Bayview Mackinac Race
- July 11, 2014
The 90th Annual Bell's Beer Bayview Mackinac Race starts on July 12th, 2014 from Port Huron, Michigan. The race, hosted by Bayview Yacht Club, is viewed as one of the most challenging freshwater races in the sailing world. The fleet will have to navigate the Great Lakes of Michigan to reach the finish line at world renowned Mackinac Island.
This contest has stood the test of time. It has been held every year since the its humble beginnings in 1923, and even a World War didn’t stop it. When the club was considering cancelling the race during Word War II, they received a wired message from Franklin D. Roosevelt. The message read simply “Sail Your Race", proving even then that the race was of great importance to the sailors and the state of Michigan. No wonder then, that it has become the longest consecutively run freshwater race in the world.
The race itself comprises of two courses. The Cove Island Course is for Divisions I and V, and sees the competitors race 254 nautical miles from Port Huron via the Cove Island mark to Mackinac Island. The second course is for divisions II,III and IV, which will take the Shore Course, a 204 nautical mile voyage along the coast of the lake.
We are delighted to be providing tracking solutions for the 90th Annual Bell's Beer Bayview Mackinac Race. Each vessel will have a YB tracker onboard, transmitting every fifteen minutes to keep the global spectators, family and friend up to date with the fleet's progression. These transmissions will be accumulated on the live map situated on the Bayview Mackinac Race website.
