More skippers have signed up for the 99th annual Bayview Mackinac Race this weekend, which will see over 200 boats coast up Lake Huron.
Bayview Yacht Club Commodore Paul Hulsey said the number of participants signed up for the race is the highest they've seen since 2019, and an increase of about 15 per cent compared to last year.
"We saw a dip through the COVID years, although we never missed a race," he said. "Most regattas, across at least the United States and Canada, were cancelled for a period of a year or two. We kept going through that period."
The Bayview Mackinac Race is considered to be the "longest consecutively run freshwater yacht race in the world."
The race will start in southern Lake Huron, just north of the Blue Water Bridge, in Port Huron, Michigan at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 15.
"So you'll see boats starting out as early as 9 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. The larger boats don't start until about 1 p.m.," said Hulsey. "So I would say between 9:30 a.m. and noon is probably your best viewing if you're trying to look from the Sarnia area."
Hulsey said there are two race courses.
"One, takes you up into the right hand corner of Lake Huron to Cove Island, and then across the top of the lake, and finishes at Mackinac Island," he said. "But we also have a shore course for some of the smaller boats that just goes up the shore of Lake Michigan, leaving Bois Blanc Island to port, and finishing in front of [Mackinac Island].
Hulsey said typically in Point Edward, thousands of people will line the shoreline, near the bridge, to watch part of the race.
It may be a bit of a slower race this year depending on weather conditions. According to AccuWeather, Saturday will be mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers, while thunderstorms are possible Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, planning for next year's 100th Bayview Mackinac Race is already well underway. Just over 200 boats have pre-registered for the 2024 event.
"We've got a very large committee of about 30-plus people who have been working on that race for at least the last wo or three years. So [there's] a lot of planning behind the scenes, a lot of excitement," said Hulsey.
Spectators can track the race online through the event's website.