First day of Mackinac race is sunny and light

By Peggy Walsh-Sarnecki

July 12, 2014 at 6:14 pm Lake Huron

Boats started the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race under sunny skies and light winds.

The 90th Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race started today as a pleasant sail, with low but consistent winds and sunny warm weather.

That should change overnight when rain and possible thunder storms move across the lake.

“It’s a beautiful, sunny day. Seas are flat, just about perfect,” said Ed Vermet of Grosse Pointe Farms, owner of the J-120 Nauti Boys sailing the Cove Island course.

Vermet chose to take the right side of the course; he’s the second furthest boat on that side, about two miles right of the rhumb line, and by mid afternoon found the winds seem to be stronger there, at about 11 to 12 knots.

In PHRF H on the shore course, the Tartan 34 Chippewa and S&S Pilot 33 Albacore had a bit of a dual after the start, but Chippewa ended up leading their class three hours into the race, said Chippewa owner Pa Wall of Algonac.

Also on the shore course, the X-402 Brandilee said they were seeing wind at 6.4 knots and getting speeds of 6.5 knots with a spinnaker.

Southerly winds continued across most of the lake during the afternoon. But there is a possibility of serious thunderstorms out on the lake tonight.

The faster the boats get up the lake, the more likely they are to miss the thunderstorms. Tomorrow may show a very different line of leaders, depending on how the boats handle tonight’s weather.