Dozens of J/Teams Ready for 102nd Bayview Mackinac Race
(Port Huron, MI)- 146 sailboats are registered to participate in the 2026 running of the 102nd Bayview Mackinac Race, organized by the Bayview Yacht Club. This year’s race, which will start off Port Huron, MI on Saturday, July 18th, features the two traditional courses for the race:
* The 259-mile Cove Island course rounds a mark set off Cove Island, Canada, along the northeastern part of the lake; the fleet then heads to the finish line off Mackinac Island.
* The 205-mile Shore course sails straight north from the start, along Michigan’s eastern coast, across the mouth of Saginaw Bay, leaving Bois Blanc Island to port, and then to the Mackinac Island finish line.
The current forecast shows WSW winds from 7 to 15 kts at the noon-time starts, swinging north by early evening for the next 24 hours, strengthening to 18-25 kts late evening, then slowing and dying off to zero knots in the northern parts of the lake by 11:00 AM Sunday.
There are dozens of J/Teams competing in this 102nd Bayview Mackinac Race spread across multiple divisions. Here is a breakdown by division.
Cove Island Course
This longer course has 34 J/teams of 101 boats participating; J/Boats are 34.0% of the fleet!
Division C- 15 boats
Sailing this year will be Brad Kimmel’s new J/45 GOLDEN GIRL and Robert Klairmont’s J/160 SCIROCCO.
Division D- 16 boats
Seven J/111s are racing in this fleet, including Don Hudak’s CAPERS, Mark Symonds’s PTERODACTYL, Ed Kriese’s WILDCAT, James Coopers’s FREEDOM, Jeff Schaeffer’s SHMOKIN JOE, Tim Clayson’s UNPLUGGED, and Carl Hanssen’s VARIANCE. Joining them are Gregory Thomas’s J/130 PENDRAGON and Jim Richter’s J/44 CHEEP’N’DEEP II.
Division E- 19 boats
Like their J/111 colleagues, many of the top boats that sailed the Chicago Mackinac Race are participating. Those teams include six J/120s: Mike & Bob Kirkman’s HOT TICKET, Charlie Hess’s FUNTECH RACING, Bob Eger’s CALIFORNIA GIRL, Jim Denner & Jon Berg’s LATITUDE, Chris Ongena & CJ Ruffing’s NOBODY’S FAULT, and John Harvey & Rick Titsworth’s SLEEPING TIGER. Joining that group of mercenaries will be Tim & Cathy McGuire’s J/112E ELEVATION.
Division F- 19 boats
This class is loaded with talented offshore racing teams. The fleet includes five J/35s that have done countless Mac Races and are always a factor on the leaderboard. That group includes Tim & Amie Ross’s BLACKHAWK, Mike Welch’s FALCON, Terry & Sheri Dufresne’s FIREFLY, Kim & Linus Isabell’s REDLINE, and Dennis Meagher’s SNIPE. Joining them are four J/109s, including Mike Hendrie’s BULL, Brad D’Arcangelo’s CONSIG, Kevin Lemonds’s JANINE, and William Hamilton’s PHOENIX. In addition, two J/99s are joining the fleet, James Nacthman’s RAMBLER and Bob Asher & Wes Ory’s SHING-A-LING.
Division G- 15 boats
This fleet has three J/105s in the mix, including Mark DenUyl’s GOOD LOOKIN, Christian Jensen’s JOYRIDE, and Peter DeGaian’s MOA. Joining them is Matt Kern’s J/33 DISCOVER.
Shore Course
The shorter Shore course has five J/Boats sailing in a fleet of 44 boats; J’s are 11.4% of the fleet.
Division H- Doublehanded- 8 boats
Several top J/crews are sailing in the doublehanded division. Those teams include two previous winners; the two J/111s are Brad & Ian Faber’s UTAH and Scott & Merritt Sellers’s NO SURPRISE. Joining them is Lease Shock’s J/105 SOUTHBOUND.
Division I- 15 boats
The two J/teams in this fleet are Michael Gualdoni’s J/29 CENTURION and Ethan & Will Taylor’s J/105 WHISTLER.
For more Bayview Mackinac Race sailing information
https://bycmack.com