Racing to Fudge Island

Mackinac Island, MI (July 13, 2014) – Doug and Dick Devos’ 86-foot Windquest are the elapsed winner of the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race, crossing the finish line today at 17:26:59 ET.

The race began on July 12 in Southern Lake Huron, with 9-11 knots of breeze offering the 227 boats in 14 classes a swift downwind leg along the two courses offered, either to the Presque Isle Lighthouse (on the Michigan shoreline), where the Shore course begins taking a left, or the Cove Buoy where the Cove Island Course does the same (about 130 miles away from the start).

The shorter Shore course covers 204 nm along the Michigan shoreline before heading west to Mackinac Island Bell’s Beer finish line. The longer Cove Island Course is 259 nm and takes sailors around a buoy off the tip of the Bruce Peninsula in Canadian waters before heading west toward the finish line.

A brisk westerly breeze kept the fleet “on its nose” throughout Saturday evening and into today. Two boats dropped out due to equipment failure: the J/35 Special K and the NA 40 Bananas, both sailing the Shore Course and the latter boat reporting they had a “rough night.”

After last year’s quick pace, Chairman Art LeVasseur estimates the current fleet is about 3-4 hours ahead of an average race. He expects the bulk of the fleet to arrive between midnight and 0900.

Event website – Facebook – Results by Class – Results by Division