million as proposed by Gov. Rick Snyder in his budget plan announced last week. The Legislature would have to approve a supplemental funding request and some financial transfers before the money could be allocated and spent. The emergency dredging plan from the Michigan State Waterways Commission announced last week comes as water levels drop in the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are at record lows. For more of this article, and the list of harbors, click on the title above.
To combat record low Great Lakes water levels, Michigan Waterways Commission creates emergency dredging plan
February 8, 2013 - MDNR
With current water levels in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron at all-time lows – and levels in lakes Michigan, Huron and St. Clair expected to continue dropping – the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that the Michigan State Waterways Commission has adopted an emergency dredging plan that will provide zero-match grant funding opportunities for harbors of refuge, recreational boating harbors, marinas and boat launches most affected by the low water levels. As part of the plan, the DNR Parks and Recreation Division announced it will redirect nearly $8.8 million of Waterways funding from existing appropriations; allocate $0.7 million of uncommitted Waterways funding; and receive $11.5 million from the FY 2013 General Fund, as recommended in Gov. Rick Snyder’s just-released budget. In total, nearly $21 million would be dedicated toward keeping Michigan’s waterways operational. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Snyder wants $11M for harbor dredging
February 2, 2013 - Detroit Free Press
Gov. Rick Snyder will call for spending $11 million this year to dredge Michigan harbors in danger of losing their connections to open water because of low Great Lakes levels, aides told The Associated Press on Friday. The Republican governor will include the proposal in his 2013 budget, which will be released next week, spokesman Kurt Weiss said. It's part of a broader initiative being developed by state agencies to help water-starved harbors as the federal government cuts back on dredging and the lakes continue declining because of drought and warm temperatures that boost evaporation rates. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Snyder considers emergency measures for low lake levels
January 26, 2013 - Detroit News
Gov. Rick Snyder said Friday his administration is developing plans to take "emergency" action to deal with Great Lakes harbors plagued by record-low water levels that threaten to keep large pleasure boats docked next summer. With lake levels at their lowest point since the mid-1960s, Snyder said the specter of recreational and commercial fishing boats being unable to get in and out of harbors requires an "urgent or emergency kind of option." A likely option is dredging harbors, canals and waterways that connect to the lakes, some of which haven't been dredged in decades. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Low Great Lakes levels predicted for start of 2013 boating season
January 3, 2013 - Detroit News
The dearth of rain and snow over the past 12 months that has helped drive down water levels on the Great Lakes likely will continue to plague the region into the start of the 2013 boating season, projections show. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts most of the lakes will be well below their historical averages by the time boat covers start coming off in late spring and June. And lakes Michigan, Huron and St.Clair could approach record lows during those months. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Bay City boat builder, sailor Jan C. Gougeon dies at 67
December 19, 2012 - Mlive.com
Jan C. Gougeon's love of sailing and boat building helped him and his brother, Meade Gougeon, launch Gougeon Bros., a marine epoxy business that eventually would sell products to all parts of the world, and a sailing career that would launch Jan Gougeon forever into the record books. Gougeon died Tuesday, Dec. 18, in Ann Arbor after a long battle with respiratory issues. He was 67. Meade Gougeon said his brother found his passion in life when he discovered sailing as a youth. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Douglas Council heeds boater plea to start dredging process on silt-filled Lake Kalamazoo
December 18, 2012 - Mlive.com
The urgency of keeping boats afloat in Lake Kalamazoo was made clear to the City Council this week by boaters who said they love the town but don’t want to spend summers stuck in the muck in a silt-filled lake. Portage residents Kristi Carambula told council members that she and her husband, David, have slipped their sailboat in the harbor for nine years, but are considering leaving because the lake's silt levels are threatening to ground their boat in the mud. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Water levels in Lakes Huron, Michigan to break record lows
November 30, 2012 - Detroit News
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is anticipating all-time record low water levels for Lakes Huron and Michigan in early 2013 after a continued lack of rain and snowfall impacting the Great Lakes Basin. In a report released Friday, the corps of engineers projected Huron and Michigan will break levels set in March 1964 — 576.05 feet above sea level — while all of the Great Lakes are predicted to see low water levels. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw sets sail for Chicago carrying 1,300 Christmas trees
November 27, 2012 - Mlive.com
The Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw has been loaded with 1,300 Christmas trees and has set sail for Chicago’s port, serving as this year’s Christmas ship. The two-day event, beginning Friday, Nov. 30, by the Mackinaw and Chicago’s Christmas Ship Committee is a piece of Chicago’s maritime tradition that dates back to the early 1900s. The 1,300 Christmas trees were cut fresh from tree growers in northern Michigan, according to Capt. Dave Truitt, founding chairman of Chicago's Christmas Ship committee. They were purchased by the committee and will be offloaded from the Cheboygan-based cutter on Saturday, Dec. 1, by members of the Coast Guard and local youth volunteers. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Bay City DNR official says declining Lake Huron water levels pass all-time low, Saginaw River boaters begging to dredge
November 27, 2012 - Mlive.com
Bay City State Recreation Area Manager George Lauinger has heard a number of complaints in the past month from boaters frustrated with the Saginaw River's declining water level. "I have two or three people come into my office everyday and complain about the low water level at the boat launch," Lauinger said. "Boaters are begging us to dredge, but it takes a lot of money." The Saginaw River isn't the only waterway facing the issue. According to the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers, water levels are nearing historic lows throughout the Great Lakes. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Michigan edges Wisconsin in SailMichigan Fall Rankings
November 21, 2012 - SailMichigan.org
With the completion of the Timme-Angston Memorial regatta, the Fall MCSA conference sailing docket is nearly complete. Accordingly, SailMichigan has compiled the numbers from this Fall's results to provide the rankings below. Sixteen regattas were used in the evaluation (excluded were Team-Race regattas and gender-specific regattas). Overall, active MCSA teams sailed in an average of 4.3 of the evaluated regattas. Accordingly, 4 was the magic number for inclusion in these rankings. Click on the link above for the full article.
Great Lakes boaters and shippers to likely face record-low water levels into 2013
October 31, 2012 - MLive.com
Mariners – both commercial and recreational – are being warned that the Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Superior water levels are dangerously close to all-time record lows. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wednesday provided estimates that if the current trend of Great Lakes water level drops continue, the three upper lakes – Michigan, Huron and Superior – will hit historic lows later this fall or in early 2013. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Midwest Collegiate Sailing Rankings - October 2012
October 27, 2012 - SailMichigan.org
Sailing teams from the Universities of Wisconsin and Minnesota still lead the SailMichigan.org midwest sailing rankings. The data set for these rankings included 14 divisional regattas through the Boudeman Cup, but excluded gender specific (Men's only and Women's only) races. Also included in the rankings were the MCSA Match Race and the MCSA Sloop Championship. MCSA active teams participated in an average of 3.4 regattas per university. For more information and the complete set of rankings, click on the title above.
Boats running aground as lake levels head lower
October 19, 2012 - Detroit News
For many Michigan boat owners, these are the waning days of the best season of the year. The chill has set in and days of warm weekends on the water are pretty much over.Typically, the last rite of the season is pulling the boats from the water and getting them into storage. But 2012 has not been like most years. After a 12-month stretch of less-than-normal rain and snow, the bodies of Lake St. Clair and each of the Great Lakes are roughly a foot or more below their historic averages for this time of year with forecasts of record lows in the coming months. The levels have been down throughout the spring and summer and now, the lakes are beginning to see their seasonal decline — effectively making a bad situation worse. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Midwest Collegiate Sailing Rankings - September 2012
October 7, 2012 - SailMichigan.org
The Midwest collegiate sailing season got underway Labor Day weekend with 5 teams competing at the Boiler Cup hosted by Purdue University. As of September 30th, 9 regional regattas have been completed with 29 collegiate teams competing in an average of 2 events. SailMichigan has taken regatta scores (as available through the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Associaton website) and applied a formula to rank colleges based on team performance. For more of this article, please click on the title above.
Rolex Farr 40 World Championship - High praise for the Windy City
September 24, 2012 - Sail-World.com
Over the last fifteen years, the Farr 40 class has hosted their World Championships at top sailing venues around the world. Previously held in the U.S. two times in Miami, Newport and San Francisco, this year the fleet traveled for the first time to Chicago, with racing taking place on Lake Michigan, one of the five fresh water Great Lakes that form part of the boundary of the U.S. and Canada. This fleet of 40-foot one-designs continues to enjoy close, competitive racing. With 160 boats built since the Farr 40's inception in 1997, the Worlds always attracts formidable competition and the 2012 Chicago edition was no exception: 20 entries from eight countries including the U.S., Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Monaco, Turkey and Mexico. The owner/driver rule and limit of professionals on board is a large part of the Farr 40's attraction, as are the boats themselves that continue to provide an exhilarating platform for one-design grand-prix racing. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Regatta results and Michigan sailing news now available on Facebook
September 15, 2012 - SailMichigan
If you enjoy the timely posting of Michigan sailing news and information provided by this feed, then visit and "Like" SailMichigan on Facebook. On our Facebook page, we go beyond the headlines reported here to update you on the winners and happenings at area regattas. Click on the title above to be taken to our Facebook page (don't forget to Like Us).
Coast Guard asks boaters for navigation buoy advice
September 11, 2012 - The Time Herald
In a few months the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Hollyhock will head out to Lake Huron and the St. Clair River to pick up buoys for the winter, and replace them with navigational markers that can endure the ice and harsh conditions. Before then, officials want to know what mariners think of the navigation tools. The Coast Guard is conducting a study of the St. Clair River, the first one done since 2007, to determine if the navigational aids strung along the river are placed most effectively. U.S. Coast Guard Ensign Travis Starsinic said the study will be completed by Jan. 1. For more of this article, click on the title above.
NZL 1348 wins North American Etchells Championships
September 11, 2012 - Sail-World.com
Andrew 'Willzy' Wills, Anatole Masfen and Dirk Kneulman won the North American Championships, hosted by the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, MI from September 4-8, 2012. After discarding a ninth place in the seventh and final race, NZL 1348 finished with 14 points overall - less than half the points of second-placed Argyle Campbell in USA 1375 (29 points overall). Australian Mark Johnson in AUS 102 finished third with 36 points overall, in a fleet of 25 boats that included Americans, Canadians and a Bahamian entry. Click the title above for more of this article.
Lake Huron levels could reach record lows
September 7, 2012 - The Times Herald
With some effort, Tom Bialk pulled himself out of his 30-foot islander Bahama sailboat and up onto the Lexington State Harbor dock. “To get out of the boat here, we need to get a stool to hop out,” said Gabrielle Bialk, Tom’s wife, as she pointed to the water marks on the dock pilings. Pale stains stretched about 11 inches up from the waterline, indicating how much the level has dropped. Low water at Lexington State Harbor is reflected in Lakes Michigan and Huron and Lake St. Clair. For more of this article, click on the title above.
50 Best Yachting Towns: Muskegon ranks 23rd on national list from Yachting magazine
September 7, 2012 - Mlive.com
Muskegon was named the 23rd “best yachting town” by Yachting magazine in a list of the 50 top yachting destinations in the nation. One of the nation’s oldest and most respected recreational boating publications ranked Muskegon the second best yachting town in Michigan, just below Harbor Springs at 20 and third best on the Great Lakes, which was led by tiny Bayfield, Wis., on Lake Superior. In its September edition, Yachting wrote, “Muskegon is adjacent to Lake Michigan on the west and Muskegon Lake to the north. The 10 marinas here boast upwards of 3,000 slips.” For more of this article click on the title above.
DeTour State Harbor to close for season on Sept. 5 for significant upgrades
August 29, 2012 - MDNR
De Tour State Harbor, located in Chippewa County’s DeTour Village, will close for the season on Wednesday, Sept. 5, for a significant upgrade project, the Department of Natural Resources said today. The closure will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 4, when the fuel dock will close at 6 p.m. The harbor’s docks will be removed the following day, dredging will begin, and all facilities will be closed and winterized. Re-opening is anticipated in early July 2013. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Michigan Fall Sailing Outlook
August 29, 2012 - SailMichigan.org
As summer draws to a close and our Fall obligations and interests begin, many of us may be tempted to sigh at the passing of another sailing season. The following is a brief discussion of how sailing can heat up as the weather cools. First, what can we expect weather-wise from a Sept-Nov sailing season? The National Weather Service is predicting a greater chance for above normal temperatures in the Midwest (including Michigan) for Sept-Nov 2012. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Mike Dow's Flying Toaster Crowned 2012 Melges 17 U.S. National Champion
August 29, 2012 - melges17.com
What makes a great one design class? Fun boats. Fun people. Fun events. The Fun this last weekend was in Traverse City, Michigan, at the 2012 Melges 17 National Championship. Thirty of these Fun little rocket ships arrived at the Grand Traverse Yacht Club for the three-day event from Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Fun boats, check! Eleven championship races were held on West Grand Traverse Bay. Conditions ranged from 5-18 and varied from race to race. Eleven races, zero protests, plenty of penalty turns, happy people on the water and on shore. Who showed up? Couples, Junior sailors, and parents sailing with their kids. Fun people, check! For more of this article and, and the top finishers, click on the title above.
Orchard Lake boating access site to temporarily close Sept. 4 for repairs
August 27, 2012 - MDNR
The Department of Natural Resources announced today that construction has begun at the Orchard Lake boating access site in Oakland County. The site will close temporarily on Sept. 4 and remain closed until mid-October in order to reconstruct the site. Jodi Nieschulz, supervisor at Dodge #4 State Park, said, “While the site will be closed during construction, every attempt will be made to keep it open on the weekends when feasible.” Nieschulz recommended calling Dodge #4 State Park at 248-682-7323 for construction updates. Signs notifying boaters of the specific dates of the closures will be posted at the boating access site prior to the shut-down date. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of October. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Jamie Kimball Wins Big at 2012 MCSA National Championship
August 26, 2012 - mcscow.org
Jamie Kimball has won one of the largest One-Design Championships of 2012 sailing season here in the United States. 94 teams came to White Lake, Michigan for the 41st Annual MC Scow National Championship. Not only did we have a large turnout but we also had MC skippers and teams there that represented 22 of those 41 National Championships. Having sailed in over 200 MC Scow regattas myself I can tell you this clearly wasthe strongest fleet we have ever assembled. That also suggests the class is extremely healthy and strong which is great news for this cool little 16' Hot Rod that we all simply call the MC. For more of this article, click on the title above and go to the race report.
Junior wins 2012 Detroit Cup
August 26, 2012 - byc.com
In an exciting first-to-three point Final, Josh Junior and his team of Matt Steven and James Sandall have today won the Detroit Cup, second stop on the ISAF Grade 2 US Grand Slam Series. The Wellington, New Zealand-based team defeated runner-up Taylor Canfield only in the fifth and final match after first leading 2-0 in the series. Unlike all previous days of the four-day event that featured 12 teams from six nations, the wind today held steady enough to have no delays in completing the format of Finals and Petit Finals, with a 6-12 knot southerly providing perfect conditions for close racing. This prompted the Final Four teams to be particularly aggressive in their pre-starts, the site for most of today’s penalties. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Roble on fire at Detroit Cup
August 24, 2012 - byc.com
The only female skipper in a field of twelve teams from six nations, Chicago-based Stephanie Roble was top performer today, winning all six of her matches sailed Day Two of Bayview YC’s 2012 Detroit Cup. Roble’s 8 points keeps her in contention with other frontrunners such as US Virgin Islander Taylor Canfield on 7 points, New Zealander Josh Junior on 7 points, and Australian Jordan Reece on 6 points. But there are four flights remaining in the Round Robin, and other contenders such as Denmark’s Nicolai Sehested on 5 points and Australia’s David Gilmour also on 5 points have a shot at the lead too. The top eight teams will advance to the Quarter Finals, a first-to-two point series, which weather permitting will start tomorrow. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Bolles Harbor boating access site in Monroe County temporarily closed for repair
August 15, 2012 - MDNR
The Department of Natural Resources recently announced that the Bolles Harbor boating access site, located off Laplaisance Road and I-75 in Monroe County, has closed until approximately Monday, Nov. 5, to allow for reconstruction of the site.Jamie Allen, supervisor at William C. Sterling State Park, said the site will be inaccessible until this project is complete. “We would like this project to continue without any interruptions so it can be reopened as quickly as possible,” Allen said. The construction project includes grade adjustments and paving of the parking lot, installation of an accessible sidewalk, and landscaping. The parking lot will include environmentally friendly permeable pavement. The landscaping will consist of native species and an eco-friendly rain garden that will absorb run-off before it reaches the lake. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Dangers Lurking in E10 Boat Fuel
August 13, 2012 - Unitedmarine.net
Back in 2010, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary warned boaters about the damage that ethanol-blended gasoline can produce on boat engines. Despite this warning and many others from boating organizations, boat engine manufacturers, and boat dealers, some boat owners are still unaware how ethanol-blended gasoline hurts their boats. Although ethanol gas reduces dependence on foreign oil, supports the agricultural industry, and produces three to four percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, it also can attract water to a fuel tank, causing a sludge that can destroy an engine. Why is this problem pertinent to boats, but not to automobiles? For more of this article, click the title above.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit sets sail at Bayview Yacht Club
August 13, 2012 - Bayview Yacht Club
Visiting world class sailors will skipper teams with crew from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit in a special fleet race as part of the 5th annual Detroit Cup presented by Bayview Yacht Club. During the international match racing regatta, 12 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit youth, otherwise known as "Littles", along with six adult mentors or "Bigs," will race aboard Bayview's Ultimate 20 sailboats. A select group of competitors in the Detroit Cup will take a break from the international match racing regatta to sail with the newcomers. For more of this article, click on the title above.
AuSable Lake boating access site temporarily closed August 13-17
August 9, 2012 - MDNR
The Department of Natural Resources recently announced that the AuSable Lake boating access site in Ogemaw County will be closed from Monday, Aug. 13 to Friday, Aug. 17 for site maintenance. A DNR Parks and Recreation construction crew will be replacing the launch ramp which has deteriorated over the past several years. “Although access will be limited during construction, we hope our users will find the new ramp to be a great improvement,” said Rifle River Recreation Area supervisor Eric Cowing. There are nearby boating access sites on George Lake, Rifle Lake, and Long Lake that will remain available during this time.
J/111 Wins Ugotta Regatta
August 9, 2012 - Sailfeed.com
The first ever J/111 Great Lakes Championship saw ten boats participating from the Michigan and Chicago fleets. All of the top J/111s that sailed the recent Chicago-Mackinac Race were present, part of an illustrious, history-making fleet where ALL ten boats finished in the top 20 overall in the Mac Race! A feat never before achieved by an entire class of boats in ANY offshore event in the world! The Ugotta fleet of sixty-nine boats was treated to good weather and steady winds were offered to the sailors during the Little Traverse Yacht Club Regatta weekend of July 27-29. The total fleet included J/111s racing one-design as well as J/105s. And, there were J/Teams participating in PHRF handicap, too, including a J/122, J/42 and J/100. For more of this article, click on the title above.
US sailors knocked out of Olympic medal chase
August 8, 2012 - Associated Press
The United States won't win an Olympic sailing medal for the first time since the 1936 Berlin Games.<span class="athlete-tag d3-plugin" data-options="{" mode":="" "ajaxflyout",="" "dataurl":="" "="" library="" athletes="" athleteid="8/_flyout.html"" }"="" data-plugin="uberTooltip"> Anna Tunnicliffe, the last American skipper with a chance, couldn't fight back tears after her run at a second straight gold medal ended Wednesday. U.S. Sailing officials on both sides of the Atlantic had blunt assessments and promised an extensive review of why the Americans were so uncompetitive in an Olympics in which they were expected to take three or four medals. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Dropping lake levels around Michigan leave many feeling low
August 5, 2012 - Detroit Free Press
The water level on Middle Straits Lake has been low before, but Carim Calkins doesn't remember it being so low this early in the year. The water is so low, "I bent my prop," said Calkins, who lives on the West Bloomfield Township lake and owns a 22-foot deck boat. "As the water continues to drop, it's hard to get the boat out of the lift, and it's hard to get the boat out into the lake without hitting bottom." In a state that claims 11,000 inland lakes, low lake levels are a source of concern for many. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Historical Day and Sanctuary Bay race Saturday
July 31, 2012 - Alpena News
The Alcona Historical Society will combine its annual Historical Day with its Sanctuary Bay sailboat regatta fundraiser on Saturday in a maritime history-themed event at Sturgeon Point Lighthouse, in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard's 222nd birthday and the activation of a new LED lantern for the tower. Historical Day will be open at the lighthouse grounds and the old Bailey School from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, with the regatta scheduled for 1 p.m. off the beach about a mile north of the lighthouse. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Race to Mackinac wraps up with fast succession of finishes
July 24, 2012 - Chicago Sun-Times
That’s about as concise an assessment as possible for the 333-mile race from Chicago to Mackinac Island, Mich. Only Infinite Diversion crossed the finish — a line between the lighthouse on Round Island and the race committee trailer on Mackinac Island — on Sunday. The rest of the finishers poured in Monday. Principal race officer Janet Crabb said about 75 percent of the 326-boat fleet finished within 12 hours. She told race staff the rapid finish, with cannon fire to mark the finish of each boat, reminded her of the ‘‘Parade of Boats,’’ which preceded the start of the racing sections Saturday in Chicago. ‘‘But today, instead of the metropolitan cityscape, our finishing boats were painted against the Mackinac Bridge,’’ she said. ‘‘Both locations are such incredible assets to our race.’’
Chicago Mackinac 2012 – Now it’s Windquest
July 21, 2012 - Sail World.com
Desperately close racing in the racing division of the 104th Chicago Mackinac, which started off Navy Pier today. More than 350 boats are competing in this Great Lakes classic which was first run in 1898. It was a long year for the Chicago Yacht Club's Race to Mackinac organisers after the 2011 race was marred by the death of two sailors, Mark Morley 51, and his girlfriend, Suzanne Bickel, 41. Both from Saginaw, Mich. sailing on a 35 foot sports boat Wing Nutz, they died of head trauma suffered when the boat capsized in a wild storm off Charlevoix. However this year the conditions seem much more benign, although thunderstorms are predicted at the top end of Lake Michigan tomorrow night. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Chicago YC Race to Mackinac - Read to join Thornton onboard il mostro
July 18, 2012 - Sail-World.com
Race to Mackinac 2012, organized by the Chicago Yacht Club, gets underway on July 21. Chicago's light fixture mogul Peter Thornton purchased Puma's Volvo Open 70 il mostro, which they sailed in the 2008-9 Volvo Ocean Race, in hopes of breaking the elapsed record of the CYC Race to Mackinac and he's reuniting il mostro with its previous skipper for the 333 mile race up Lake Michigan to Mackinac Island... Kenny Read. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Most boats in London 2012 Olympics premier sailing event were built in Richland
July 18, 2012 - Mlive.com
Their operation had the taste of a seaworthy spy thriller. For two-and-a-half years, Jon VanderMolen and his crew worked around the clock in total secrecy, constructing 37 professional sailboats by hand inside a climate-controlled warehouse on M-89 just outside of downtown Richland. Their customers were countries, and were all fighting for one thing: a medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. For more of this article click on the title above.
Mackinac race: Bernida's storybook ending is historic
July 17, 2012 - The Times Herald
Once the sails were stowed and the times corrected, the oldest boat in this year’s race to Mackinac Island also was the fastest on the Shore Course. Bernida, winner of the 1925 and 1927 Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island sailboat races, had a corrected time of 41 hours, 34 minutes and 42 seconds. That was not only the fastest time among boats racing the Shore Course, it also was nearly two hours faster than the rest of the PHRF H class. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Windquest first to Mackinac
July 15, 2012 - The Times Herald
Windquest was the fastest boat in the Mackinac race fleet, but it likely wasn’t fast enough. The 86-footer out of Macatawa Bay Yacht Club, which is owned by Doug DeVos, arrived at the finish at Mackinac Island at 5:30 p.m., well ahead of its competitors, who were at least 20 nautical miles short of the finish line when Windquest finished. Thanks to a negative-156, however, the boat likely wasn’t fast enough to win its class, as 11 of the other 12 boats in PHRF A are rated at negative-87 or higher. Natalie J, which finished at 8:45 p.m., is the current projected winner. For more of this article, click on the title above.
88th annual Port Huron-Mackinac sailboat race under way
July 14, 2012 - Detroit Free Press
The 88th sailing of the Bells Beer Bayview Mackinac Race got under way today, with flat seas and light winds. The day started with crews bustling between cars and the boats lining the Black River, carrying their gear, cases of food of drinks and at probably close to 1,000 bags of ice. Practically none of the 219 boats in the Mackinac fleet have refrigerators, to save the weight. These sailors are chilling with ice chests. Sammy Barbour of Grosse Pointe is skippering the NA 40 Velero VII at the tender age of 22, an almost unheard of young age for a Mackinac skipper. The boat belonged to his father, John Barbour, who died suddenly last fall of cancer. For more of this article, click on the title above.
New safety rules for Mackinac Race
July 9, 2012 - The Times Herald
The 88th running of the Mackinac Race is right around the corner. Boats will set sail from lower Lake Huron Saturday morning for the trek to Mackinac Island. Race organizers hope this year’s race will be safer than any prior year because of a couple of new guidelines. After the tragic circumstances of last year’s Chicago to Mackinac Race, in which two boaters died after their boat capsized, the race committee made changes to the safety guidelines of the race. The first requires every person on the crew to have a knife that can be opened and operated with one hand. Crew members also must use tethers that are designed to open despite carrying weight. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Michigan Tall Ship featured in major motion picture
July 7, 2012 - SailMichigan.org
Early June 2012 saw the Traverse City premier of the independent feature film “Hide Away” starring Josh Lucas, James Cromwell and Ayelet Zurer. At the heart of the movie, filmed in late 2009 in the Grand Traverse area, is the 39 foot cutter Champion, owned and operated by The Maritime Heritage Alliance. The Champion, renamed Hesperus in the film, is a 1968 Concordia-built wooden, traditionally-rigged cutter which offers emotional deliverance to Josh Lucas’s character as he restores her from a dilapidated state. The real-life mission of The Champion may be more poignant (and worthy of a movie in its own right) in that she actually serves as a ship of therapy for troubled youth in the Maritime Heritage Alliance’s S.A.I.L. program. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Laser Radial Youth Worlds Bronze for USA's Mitchell Kiss
July 4, 2012 - Sail-World.com
US Sailing Development Team member Mitchell Kiss (Holland, Mich.) won a bronze medal at the 2012 Laser Radial Youth World Championship held June 29 – July 4, in Brisbane, Australia. Racing was hosted by the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron and sailed on Moreton Bay. Kiss recorded top-10 scores throughout the seven-race series, except for an 11th, which he used as his discard result. He finished with 27 points, only three points behind the first and second place sailors, who tied on points: Hermann Tomasgaard (NOR) and Andrew Mckenzie (NZL), respectively. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Sailing: Regatta winds light, but full of fun
July 1, 2012 - The Times Herald
It has often been said the Lake Huron International Regatta is a good indicator of who the favorite of the Mackinac Race will be. If that is true, Stephen Polk and his crew on Tsunami should have a good showing at the upcoming race. They were the winners of the Port Huron 100 Section 1 of the Lake Huron International Regatta. They came in as the overall winner of the race by finishing with a corrected time of 16 hours, 17 minutes and 58 seconds. Equation, led by Bill Alcott, Ed Palms and Tom Anderson, were second in the division with a corrected time of 16 hours, 20 minutes and 57 seconds. For more of this article, click on the title above.
International Regatta good tune-up for Mackinac
June 28, 2012 - The Times Herald
Tyson Connolly believes the Mackinac race is won at night. So what better way to prepare for it than sailing an overnight race? The Port Huron Yacht Club will hold its Lake Huron International Regatta Saturday. The race begins at 5 p.m. about 2 miles north of the Blue Water Bridge and will finish at Vantage Point sometime Sunday morning. “Any boat that’s competing in the Bells Bayview Port Huron-to-Mackinac, you definitely want to get your crew out there in an overnight situation where you’re kind of re-learning the boat at night,” said Connolly, vice chairman of the International Regatta and a crewmember on Val Saph’s Rowdy. “It’s my opinion that Mackinac is won at night. You really have to maintain your focus and keep your decision-making proper. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Queens Cup weekend begins as sailors gather in South Haven for Lake Michigan yacht races
June 27, 2012 - MLive.com
Today marks the beginning of the Tripp Memorial Race, a 78-nautical mile yacht sailing race from South Haven to Milwaukee, Wis. The race is a precursor to one of the oldest yachting races in existence, the Queens Cup, which is in its 74thyear. For the first time, the Queens Cup will end in South Haven, where numerous events and festivities are planned. A list of events happening in South Haven on Saturday can be found at: http://www.southhaven.org/content.cfm?id=50 For more of this article, click on the title above.
19 classic wood boats compete in regatta on Lake St. Clair
June 17, 2012 - Detroit Free Press
It could have been a scene from a half century ago Saturday on Lake St. Clair, as the first Detroit Classic Boat Regatta brought 19 mostly wooden beauties skimming across the lake.The boats -- dating from 1921 to 1974, with one boat, Wayward Wind, a reproduction built in 2006 in the classic style -- came from Lake St Clair and Lake Huron for the race, the only local sailboat racing venue devoted to classic boats. They were an on-the-water illustration of the evolution of sailboat design, their wood framing a little gentler and their curves a little softer than modern boats. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Seul Choix Pointe boating access site in Schoolcraft County to temporarily close
June 13, 2012 - MDNR
The Seul Choix Pointe boating access site on Lake Michigan in Schoolcraft County will temporarily close on Monday, June 18 for an improvement project, the Department of Natural Resources announced today. Site improvements will include dredging, installation of a new concrete boat ramp, and reconfiguration of the parking area. It is anticipated that the project will be completed and the site reopened by Friday, June 29. Alternative access sites are the Manistique Municipal Ramp and Naubinway Harbor. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Detroit boaters left high, dry as Erma Henderson Marina remains closed for foreseeable future
June 7, 2012 - MLive.com
Nautical season is at full mast, but boating enthusiasts in Detroit say the city is leaving them high and dry. Mayor Dave Bing's latest attempt to outsource management of the Erma Henderson Marina fell short on Tuesday, when the Detroit City Council unanimously rejected a contract for Detroit Boat Works owner Stephen Hume, who had offered to pay the city $32,000 a year. Council sided with local boaters who have been complaining for months about the process, arguing that the mayor's office hand-selected Hume despite a worthy proposal from a black-owned business group with close ties to the marina, believed to be one the first racially-integrated docks in the nation. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Bayview Yacht Club getting good response to One Design Regatta
May 31, 2012 - Detroit Free Press
After 19 years working with Sailing Worlds on the National Off-Shore One Design Regattas, Detroit’s Bayview Yacht Club decided to run the race on its own this year, and the new format is quite a hit with sailors — there are 206 boats entered in the 2012 Bayview One Design Regatta, compared with 101 in last year’s NOODs. “I think we refreshed everyone’s outlook on the whole event -- made a lot of changes and added a lot of perks,” said race chairman Hanson Bratton. For more of this article, click on the title above.
SailMichigan Final Collegiate Sailing Rankings for 2011-12
May 27, 2012 - SailMichigan
Now that Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association (MCSA) division regattas have concluded for the season, we have evaluated 12 MCSA Spring regattas for school performance rankings. To be included in the final Spring ranking, a college/university must have competed in 25% (3) of the evaluated regattas. Thirteen programs have fullfilled that criteron and their rankings are below. The evaluated regattas for the Spring were: Freshman Ice Beaker, Robert Morris Invitational, Wittenberg Regatta, Big 10 Team Race, Hawkeye Invitational, Buckeye Instersectional, Wet your Willie, MCSA Coed Championship, 3 Division Championship, MCSA Team Race Championship, Oxford Classic Team Race, and the Gopher Invite. Scores were determined as the average of each team's top three performances, with the scores weighted based on the number of schools competing in a given regatta. Please click on the title above (or the Blogger icon) to read the rest of the article and rankings.
DNR celebrates opening of Crystal Lake boating access site June 7
May 24, 2012 - MDNR
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will mark the opening of the new Crystal Lake boating access site in Frankfort (Benzie County) with a dedication ceremony at 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 7, at the site, 5572 Mollineaux Road. The event will include the sign unveiling followed by refreshments, including a taste of Pure Michigan Caramel apple ice cream – the official flavor of Michigan state parks. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Lake Fenton's boating access site to temporarily close after Memorial Day
May 24, 2012 - Mlive.com
Lake Fenton's boating access site will temporarily close after the Memorial Day holiday.The Department of Natural Resources will begin reconstruction of the boating access site, beginning Tuesday. It's expected to be closed until July 24 – when construction is expected to be completed. However, lake-goers will be able to have access to the lake on weekends.For more of this article, click on the title above.2012
First boat to win Mackinac to sail it again
May 24, 2012 - Detroit News
Talk about making a comeback. Bernida, the first boat to win the Bayview Port Huron to Mackinac Race in 1925, will sail this year's 88th event starting July 14. Bought last autumn by Grosse Pointe Park's Al Declercq, the boat is a 32-foot R-class sloop with an open cockpit. There is no cabin for the crew. In terms of size, it's significantly smaller than other boats in the field. "It's only 48 hours, who the heck cares?" said Declercq, who has entered two races this year with Bernida and won both. "It might be nice, it might be ugly, but when it's rough out there, no boats are comfortable. We'll just be a little less comfortable than the rest of them." For more of this article, click on the title above.
Cooks Bay boat launch to close June 18-July 2
May 21, 2012 - MDNR
The Department of Natural Resources recently announced that the Cooks Bay boating access site on Manistique Lake in Mackinac County will be temporarily closed from June 18 through July 2 for maintenance at the facility. DNR Parks and Recreation Division staff will work to reopen the site as soon as possible. In the meantime, other boating access sites in the area that may be used include Manistique Lake-Northside boating access site (Luce County) off of County Road 463 and County Line boating access site (Luce County) off of County Road 98. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Grand Slam Match Racing Series expands internationally
May 16, 2012 - Sail-World.com
Grand Slam Match Racing Series 2012 qualifying events start this weekend in Chicago and Oyster Bay, New York. After last year's successful debut, organizers from the Chicago Match Race Center (CMRC), Bayview YC (BYC), Manhasset Bay YC (MBYC) and Oakcliff Sailing have expanded their international slate of teams to compete in this year's Grand Slam Match Racing Series. In all, teams from eight countries will be represented in this year's series of four consecutive ISAF Open Grade 2 events: Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, US Virgin Islands, and throughout the US. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Port Austin State Harbor partially closed for renovations
April 27, 2012 - MDNR
The Department of Natural Resources today announced that, due to renovations, the Port Austin State Harbor in Huron County will temporarily close for the 2012 season. A limited number of slips on the West Dock will be available for transient boaters only. For the duration of the project, the closures will include the boat ramp, the East Dock slips, a portion of the West Dock slips, the fuel and sanitation system and the public restroom building. For information on availability, contact the harbor directly at 989-738-8712. Click on the title above for the complete article.
SailMichigan Midwest Collegiate Rankings for April 23, 2012
April 23, 2012 - SailMichigan
After nine MCSA conference regional regattas this spring, 22 Midwest college/universities were ranked based on their highest performances in at least 2 of the nine evaluated regattas. University of Wisconsin, the only nationally ranked program in the MCSA, tops the SailMichigan rankings, followed closely by the University of Michigan. Northwestern University, University of Minnesota and University of Chicago round out the top 5. Among the other Michigan Universities, Michigan State comes in at 7th, Michigan Tech at 10th, and Western Michigan at 13th. Only four conference regattas remain to be evaluated for the Spring season. For more information on the rankings and a history of the rankings for the 2012 academic year, click on the title above.
Lake Nepessing Boating Access Site in Lapeer County to close temporarily in May
April 17, 2012 - MDNR
The Department of Natural Resources announced that the Lake Nepessing Boating Access Site in Lapeer County will be closed temporarily between May 9 and May 23 to complete the paving phase of an improvement project that began April 11. Todd Farrell, supervisor at Metamora-Hadley and Ortonville recreation areas, said the site may be open on weekends for boat launching and retrieval but with very limited parking available. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Chicago to Mackinac sailboat race organizers debate safety rules
April 16, 2012 - Detroit Free Press
After two Saginaw sailors died when their boat WingNuts capsized in last summer's Chicago to Mackinac race, the debate for race planners this year has been all about determining a boat's stability index -- the point of no return where a boat is knocked so far over, it continues to roll into capsize instead of righting itself. The Lake Huron and Lake Michigan race sponsors went in opposite directions with their ultimate solutions. Bayview Yacht Club isn't establishing a hard-and-fast rule, and instead it will make a decision on a boat-by-boat basis for the Lake Huron race. For more of this article, click on the title above.
St. Clair Shores opens lake ramp to nonresidents
April 13, 2012 - The Detroit News
As a longtime boater, Bob Lisiecki knows access to lakes around Metro Detroit is sometimes elusive. "I grew up in Southeastern Michigan," said the 55-year-old from Bloomfield Township. "And access to lakes when you can't afford to have property on a lake has always been an issue." But the city of St. Clair Shores has taken a tack to increase access to Lake St. Clair. Officials recently decided to allow nonresidents to use the city's Nine Mile boat ramp this spring. It's the first time the city has opened up a municipal boat ramp to nonresidents, said Greg Esler, director of the St. Clair Shores Parks and Recreation Department. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Rockport boating access site to close temporarily
April 10, 2012 - MDNR
The Department of Natural Resources announced today that the Rockport boating access site in Alpena County will temporarily close from April 23 through May 11, 2012, due to maintenance at the facility. For more information, click on the title above.
Shallow harbors are sinking Great Lakes tourism
April 4, 2012 - Detroit Free Press
A $200-million backlog in unfunded Great Lakes dredging and maintenance projects has left many Great Lakes harbors so shallow, they create safety hazards and hurt Michigan's tourism industry. Lack of regular maintenance could leave recreational boaters in search of a safe harbor or unable to get boats across a sand-filled harbor entrance. Even if boaters aren't in peril, they tend to avoid shallow harbors where the depth is uncertain, causing serious financial losses to local businesses and the state's tourism industry in general, tourism officials say. For more of this article click on the title above.
Woverines win in early season collegiate regatta
March 31, 2012 - SailMichigan
The U of M Wolverine sailing team finished tops in MCSA conference action in a 10 school field at the Robert Morris Invitational on March 24th and 25th. Hosted by the Columbia Yacht Club under light to moderate conditions, the Wolverines finished first after 10 races with 56 pts, followed by University of Wisconsin Badgers (80 pts) and the University of Minnesota Gophers (84 points). Western Michigan and Michigan State teams finished 11th and 12th respectively, but ahead of teams from Robert Morris University and Indiana University. Information from Tech Score was used in this report.
Boat docking at road ends is curbed
March 23, 2012 - The Detroit News
Boaters no longer will be able to tie up overnight at spots where public roads end on lakes and other waterways under a measure signed into law Thursday by Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. The new law makes it a misdemeanor to place boat hoists or anchoring systems or to install a dock or wharf at road ends. Similar penalties apply to boaters who moor or dock their boats at road ends between midnight and sunrise. Only single-season docks authorized by local government officials and approved by the Department of Environmental Quality will be allowed under the new law. Violators face a fine of up to $500 per day. For more of this article, click on the title above.
North Cape navigates 50 years
March 20, 2012 - The Monroe News
It all began in 1962 with Dragons in the Maumee River. Members of the Toledo Yacht Club who owned Dragon class sailboats became weary of tacking back and forth or motoring down the river from the club to get to the sailing waters of Lake Erie. So the Western Lake Erie Dragon Association began angling for a new location closer to the lake. At about the same time, Virgil Gladieux, a Toledo businessman and entrepreneur, was mapping plans for a new marina on lakefront property in LaSalle that he had acquired near the mouth of Sulphur Creek. It then was a duck marsh and included remnants of the old Toledo Beach Amusement Park, once a popular lakeshore destination. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Harbor committee, citizens group work on marina plan
March 17, 2012 - The Mining Journal
Marquette's Harbor Advisory Committee and representatives from a local citizens group reached no major decisions, but continued Thursday with discussions about the future of Presque Isle Marina. The group is evaluating the feasibility of moving forward with an already-approved five-phase plan for the renovation of the city-owned marina. The committee agreed Thursday to look at an option in which part of the marina is dredged, but not to the extent initially planned. At the same time, the city would construct a new boat launch slightly south of the existing one, splitting the project into two phases so one launch would always be available. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Signs of a great time on the Great Lakes: New markers show way along water trails
March 11, 2012 - Detroit Free Press
Nobody will ever mistake Lake Huron for a pond. Paddlers have known that for the last 8,000 years. "You need to keep a weather eye, because it can change in a hurry," said Dana Cornett, owner of Kayak Corral in Saline, who knows the lake and its moods. To help paddlers along, the Tip of the Thumb Heritage Water Trail now is fully marked for 122 miles of Lake Huron shoreline spanning Sanilac, Huron and Tuscola counties. That means a paddler -- be it a kayaker, canoeist or just somebody in a rowboat -- can find launch areas, camping spots, interest points and lighthouses from Lexington to the Quanicassee River near Bay City. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Dredging funds for small-town harbors like Saugatuck, Pentwater at risk, group says
February 27, 2012 - Grand Rapids News
Felicia Fairchild fears Saugatuck is in danger of losing one of its major economic engines -- the dredging that provides water access to Lake Michigan. “Without the dredging every two to three years, we’re sunk for boats to get in and out,” said Fairchild, executive director of the Saugatuck-Douglas Convention and Visitors Bureau. She estimates without dredging of the lake channel, the Saugatuck-Douglas area could drastically affect the $155 million tourist industry in Saugatuck/Douglas. For more of this article, click on the title above.
1925 Mackinac winner, Bernida, to race again
February 23, 2012 - Detroit Free Press
Bernida, the first boat to win a Port Huron to Mackinac race in 1925, will race again in this summer's Bell's Beer Bayview Mackinac Race. And it's going to be a grand race July 14: Race headquarters have been switched to the Grand Hotel, which will be open to crews and their families with the $10 charge waived, said Greg Thomas, race chairman. Bernida was bought by Al Declercq of Grosse Pointe Park last fall and will return to Bayview, the club it sailed out of when it was a proud new boat during the 1920s. The 32-foot R-Class sloop with an open cockpit -- no cabin for the crew -- won the first race in 1925 and won again two years later. The boat was found in Frankfort in 1995, a forlorn and rotting wreck. For more of this article, click on the title above.
World championships held on ice of Chain Lake
February 23, 2012 - Soo Evening News
Mother Nature was unable to shut down the 2012 World Ice and Snow Sailing Association (WISSA) Championships in St. Ignace this week, but she sure made a lot of work for event organizers.“Our community stepped up to the plate big time,” said Executive Director Janet Peterson of the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce. “I don’t even know if I could venture a guess how many volunteers have helped out.” With participants from nearly a dozen different countries traveling to St. Ignace for the week-long championships, the ice of Lake Michigan proved to be far too treacherous. Faced with the cancellation of an event that is only held every 17 years in the United States, the people of St. Ignace not only went to Plan B, but had to make it up on the fly — moving all activities to nearby Chain Lake. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Traverse City Utility Lights Way to new Home for Tall Ship's Schooner Manitou
February 22, 2012 - Promote Michigan
After 25 years of tall ship sailing in Traverse City, it looked like the end of the line for Traverse Tall Ship Company and the schooner Manitou, yet another victim of the wave of foreclosures plaguing the nation. As tenants of the dock and property owned by failed developer Westbay Partners, LLC, the Tall Ship Co. – along with two other commercial tenants – was served with an eviction notice in July 2011. With very limited berthing options for Manitou, the situation looked bleak for one of Northern Michigan’s most popular destination attractions. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Lake St. Clair levels high now, but won't last, official says
February 9, 2012 - Detroit Free Press
The lakes will be about the same depth as last year by summer, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts. Boaters and anglers who might be expecting low lake levels because of the lack of snowfall will be pleasantly surprised in early spring to find the lake higher than last year. Those higher-than-last-year levels in lakes St. Clair and Erie in spring are more of a false positive than a real promise of deeper water, said Keith Kompoltowicz, a Corps of Engineers meteorologist. That's because ice on the St. Clair River last year blocked water flow into the lower lakes, leading to low levels last spring. This year there has been little or no ice on the river, so the spring levels will be as much as 13 to 20 inches above last year, he said. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Bell's Beer extends title sponsor of Bayview Yacht Mackinac Race through 2014
January 31, 2012 - Bayview Yacht Club
Detroit's Bayview Yacht Club, one of the most storied and historical sailing clubs in the world, announced today that Bell's Brewery - a major beer producer and the largest based in Michigan -- has extended its title sponsorship of the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race an additional three years. The sponsorship will run through the 2014 race. The Port Huron to Mackinac race is officially titled "Bell's Beer Bayview Mackinac Race" and sets sail on Saturday, July 14, 2012, in Southern Lake Huron, just north of the Blue Water Bridge. For more of this Press Release, please click on the title above.
New Safety Regulations for The Mac
January 31, 2012 - Sail Magazine
In the wake of last year’s Chicago-to-Mackinac race, in which two crewmembers died in the capsize of the Kiwi 35 sport boat WingNuts during a severe nighttime storm, the Chicago Yacht Club has instituted a series of changes to try to ensure a similar accident doesn’t happen again. Among the biggest changes coming to the race is a required minimum stability index rating of 103 for all boats taking part. This rating is similar to a conventional limit of positive stability (LPS) number, but modified to reflect a boat’s length, beam and displacement, as well as features like the “wings” that played a role in WingNuts’s capsize. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Summer boating forecast: Lake levels slightly lower
January 8, 2012 - The Detroit News
In the first forecast for the summer boating season, Great Lakes water levels in the region will be similar to or slightly lower than 2011 marks, a report projects. Superior (1-3 inches higher) and Michigan and Huron (0-8 inches higher) are projected to start the boating season in May and June higher than last year, according to the monthly report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Following a year of record precipitation in southeastern Michigan, Lakes St. Clair and Erie are projected to be 2-7 inches below last year's marks, but still near their long-term averages, the Corps said. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Bayview Mackinac Race makes changes in ratings system, safety
January 7, 2012 - Detroit Free Press
After several years of newer handicap rating systems, including last year that saw a slew of normally long-course boats defect to the shore course to sail under the PHRF system, the Bells Beer Bayview Mackinac Race is returning to the PHRF rating system for all classes. Also this year, host Bayview Yacht Club is making a couple of minor safety changes in the wake of WingNuts capsizing in last year's Chicago race, killing two Michigan sailors. This year, all sailors will be required to carry a knife that can be opened with one hand, and have a quick release tether with the quick release end attached to the sailor, not the boat. For more of this article click the title above.
University of Michigan Sailing wins Allstate Sugar Bowl
January 5, 2012 - SailMichigan.org
The University of Michigan football team was not the only U of M team taking Sugar Bowl honors this year. In addition to the better known football classic, the affiliated Sugar Bowl Sailing Regatta has been around just as long and is also considered to be a premiere event. The regatta was held on December 30 and 31 and was hosted by Tulane University and the Southern Yacht Club on Lake Pontchartrain. This ICSA intersectional regatta included teams from the University of Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Tulane, Texas A&M, University of Florida and The Ohio State University to name a few. After two days and 10 races, the Wolverines beat second place Georgia Tech by 1 point. The University of Wisconsin rounded out the top 3. Full regatta scores can be found on the Tech Score website. A full history of the Sugar Bowl Sailing Regatta can be found Sugar Bowl regatta website.
Rains raise Great Lakes water levels, but lack of ice is a concern
December 29, 2011 - The Detroit News
Wet weather could push Great Lakes water levels up from last year, but some fear those gains could evaporate because of unseasonably warm weather. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its six-month forecast Wednesday calling for above-average levels on the lakes St. Clair, Erie and Ontario. By February, levels could be way up in Lake St. Clair — nearly 20 inches because of last year's ice jam, said Keith Kompoltowicz, a corps meteorologist. That's good news for recreational boaters, but it could be short-lived. Some fear that gains from the region's second-wettest year in 131 years could be offset because it's almost January and the lakes still lack much ice. Temperatures in December were 3.6 degrees above average. For more of this article, click on the title above.2012
Anna Tunnicliffe and her team secure gold at the 2011 ISAF World Championships
December 21, 2011 - Bettor.com
The American women sailor Anna Tunnicliffe proved her worth at the 2011 International Sailing Federation (ISAF) World Championships taking place in Perth, Australia. Tunnicliffe overcame all odds as she along with her team earned gold medals for her country, USA. The American sailing team were going head-to-head with the women sailors from Great Britain as the competition grew. Both teams were competing in the Women’s Match Racing Final which was held on December 16, 2011. For more of this article, click on the title above.
Bayview Yacht Club will be introducing new regatta in place of NOODs
December 9, 2011 - Detroit Free Press
After a 19-year run, the National Offshore One-Design Regatta -- commonly called the NOODs -- no longer will be held in Detroit, and in its place, Bayview Yacht Club is introducing a new one-design regatta. The Bayview One-Design Regatta will be similar in format to the NOODs, with three racecourses. The new regatta also will have a fourth course for dinghy classes in the Detroit River in front of Bayview, said race chairman Hanson Bratton. For more of this article, click on the title above.
