Dear Bayview Mackinac Race Skippers, Crew, Sponsors, and Spectators:
I hope everyone is getting their COVID booster shots and are planning time with their families for the holidays. I just returned from the Wirth Monroe Miami to Palm Beach Race, commonly known as the “Race to the Buffet.” The race was an upwind slog in moderate breeze in the gulf stream: tough conditions but a great race. The Great Lakes were well represented, with two boats crewed exclusively by Great Lakes sailors and then many more individuals scattered across the fleet. Great Lakes sailors are a force to be reckoned with. As always, the Sailfish Club hit a home run hosting the “Buffet” after-race party.
General Race Update
The Mackinac Race Authority (MRA) has received the Bayview Yacht Club Board of Governors’ approval for the 2022 NOR and Budget. This is the first of the bylaw-driven gateways that must be passed to have the 2022 race.
We just kicked off a moderate upgrade to the www.bycmack.com website. The website upgrade focuses on usability, ease of maintenance, and streamlined access to information for both the participants and the race administration. Don’t worry; we are NOT changing the backend scoring functionality or database.
The current plan is to have the upgrade completed for registration opening on January 15, 2022. A change from previous years is that competitors must pay the entry fee at the time of registration
Mackinac Harbor Discussion
As stated in the last communication, there is nothing more that I and the MRA would like than filling the harbor with boats that participate in the Bayview Mackinac Race. The reality is that it is still highly unlikely that the race will ever be able to use the harbor as it has in the past. The State of Michigan has restricted the harbor to only one boat per well.
The Mackinac Island Harbor Managers have informally applied this policy for the last two years. For at least the previous decade, ever-increasing docking restrictions have resulted in changes that have been obvious to all racers.
The MRA is working hard with business and political representatives on this issue. I do not know where this will fall out, but we will keep the pressure on.
Please note that if any changes allow for docking or docking preference, it will be granted to boats in the order of paid registration in the race. An entry in the race does NOT guarantee a dock on Mackinac Island. It never did. The state was more cooperative in the past, and sponsorship covered the cost.
Cove Island Course
I am excited to say we plan on sailing the Cove Island Course this year. The Cove Island Mark will be virtual. Boats will be required to round a mark described by a GPS location. This practice is not new to yacht racing; it has been done very successfully for many longer distance races worldwide where setting a physical mark is impractical or cost-prohibitive.
Setting a physical mark in the location of the old Cove Island Canadian Government buoy is difficult, expensive, and problematic. I have done many offshore races where most of the marks have been virtual. A virtual mark ensures you know where the “Mark” is that you are rounding and that there are no mark setting errors. When a competitor’s boat gets near the Virtual Mark location, the YB Tracker will change modes and record position at a higher rate, much like the finish line functionality. The system is proven! The position displayed on the tracker page will not change from the past. Please note that the YB Tracker page on the website is for “infotainment” only and NOT for navigation.
Safety at Sea
The US Sailing Safety at Sea in-the-water class is being offered by US Sailing, Bayview Yacht Club, and Detroit Yacht Club on Saturday, April 23, 2022. This is ONLY the in-the-water class portion of the certification. The classroom training must be done online before attending the in-the-water course. Come for a swim on Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Detroit Yacht Club! Registration information will be out soon and found at the following link. https://www.ussailing.org/education/adult/safety-at-sea-courses/find-a-course-near-you/
What do I want you to remember?
- We intend to open registration on January 15, 2022.
- There will be a new website interface.
- Competitors will be required to pay their entry fee to register for the race.
- Entry does not guarantee a dock on Mackinac Island
- The individual entry fee of 95% of the boats that sail the race does not cover their share of the cost of the race. Some portion of their cost to participate in the race is covered by race sponsorship.
- More volunteers than you can imagine working hard to keep your cost down and fun up. Please appreciate the work they do.
We at Bayview Yacht Club are honored that you choose to participate in the Bayview Mackinac Race and are putting forth our best effort to make it the best it can be for you.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns at any time over the next year.
Chris Clark
Chair, 2022 Bayview Mackinac Race
Mackchair2022@byc.com
ppers, Crew, Sponsors, and Spectators:
We are all saddened by the sudden passing of Luiz Kahl, 2005 & 2022 Mackinac Race Chairman and owner of Yacht Scoring, at the end of September. I have sailed many miles, worked on many events, and had many glasses of wine with Luiz. I will miss him. With sadness, I accepted the duty of filling in for Luiz as the 2022 Mackinac Race Chairman. Luiz’s shoes are large and impossible to fill. I will do my best to run an event that Luiz would be proud of. To that end, I thought it was time for an informal update.
General Race Update
The Mackinac Race Authority (MRA) has submitted the Notice of Race (NOR) to the Bayview Board of Governors, as required by the Bayview Yacht Club and MRA Bylaws, for their final review. There are some changes from the last couple of years’ NORs, but overwhelmingly it is just housekeeping. We expect to publish the NOR in December and open the website for entries sometime in January 2022.
Since boats are currently allowed to sail over the international border, we are planning on having the Cove Island Course and the Shore Course in 2022. We are looking forward to seeing our Canadian competitors back on the racecourse.
www.bycmack.com
This is an area where we are likely to have some difficulties. The product that Luiz developed for us is fantastic but very special purpose. Luiz had decades of experience, problem-solving, and knowledge that will be sorely missed. The MRA has a professional team dedicated to the website, making the updates and changes needed for 2022. Even with the help of this team, it is likely we will struggle. If you find errors or omissions on the website, please let us know. Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding on this issue.
Mackinac Harbor Discussion
Two questions the MRA has been asked many times are “Will we get the use of the harbor on Mackinac Island?”, and “I paid for a well in my entry fee why don’t I get it?”.
There is nothing more that I and the MRA would like than to be able to fill the harbor with boats that participate in the Bayview Mackinac Race. The reality is that it is highly unlikely that the race will ever be able to make use of the harbor as it has in the past. Many things have changed, but the biggest impact is the restriction placed on the usage of the harbor by the State of Michigan. The State of Michigan has restricted the harbor to only one boat per well. This policy change not only affects the harbor on Mackinac Island, but at a minimum, it will impact the Straights State Harbor in Mackinaw City as well.
Recently, an article was published in the St. Ignace News announcing this policy. The article recognized that this may impact the number of boats that do the Mackinac races. This change is not new news. This policy has been informally applied by the Mackinac Island Harbor Master for the last two years. For at least the last decade, ever-increasing docking restrictions have resulted in changes that have been obvious to all racers.
I want to assure you that the MRA is NOT sitting on our hands. Annually, as restrictions have increased, we are reaching out to political and business representatives who may be able to influence this policy. I do not hold high hope that we will be able to affect any change in the near term. I will, however, keep you updated on our discussions and any changes to the current policy.
Please note that if any changes allow for docking preference, it will be granted to boats in the order of paid registration in the race.
Docking Cost Discussion
Historically, the race entry fees only paid for a small amount of the dockage costs on Mackinac Island, and the balance was paid for thru race sponsorships. The fact that the race could put multiple boats in a well and raft helped control the costs. Over the past several years, the costs to run the race have dramatically increased.
As you know, everything is more expensive and will continue to get more expensive. As I have stated many times in the past, the MRA runs the race on a break-even basis. This year is no different. The best way to look at this is that the individual entry fee of 90% of the boats that sail the race does not cover their share of the cost of the race. The one dollar per year increase in entry fee the MRA has applied over the past few years, results in a modest cost increase for the competitors but has allowed us to keep the amenities and traditions that skippers, crew, families, and fans enjoy including the Yellow Brick Race Trackers, Island Award Party, Participation Medals, Brag Flags, Trophies, Awards Dinner, and the like.
The BYC Sponsorship Committee, in partnership with the MRA, works year-round to develop sponsorship relationships that help keep the entry fees down, 2022 is no exception.
What do I want you to remember?
- The State of Michigan has changed its policy concerning Harbor Operations.
- It is highly unlikely we will ever be able to raft or have full use of the harbor again.
- Your entry fee has never paid for the full cost of the dockage on Mackinac Island.
- There are more volunteers than you can imagine that are working hard to keep your cost down. Please say thank you to them, buy them a drink if you are so inclined….
A final reminder to visit our website (www.bycmack.com) often, this is where we will post all competitor notifications and updates, as well as the calendar of important dates.
We at Bayview Yacht Club are honored that you choose to participate in the Bayview Mackinac Race and are putting forth our best effort to make it the best it can be for you.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns at any time over the next year.
Chris Clark
Chair, 2022 Bayview Mackinac Race
Mackchair2022@byc.com