J-120 section in Chicago race is a Detroit-area fleet

By Peggy Walsh-Sarnecki

July 21, 2014 at 10:58 am Lake Michigan

Boats cross under the Mackinac Bridge on the way to the finish in the Chicago Yact Club Race to Mackinac .Photo courtesy of the Chicago Yacht Club.

One of the fleets that Detroit boats are most competitive in is the J-120 section in the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac

Seven of the eight boats in the class race on this side of the state. It’s a class that has attracted seasoned racers who want to upgrade to a newer boat or a one-design fleet.

The J-120s are nearing the end of their race, and according to the Yellowbrick race tracker (see cycracetomackinac.com) Nauti Boys owned by Ed Vermet of Grosse Pointe Farms is in the lead and moving fast in changeable winds.

“We are 11 miles from Gray’s Reef passage,” Vermet texted “Winds are from the southwest at 15 to 20 knots and we are sailing at nine to 10 knots. Winds have backed 20 degrees in the last four hours.”

“After the reef we turn right 90 degrees and sprint 15 miles to the finish under the bridge,” Vermet said

There’s still a great deal of racing yet to go on Lake Michigan. The majority of the boats are between Traverse Bay and Gray’s Reef and likely to be finishing throughout the day and into the evening