Bruce Babiarz, BAB Associates, LLC Babiarz@BABPR.com; 248-890-5030 PURE MICHIGAN® BAYVIEW MACKINAC RACE STARTS with 206 SAIL BOATS PORT HURON,, MI – A total of 206 sailboats in 22 classes raced in the 2010 Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race that started under blue skies and a light 12 knot breeze and ended with a rainstorm and 20-knot gusts on Saturday in Lake Huron. A storm swept in with rain and 20-knot winds for the last two starts of the largest boats around 1:40 p.m. The 80-foot Hong Kong-registered “Beau Geste” took the start with a two-boat length lead over the 86-foot Windquest of Ada, Michigan. The Beau Geste’s huge white spinnaker helped kick a strong wake from the boat as lighting strikes hit open waters near the starting line. The Mackinac racing boats, ranging in size from 28 to 86-feet in length with approximately 2,500 sailors, set sail on two separate courses from Port Huron to Mackinac Island with the larger boats expected to finish in the early hours Monday. The first class of boats crossed the starting line at the gun at 11:30 a.m. with a new class starting every 10 minutes until the largest class of 12 boats ranging in size from 52 to 86-feet crossed the line at 1:50. The last class for multihull or catamaran-style sailboats included just two boats, “Nice Pair” and Ollie. A total of 209 boats had registered for the race but four boats withdrew. They were Night Moves, Walloon, Camelot, and MicJay. It was not immediately known whether the withdrawals were for mechanical or other reasons. As clouds rolled in during the starts the winds ranged between 9 and 14 knots giving the early classes spinnaker starts, with the multi-colored chutes heading into the open waters of Lake Huron. “It’s sunny and there is a steady breeze and most of the boats are putting up their spinnakers as they cross the starting line,” said Chairman Tom Burleson. “Its chamber of commerce weather and the starts have been fantastic. A great start for the 86th Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race.” Among the largest boats in this year race is Windquest, an 86-foot Maxiracer owned by Doug and Dick Devos. The 80-foot sailboat “Beau Geste” registered out of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club came all the way to Port Huron from Hong Kong to do the race. Owner Karl C. Kwok, conducted numerous media interviews by phone, satellite phone and e-mail given the intensive media interest in a boat that sailed thousands of miles to compete in the 252-nautical mile “Cove Island” course that will take about half the fleet into Canadian waters for the course mark before they sail west to Mackinac Island. Some 101 sail boats will follow the “Shore Course,” that hugs the Michigan coastline before sailing west Mackinac Island. The Shore Course is some 50 miles shorter than the Cove Island course and is favored by many of the smaller boats in the race. “We are having a beautiful day aboard with our Bayview guests, friends and crew family to watch the start,” said Lt. Commander Tim Brown, of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock, which was anchored a few hundred yards from the race committee boats and starting line. “We thank Bayview Yacht Club for their partnership in ensuring the safety of the racers and we look forward a successful finish at Mackinac Island.” For only the second time ever, sailing fans in Michigan and around the world are able to monitor the historic race via the michigan.org Web site with Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking technology. GPS devices have been placed on all participating race boats. Some 1 million page views per day are expected.lso for the first time in race history the professional sports teams in Detroit, Lions football, Red Wings hockey, Pistons basketball and Detroit Tigers baseball teams each “adopted a boat” for their fans to root for to victory. The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association (DSBA) launched the “Pro Team Challenge at Bayview’s June 22 news conference to draw support to the sport of sailing. “The teams have outfitted the crews with jerseys and hats and a team flag,” said Bill Harrington, marketing director for the DSBA. “We are pleased to work with Bayview and offer a new trophy ‘The Pro Team Challenge’ for the overall winner of the four team boats. We encourage fans of each team to monitor their progress at www.michigan.org and root for their team sailors.” “This race is truly ‘Pure Michigan’, and it attracts thousands of people to the magic of Michigan summers each and every year,” said George Zimmermann, vice president, Travel Michigan, who is racing aboard the 70-foot yacht Runaway. “The race is based out of Detroit, starts in Port Huron and takes everyone ‘Up North’ to Mackinac Island, so it is a perfect fit with our highly successful Pure Michigan national advertising campaign to draw tourism to our great state.” Zimmermann said the event draws sailors and fans from some 20 states and multiple countries that participate in the event. Based on its draw and the visits to the web site, sponsoring the event for the second year made good business sense. Last year, the three days of the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race were the three busiest days at www.michigan.org in the site’s history. “This race will feature sailing in the Great Lakes and showcases the natural beauty and fresh water resources that are unique to Michigan,” said Zimmermann. “We welcome boats and racing teams from Chicago and around the world for the ultimate Pure Michigan sailing experience.” “Bayview greatly values the association with Travel Michigan and we are excited to have Pure Michigan help us create excitement in sailing for as part of this historic regatta,” said Bruce J. Burton, Commodore, Bayview Yacht Club. “We literally draw people from around the world to sail in Michigan waters and our sailors are Michigan’s ambassadors to the world by participating in regattas on the seven seas.” The Bayview Yacht Club web site, www.byc.com, generally draws a million page views for the race; up to 20 million page views are expected to hit the www.michigan.org Web site where the GPS tracking link for the 2010 race will be located, said 2010 Race Chairman Tom Burleson. GPS tracking will be offered exclusively through www.michigan.org. 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. For more information: www.byc.com. The official Michigan travel information site, www.michigan.org, features more than 12,000 attractions, events, hotels, resorts, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses. The site highlights special travel deals for golf and other warm weather activities for all ages and interests. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, www.michigan.org was recognized as the most popular state tourism Web site in America.

YARE, owned by John Tipp had to withdraw from the 2010 Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race. Just the other side of Lexington as a storm approached the crew began to take the spinnaker down as the spreader broke the mast broke in half. Thankfully everyone is fine and no injuries to the crew, just to the second oldest boat sailing in the Race. They are motoring back to Port Huron.

 Traffic Advisory
I-696/ I-94 Interchange to Close

MDOT has advised us of the following construction projects that may impact your travel to and from Port Huron. Please plan accordingly!

In Macomb County, the following restrictions are planned for the ongoing interchange project:

Beginning at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 14, and ending at 5 a.m. on Thursday, July 15, crews will close the ramp from westbound I-94 to westbound I-696 to shift traffic onto the new pavement. A detour will be posted for ramp traffic. In conjunction to the shift on the ramp, westbound I-94 will be reduced to a single lane from 12 to 10 Mile during the same time frame.

Beginning at 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 15, crews will close the ramp from eastbound I-696 to eastbound I-94. The ramp is expected to remain closed until late October, and a detour will be posted.

Beginning at 10 p.m. on Friday, July 16 and ending by 5 a.m. on Monday, July 19, eastbound and westbound I-94 will be closed between 10 Mile and 12 Mile roads for demolition of the eastbound ramp. Detours will be posted in each direction. After 5 a.m. on Monday, traffic will return to it's current configuration on I-94, with two lanes open in each direction at I-696.

For updates, go to www.michigan.gov/drive or
www.twitter.com/mdot_metrodet.

 The Final Countdown
Race Registration and Final To-Do List

Race Registration begins tomorrow, July 13! Registration will be at Bayview on July 13 and 14 from 1400-2000, and in Port Huron on Friday, July 16 from 0900-1600.

Before owners can register, they must do the following:
Register for a tracking unit
Submit Proof of Insurance
Submit Equipment Compliance
Update crew lists with valid contact info
These tasks can all be accomplished on the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race website. Owners will not be able to officially register their boats until the above items have been addressed!

Additionally, I'd like to thank Wally Cross of Quantum Sails for the checklist below. Wally has put together a brief memo drawn from his decades of experience in the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race that shares his insight on how to sail smart and fast. It's a must-read for the first-time racer, the Old Goat, and everyone in between.

See you on the Island!
Tom Burleson
Race Chairman

Be Prepared!

Due to the City of Port Huron's Blue Water Fest, parking will be a premium and sailors who need to work on their boats and load equipment and supplies on their boats are advised of the following guidelines. Further information will be provided in skipper's bags at registration.

The 2010 Blue Water Fest will take place along the Black River from July 15th - July 17th. Festival hours and 11am - 11pm on Thursday and 11am - 12 Midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Vehicle Load In:
Vehicles will be allowed to drive down to the docks to unload
supplies to their boats from 7am - 10am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Vehicles must use the load in entrances off of River Street and E. Quay Street. After 10am vehicles will have to unload from the street and transport their supplies via cart or carry to their boats. Also at 10am security will begin a sweep to remove all vehicles from the festival site.

Note: The festival will have several golf carts to assist with transportation after 10am.

 Weather Briefing
Saturday, July 17 @ 0800

The Pre-Race weather briefing will be at 0800 on Race Day in Room 201 of the Clara Mackenzie Building on the campus of St. Clair County Community College. A map of the campus can be found here.

Pure Michigan Returns as Title Sponsor for 2010 Bayview Mackinac Race
Sponsoring Race Tracking Transponders

The Race Committee is very excited to announce that Pure Michigan has returned as the title sponsor for the 2010 Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race. We feel that our race embodies all those ideals that Pure Michigan supports, and we're elated that they feel the same way.

Pure Michigan will once again be sponsoring the transponders used to track boats up the lake on a website accessed exclusively through www.michigan.org. Pure Michigan's sponsorship of the 2009 Bayview Mackinac Race led to a string of record-breaking traffic to their website, and we're hoping that race spectators go above and beyond last year's traffic to set yet another new record.

Thanks again to Pure Michigan and all of our sponsors listed at left. Without them, the Bayview Mackinac Race as we know it would cease to exist, and we are extremely grateful for their ongoing support.

Notice to Racers - Register for tracking units now

Owners can begin registering for their tracking units on the Mackinac website now by logging into their boat's entry. Make sure you register quickly and get your tracking unit!

Also, Cruising sailors are advised to check the Mackinac Race website for updated rules for the Cruising Division, dated June 25, 2010.

DSBA Pro Team Challenge Four Boats Selected to Represent Detroit Pro Sports Teams

For the first time ever, the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race has been adopted by the four professional sports teams in Detroit!

At the Race Press Conference last week, representatives from each of Detroit's "Big Four" drew boats that will represent their respective teams in the race. Each boat picked will receive shirts and hats for their crew from the team that picked them, as well as a pennant to fly during the race. The boat with the best corrected time among the four chosen will be the team's guest at a game.

James Hunter, picking for the Detroit Lions, picked Rebel 3, a Thomas 35 from Picton, ON. For the Detroit Pistons, Eli Zaret selected George, a Cayenne 41 from Milford, MI. Ken Daniels of the Detroit Red Wings selected Surprise, the Farr 30 from Harbor Springs, MI, and Reno Bertoia of the Detroit Tigers selected Epic, the Beneateau 42s7 from West Bloomfield, MI.

The Race Committee is very excited to have the involvement of Detroit's home teams in the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race, and wish the four boats selected the best of luck!

Note: clips from the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race press conference can be found here.

Doyle Detroit Yacht Club Challenge - Doyle Sails Detroit Trophy

It's not too late to sign up for the Doyle Detroit Yacht Club Challenge! Create a team from your yacht club consisting of one boat from each division (IRC, Racing PHRF, and Cruising PHRF) and compete for the Doyle Sails Detroit Trophy!

Information and a sign up sheet can be found here: Doyle Detroit Yacht Club Challenge.

Don't miss your chance to participate in one of the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race's newest and most competitive rivalries!

2010 US-IRC Great Lakes Championship
Port Huron Yacht Club
July 10-11, 2010

The Port Huron Yacht Club would like to invite all Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Racers to sail in the 2010 US-IRC Great Lakes Championship the week before the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race out of Port Huron Yacht Club.

Windward/Leeward and Point-to-Point Races will be held in lower Lake Huron over two days in a great tune-up before racing up the lake! Clink the logo below for more information!

Dry Ice - Pick up Dry Ice Before the Race

Anyone interested in using dry ice to keep their food and drinks cold during the race should call 1-800-475-4225 in Michigan, or those calling from out of state should call (810) 664- 1814. A dry ice vendor will be located behind the Port Huron Harbor Master's office from 1:00-7:00 PM on Friday before the race, and 6:00-11:00 AM on Race Day to pick up dry ice.

Web Store Now Open!

www.bycstore.com is your one stop shop for Official Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race Gear.

We're happy to announce that our online store is open at www.bycstore.com. There you can purchase Official Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race apparel. Apparel can still be purchased via the traditional form found on the Mackinac Race website under the "The Race" tab, but we're excited to offer this simpler way for your to purchase race gear, whether you're looking for t-shirts, performance shirts, hats, or more.

Today, June 1, 2010 is the last day to register without incurring a late fee!  Register now and save!

Reminder:  you are not officially registered until you have paid the entry fee!

 Back by popular demand, the Race Committee will be reviving the Saturday morning weather briefing on race day.  This year we'll be fortunate to have Bayview member Chris Bedford, who has worked on multiple America's Cup campaigns, including the winners of the 33rd America's Cup, BMW Oracle, and a variety of Olympic campaigns and Volvo Ocean Races.  Chris is an expert in weather forecasting and analysis for yacht racing, and sailors will be well served to attend the briefing this year.  

More details will be released as they are developed.  

Bayview Yacht Club announces new Mackinac Race Championship regatta for 2010

Winners in each sailing class of the Bayview Mackinac Raced in July will be invited to an invitational regatta in Detroit in September.

DETROIT, MI – Bayview Yacht Club has planned a new regatta for 2010 called the “Mackinac Awards Invitational River Challenge Race” to be sailed on September 11 in the Detroit River, it was announced today.

Winners of their classes in the July 2010 Bayview Mackinac Race from Port Huron to Mackinac Island race will be invited to compete representing their home yacht club in this inaugural event. Some 220 boats in 15 classes sailed in the 2009 Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race.

“This is an exciting new regatta and welcome addition to the grand tradition that is the Bayview Mackinac Race,” said Commodore Bruce J. Burton. “We are excited to offer this opportunity for champions to sail against champions and another chance to sail in Detroit, showcasing the great facilities we have here.”

Racing sailboats come in different sizes and their class rating is based on a formula that includes their size, sail capacity, crew numbers and a host of technical factors. The smallest Mackinac racer in 2009 was 26-feet and the largest 88-feet.

The racing for the new regatta will put all competitors on a level playing field with each skipper and crew sailing aboard Bayview’s fleet of identical sailboats called Ultimate 20’s. The races will be held on the Detroit River, just steps from the Bayview Yacht Club docks on the day of the annual Mackinac Race awards dinner where winners are presented with their trophies and medals.

Racing will be short, point-to-point races, with a downwind start. The start/finish line will be directly in front of Bayview Yacht Club, which will allow for a spectacular view for spectators, sponsors and supporters.

Racing will begin at Noon, and an elimination series will be held to determine the finalists. Finalists will then race to determine the BAYVIEW YACHT CLUB MACKINAC AWARDS INVITATIONAL RIVER CHALLENGE Champion.

Bayview will present a perpetual trophy to the winner that will be engraved with both the winner’s name and their home yacht club’s name. The trophy will remain on permanent display in Bayview’s historic trophy case. A separate trophy will be awarded to the winner for their club or personal display. “I am very pleased that Tim Prophit, who has participated in 27 Bayview Mackinac Races, has agreed to serve as Chairman for this regatta. The Bayview Board and its members are excited about this new challenge and the innovative thinking of our members,” Burton said.

Bayview Yacht Club, recognized as the premier sailing club in Michigan and one of the most storied and historical club’s in the world, has promoted racing sailing since its inception in 1915. Bayview has also taken a leadership role in supporting and encouraging women and junior sailing for many years. The 86th Bayview Mackinac Race will take place on July 17, 2010.

For more information on Bayview Yacht Club please visit www.byc.com or call 313-822-1853. For media or sponsorship inquiries please contact Bruce Babiarz, BAB Associates, LLC, (248) 890-5030. Babiarz@Comcast.Net. For more information on the Bayview Mackinac Awards Regatta you may contact Chairman Tim Prophit directly at tprophit@comcast.net.