Dear Bayview Mackinac Race Skippers, Crew, Sponsors, and Spectators:

Dear Bayview Mackinac Race Skippers, 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 a 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