A record 332 boats are registered to participate in the 2024 running of the Bayview Mackinac Race, organized by the Bayview Yacht Club and presented by National Fleet Services. This year’s race, which will start on Saturday, July 20th, marks the 100th consecutive running of this freshwater offshore classic.
The fleet is spilt into three divisions: there are 161 monohull entries in 9 classes in Division I, 152 monohull entries in 8 classes in Division II, and 14 multihull entries in one class in Division II.
To add a unique historic dimension to the event, all competitors will compete on one course, the original course boats used in the first race in 1925. ORC scoring for the Bayview Mackinac Race will use Bayview Shore Course model ratings.
From its traditional start in Southern Lake Huron, the course covers 204 nautical miles, with the fleet heading north up Lake Huron along the Michigan shoreline before heading west, passing south of Bois Blanc Island, finishing west to east at the finish line between Round Island and Mackinac Island. (The original course started three nautical miles south of the current one, off Lake Side Park, Gratiot Beach. As the race gained in participants, the starting line was moved to its current location to accommodate the required starting line length and sufficient depth over its entire length).
"The 2024 Bayview Mackinac Race is so much more than just a sailing competition, it is a celebration of history, community, and sporting excellence. To everyone who is participating, whether sailing or helping to organize it, the 100th running symbolizes a century of tradition and achievement, marking it as a landmark event and a significant occasion for all involved," said Charlie Trost, 2024 Bayview Mackinac Race Chair. “The large and diverse fleet reflects the inclusivity and wide appeal of the race, drawing competitors from various regions and backgrounds, which enhances the competitive spirit and camaraderie among sailors.”
Trost continued, “Anyone up the thumb coast of Lake Huron should be in for quite a show as the entire fleet sails up to Mackinac, and if there is a downwind blowing and spinnakers unfurled it will be a spectacular view from the shore.”
For the first time spectators can tune in to a race analysis program that describes what’s happening on the race course in near-real time. Veteran offshore commentator Dobbs Davis from ORC and Seahorse Magazine will be recording a video show that explains not only the positions of boats in the fleet using the YB tracker website, but also explain the weather scenarios and strategies and tactics of the teams and include interviews with competitors on the course.
“We’re pleased to announce this new media initiative,” said Chris VanTol of VanTol & Vitelli Insurance Group, who along with LCS Record Retrieval is supporting the program. “It will help inform, educate and entertain those who cannot be on the race itself but have a strong interest in following their friends and family on their journey to the island.”
The VanTol and VandeVusse families will have this strong interest since Chris is racing with brother John and father Paul, while the VandeVusse’s will have father Bruce and two sons on board, along with four others. This team will be racing their 50-year old C&C 35 Mark II ELIMINATOR, a defending class champion from last year who this year are seeking to extend their long heritage of class victories to 21 in 40 races sailed.