Some call the Chicago-Mackinac Race one of the most difficult distance races to win. It’s a 333 mile sprint from the southern end to northern end of Lake Michigan and the rule of thumb is that no lead is a safe lead. Many a boat can claim to have been winning the Mac only to park in the final few miles and watch the rest of the fleet catch up. 2008 marked the 100th running of this Great Lakes classic, and J owners celebrated with some great performances.In one-design action, the MVP award goes to Peter Fray’s PRONTO II who topped a record sized J/105 division (27 boats) which included many Mac Race veterans. Pre-race J/109 favorite Rob Zerban on ZEITGEIST continued his hot streak by winning the 14 boat J/109 division AND finishing 3rd overall for the Mackinac Cup behind two 70 footers! Frank Kern and his J/120 CARINTHIA have been one of the most traveled and successful J/120 programs of the past two years. This time the CARINTHIA team could enjoy a victory closer to home, as they narrowly beat Matthew Songer’s PERSEVERANCE by two minutes to win the 12 boat J/120 division
Bill Zeiler and his new J/122 SKYE have been on a tear since arriving in Lake Michigan earlier this year. Their 22 boat Section 3 division included a wide mix of performance boats (1D35 Heartbreaker, CM1200s, Sydney 41, GS 44, etc) as well as the J/124 SUFFICIENT REASON and the J/130 EDGE. SKYE and SUFFICIENT REASON outpaced their class to cross the line 1-2 with SUFFICIENT REASON winning the elapsed time battle by 3 minutes and SKYE correcting out under ORR handicap to secure the class win.
Other handicap highlights include the J/133's RENEGADE and HOT WATER sailing to a 2nd and 3rd place in the 25 boat Section 2 division; and a clean J/35 sweep of Section 6 with Bob Pethick’s BRETWALDA coming out on top. In the cruising divisions, former J/24 Class president Glenn Gustafason and his wife Elsa, aboard their J/46 WINDARA, showed just how well they’ve adapted to the cruising lifestyle by taking 2nd Overall in the Cruising Division. Event Website
