J/Teams Sweep Mackinac Cup Overall in Chicago Mackinac Race

(Chicago, IL)- The 117th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust once again demonstrated the scale and competitive depth that have established it as the largest annual offshore race in the world. The 289.0nm course – spanning the length of Lake Michigan – challenged 250 teams with nearly the full spectrum of offshore sailing conditions, from upwind and downwind racing to heavy air, tactical light winds and powerful overnight thunderstorms.

At the top of the final standings, Jim Nachtman’s J/99 RAMBLER claimed the Mackinac Cup as the overall corrected-time winner among the smaller boats in the Racing Division.

As the race unfolded, teams navigated rapidly changing conditions across Lake Michigan. Early upwind sailing pushed much of the fleet toward the Michigan shoreline, but the wind later shifted nearly 180 degrees, transforming the race into a downwind contest.

The dramatic shift created a complex tactical transition, rewarding teams that anticipated the changing breeze and positioned themselves to take advantage of the new conditions.

Late Sunday and into early Monday, a line of strong thunderstorms swept across northern Lake Michigan, bringing reported winds exceeding 35 knots and disrupting teams’ strategies as they raced toward the Straits of Mackinac. Several boats experienced moderate damage.

“This year’s race showcased everything that makes the Race to Mackinac so extraordinary,” said Race Chair Kevin Foote. “The fleet experienced incredible sailing, difficult tactical decisions, and challenging weather that demanded the very best from every crew.”

J/111 Class
Sporting one of the largest fleets in years, the fourteen J/111s had their usual full-on battle for the entire length of the race. For the first part of the race leading up to Big Sable, the overnight upwind beat in 10-15 kts northerlies slowly shifted right into the NE, E, and SE quadrants. Ultimately, the race turned into a downwind and reaching race. Winning was Scott Sellers’s NO SURPRISE, followed by George Golder’s TERRIER in second, and Jeff Davis’s SHAMROCK in third place. Rounding out the top five was Blane Shea’s STRIKING BACK in fourth and Brad & Ian Farber’s UTAH in fifth place.

J/109 Class
Winning this eight-boat fleet was David Gustman’s NORTHSTAR. They were followed by Will Hansmann’s BLOODLINE in second place and Jim Caesar’s LIQUID LOUNGE II in third place. The balance of the top five included the quartet on SMEE AGAIN (George Miz, Peter Dreher, Mark Hatfield, David Newman) in fourth and Mike Hendrie’s BULL in fifth place.

J/105 Class
Fielding yet another strong, large fleet of sixteen boats, the J/105s saw several boats also fare quite well overall! Winning was Ethan & Will Taylor’s WHISTLER, second went to Mark Fruin’s NYCTOSAUR, and third place was Josh & Laura Lutton’s KINSHIP. The rest of the top five included Clark Pellett’s SEALARK in fourth and Mark Denuyl’s GOOD LOOKIN in fifth place.

Doublehanded Division
For the first time in the history of the Chicago-Mackinac Race, the entire top five of the doublehanded division was swept by one brand- J/Boats! Winning was Andy Graff & Scott Eisenhardt’s J/88 EXILE, with Rich Stearns & Jorgen Johnsson’s J/105 FIVE in second, and Chris Lamb & David Gerber’s J/111 PADAWAN 4 in third place. The balance of the top five included George & Scott Petritz’s J/29 TFWB RELENTLESS in fourth and Dan Floberg & Bryan Hayes’s J/88 MISTY in fifth place. Sixth place went to Mark Gannon & Joey Baker’s J/105 GANGBUSTERS.

Mackinac Trophy Division (larger boats)

Overall:

2nd- Scott Sellers’s J/111 NO SURPRISE- crew of Meredith Moran, Merritt Sellers, Mike Graham, Sarah Renz, John Goff, Hadley Camp, and Adam Lowry

4th- George Golder’s J/111 TERRIER- crew of Jodi Bingham, Mark Snyder, Tom Babel, Wyatt Kolka, Jake Snyder, and Andy Allen.

5th- Mark Davis’s J/111 SHAMROCK- crew of Wally Cross, Paul Kerber, Grace & Andy Lockhart, and Curtis & Fred Rozelle.

Class 2- 11 boats
Taking the silver medal in the fleet was long-time Chicago-Mac race veterans- the Schanen family sailing on their bright red J/145 MAIN STREET. Led by skipper Bill Schanen, other family crew include Greta, Bill IV, Bill V, John, and Erin Schanen- six in all!

Class 3- 12 boats
In this highly competitive fleet, Jim Murray’s J/125 CALLISTO took home the bronze medal. They were followed by fellow J owner Robert Klairmont on his J/160 SIROCCO in sixth place.

Class 4- 10 boats
Winning this fleet was Tom Papoutsis’s J/133 RENEGADE. Finishing behind them in seventh place was Fergus & Daniela Dias-Clare’s J/130 SALSA.

Class 5- 15 boats
Leading the trio of J/122s in this fleet was Len Siegal’s LUCKY DUBIE in fourth place. They were followed by Matt Songer’s EVVAI in sixth place and Doug Evans’s ELBOW ROOM in seventh place.

Class 6- 13 boats
This fleet featured a half-dozen J/120s. In the end, Mike & Bob Kirman’s HOT TICKET took home the silver medal, something they’ve done several times before! Fellow Detroit sailors Charlie Hess on FUNTECH Racing took fourth place. Following them was Milo Lundblad’s ANDIAMO in seventh and Arne & Deborah Fliflet’s MAZAL TOV in tenth place.

Mackinac Cup (Smaller Boats)

Overall:

1st- James Nachtman’s J/99 RAMBLER- crew of Ed Montano, Gilberto Pina, Mark Ewing, and RJ Mills.

2nd- Ethan & Will Taylor’s J/105 WHISTLER- crew of Adrienne Johnson, Brandon Austin, Chris & Cory Heid, and Craig Mueller.

3rd- Andy Graff’s J/88 EXILE- crew of Scott Eisenhardt. These two also won the Doublehanded Division.

5th- Josh & Laura Lutton’s J/105 KINSHIP- crew of Ted Lutton, Rosie Crawford, Dylan Cotter, Erin Damery, and Jack Valentino.

Class 7- 13 boats
Winning this fleet was Tom Dickson’s custom J/105 WARLOCK, winning the division by over 2 hours corrected time! Taking fourth place was Tod & Heidi Patton’s J/112E BLONDIE.

Class 8- 14 boats
Winning overall and this division was Nachtman’s J/99 RAMBLER. Taking the bronze medal behind them was Scott Sorbie & Stephen Conger’s J/88 LEGACY. Then, finishing fourth place was Justin Mistovich & Jahn Tihansky’s J/109 COURAGEOUS.

Trophy winners:

Mark H. Baxter Trophy (Top-Finishing Inaugural Entries):
J/105 WHISTLER- Ethan Taylor (Mackinac Cup)

Mixed-Plus Award (Top-Finishing Entry with Max 50% Male 18+):
J/105 NYCTOSAUR- Mark Fruin (Mackinac Cup)

For more Chicago Mackinac Race sailing information
https://www.cycracetomackinac.com/