2022 Bayview Mackinac Race Features 180+ Boats, Return of Two Courses

Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit will present the 98th consecutive running of the Bayview Mackinac Race on Saturday, July 16, starting at 11:30 a.m. in southern Lake Huron and ending in the Straits of Mackinac at Mackinac Island.
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The Bayview Mackinac Race from Detroit's Bayview Yacht Club will take start Saturday, July 16 and is returning to a two-course event this year. // Courtesy of Photo Element Photography
The Bayview Mackinac Race from Detroit’s Bayview Yacht Club will take start Saturday, July 16 and is returning to a two-course event this year. // Courtesy of Photo Element Photography

Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit will present the 98th consecutive running of the Bayview Mackinac Race on Saturday, July 16, starting at 11:30 a.m. in southern Lake Huron and ending in the Straits of Mackinac at Mackinac Island.

More than 180 boats are scheduled to participate in this year’s Race. For the first time since 2019, sailors will race on two courses in Lake Huron: the 290 nautical mile Cove Island Course, which takes boats into Canadian waters; and the 204 nautical mile Shore Course along the Michigan shoreline.

Boats and crews sailing on the Cove Island course will compete for the J.L. Hudson Trophy, while Shore course racers compete for the Canadian Club Classic Trophy. The Corinthian Trophy will go to the boat with an all-amateur crew and achieves the best corrected time in seconds per mile on either course.

“It is great to see such a strong field of competitors for the running of the 2022 Bayview Mackinac Race,” says Chris Clark, chair of the 2022 race. “Skippers and crews are preparing and excited to take on Lake Huron once again. Crews have anticipated the return of the Cove Island Course for the past two years, so we expect fierce racing among competitors.”

Over the last five years, the Mackinac Race Authority has consciously taken steps to become an increasingly environmentally friendly race. From minimizing printed material and replacing it with digital communications and documents to eliminating plastic bow stickers and changing to virtual course markers.

To this end, for 2022, the Bayview Mackinac Race has registered as a clean regatta with Sailors for the Sea. All owners and crews have access to the clean regatta toolkit, which outlines 20 best practices for teams, including eliminating plastic waste and other green boating practices.

“As with any cultural change, the first step is awareness. Our event is working hard to improve; we now need our competitors to become more aware and act,” says Clark. “As Sailors for the Sea states, it is not about perfection; it is about progress. The future of our sport depends on taking care of our environment.”

This year, the Island Awards Party returns to Mackinac Island’s Mission Point Resort Tuesday, July 19.

“Mission Point Resort has embraced us. Everyone is looking forward to seeing all the Ware family’s improvements to the facilities and the grounds. We look forward to a long-term partnership,” says Matt Prost, GM and COO of Bayview Yacht Club.

As previously announced, in anticipation of the 2024 Bayview Mackinac Race, its 100th consecutive running, the Chicago Yacht Club has agreed to switch start dates with Bayview for 2023.

Traditionally, the race run the second and third weekends of July are alternated between the two clubs. As a result of the agreement, the 2023 Bayview Mackinac Race will take place first (July 15, 2023) and the following year, the Centennial Race will take place second (July 20, 2024).

Atwater Brewery and DraftKings Inc. are the events returning presenting sponsors. New sponsors for 2022 are Shinola, FUL Beverage, Aperol/Campari America, Mission Point Resort, Claddagh Coffee Roasters, and Precision Garage Door of Southeast Michigan. Returning sponsors are Tito’s, Faygo, Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry, Sika Corp., Marx Layne, High Winds Graphix, Pink Pony, Aitken & Ormond Insurance. and Frankenmuth Insurance.

Each year the economic impact of the Race on the communities involved is approximated between $30 and $59 million (depending on weather conditions), making it one of the premier events hosted in the state of Michigan, and one with a significant economic impact to a host of local Michigan businesses, especially in tourism.