403 replies to this topic

[Rupe]

Thanks for all your hard work and efforts LZ!

[L Z]

Cone of Silence just crossed...

109 boats finished. 332 to go. Monday night and some Tris are still finishing.

Here's the URL for the iBotTracking Leader Board: http://charthorizon....o...ss&board=lb

Back to work...

LZ

[Miss Mackinac]

Some more preliminary results:
Click the class name to be transfered to the chicagomackinac.com information

Turbo class

Section 1 - partial

Section 2 - partial

There will be more available as the classes fill out - until the CYC site regains life!!

[UrbanChicago]

The leader board just updated and shows Karma finished. Looks like Grizzly should take second. Clean, are you watching the line still or are you somewhere else now?

Looks like they left all the other 36.7s pretty far behind.

[Sailing Junkie]

Whoever said something about the 36.7s finishing - I don't think so. I'd be surprised if they're anywhere near here yet. Probably midnight or so.

Well Clean, while you're down there getting Vodka and shooting video, shoot some of the Beneteau 36.7s that are finishing right now!!



Guess he hasn't been watching the line that close.

[Sailing Junkie]

Looks like they left all the other 36.7s pretty far behind.

It looks the there are 3 or 4 very shortly behind Grizzly - they should all finish soon and fairly close together. Unless the wind shuts off completely, of course.

[SailorRose]

Go Blitz!!!

[Tomahawk]

Whoever said something about the 36.7s finishing - I don't think so. I'd be surprised if they're anywhere near here yet. Probably midnight or so.

Cone is almost in.

This will make you laugh - I guarantee it. See for yourself.

<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.c...v/qqQ36xnvPUg"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.c.../v/qqQ36xnvPUg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>

Clean, you should have got more commentary from the midget.

still fucking funny.........thanks bro

it's got to be disheartening to see the 'Quest rolling by heading home

[Miss Mackinac]

OK - a few more updates -

In the Beneteau 40.7 had three finishes so far Spanker, La Tempete & Collaboration 2

Cruising 1 - Windara finished around 6:55 CDT - while 6 others have dropped out.

The Farr 395 are all in:
Zoom (39533) , Mosquito, Chippewa, Ragged Edge, Hiwassee, Zoom (39504), Wellenreiter & Jason
(in that order)

Zeitgeist - a J109 - appeared at 7:00 pm cdt

And the J120's continue to arrive. We have seen Carinthia, Perseverance, Hot Ticket, Capers, Irresistible Too & Jay Hawker

[Tomahawk]

Some more preliminary results:
Click the class name to be transfered to the chicagomackinac.com information

Turbo class

<a href="http://www.torresen....m/news/?p=4416" target="_blank">Section 1 - partial
</a>
Section 2 - partial

There will be more available as the classes fill out - until the CYC site regains life!!

Wow, guess GR needed some more racetrack to pull it out.

[Fluffy]

Anybody have any idea about correction times for section seven?

[MR.CLEAN]

I'm fucking wasted!

[Miss Mackinac]

Anybody have any idea about correction times for section seven?

Section seven has four boats finished.
Currently it is Velero VII, Smokum Too, Jubilee then Cheep N Deep

[Miss Mackinac]

Classes with no shows as of 11:00 pm Michigan time.

Section 8
Section 9
Section 10
T10
Cruising 2

[support crew]

Go Mystery in section 9. 15nm in front of the next boat in class! 8nm to go.

[MR.CLEAN]

I have some finish videos that I'm trying to post, but the computer is confusing me at the moment. I am having trouble speaking its language. We had a few gins that I pretended was vodka on Peerless. The boys are a bit disheartened, but had some incredibly fun moments, sitting on 16 knots with the 4" wide bowsprit canted fully to windward and spearing the waves, burying the bow with the LED lights scattering colors all over the kite. Good shit.

[HHN92]

Secton 6 J35's, any news? Aftershock was way ahead of the division at one point.

[support crew]

Any idea on Critical- Ben 36.7. They were with the leaders but aren't shown as being finished.

[MR.CLEAN]

Hard to tell in the dark, frankly. CanCan called me a half hour ago or so, they were finally under the bridge. Guess the 35s can't be far behind.

[MR.CLEAN]

Any of the racers here who want a pizza, go to the pizza place across from the pony - there's a girl called Piper that you have to meet. Holy crap, and Mer even took a pic.

[dacsailor]

Any of the racers here who want a pizza, go to the pizza place across from the pony - there's a girl called Piper that you have to meet. Holy crap, and Mer even took a pic.

You need to get there early...before 10pm, I think...we got duped 2x after the Bayview Mack Race...the place looks open with all the lights on (inside & outside), but the doors were locked...had to get a 'za from the Mustang...which did fine in a pinch...but alas no Piper at the Mustang.

[jrw1621]

After the Bayview Mac, The Mustang served food right up to 2am.

Great coverage, thanks for the efforts

[MR.CLEAN]

So, race fans. Funnily enough, it appears that the iBoats tracker has been fried, probably in part thanks to all of you. So - that means no CYC site now, and no tracker. So - you're left with the guys that just keep on trucking, fueled by ego, vodka, and A.D.D. medication. That's us. As well as IonEarth.com, who's got tracking for one class, at least. Stay with us.

[Miss Mackinac]

Secton 6 J35's, any news? Aftershock was way ahead of the division at one point.

Click here to check partial Section 6 results

[Miss Mackinac]

Any idea on Critical- Ben 36.7. They were with the leaders but aren't shown as being finished.

Critical did finish 4th in the Ben 36.7. I was trying to wait for the last couple of stragelers to come in to post the complete result list.
Stand by...

[Miss Mackinac]

The race tracking is back on!!!

Yeah!!

[L Z]

So, race fans. Funnily enough, it appears that the iBoats tracker has been fried, probably in part thanks to all of you. So - that means no CYC site now, and no tracker. So - you're left with the guys that just keep on trucking, fueled by ego, vodka, and A.D.D. medication. That's us. As well as IonEarth.com, who's got tracking for one class, at least. Stay with us.

Clean,

You're jumping to conclusions... iBoatTracking didn't crap out. You just happen to hit the server when it was in the middle of a reboot. the site is back up and running.

Are you still up and running? LOL

LZ

[L Z]

I've been so fried that I didn't even think about this before.

We're running the site locally so I copied the HTML code from the results page and uploaded to the server.

Here's the latest results: http://www.chicagoya...sults_temp.html

Bear in mind that this file is detached from the DB so any links on the page will not work (those are linked to the DB).

Enjoy. I'll update it every so often so you get the latest.

LZ

[MR.CLEAN]

Some finishes - including Adagio, with Mead and Jan gougeon, Bruce Babcock, and vegas on board.




And some more:

[MR.CLEAN]

Clean,

You're jumping to conclusions... iBoatTracking didn't crap out. You just happen to hit the server when it was in the middle of a reboot. the site is back up and running.

Are you still up and running? LOL

LZ

Not jumping to anything - we logged 125 minutes of iBoat being offline. Cool if that was just a server reboot, but it certainly didn't seem like one. This is verified from three computers in here running on two different wi-fi networks and an aircard, and a mutual friend back home.

Glad it's back up - I'm sure this has been a learning experience for iBoat, and that they will work to improve a product that has some potential. It's been a valuable part of this race for sure.

[MER]

A few pics from the finish... including the pied piper mascot.

Attached Files

•  IMG_5557.jpg   30.76K   50 downloads
•  IMG_5099.jpg   23.86K   19 downloads
•  IMG_5170.jpg   34.62K   9 downloads
•  IMG_5117.jpg   20.29K   13 downloads
•  IMG_5289.jpg   20.38K   44 downloads
•  IMG_5308.jpg   41.44K   7 downloads
•  IMG_5313.jpg   31.32K   21 downloads
•  IMG_5320.jpg   23.02K   11 downloads
•  IMG_5400.jpg   29.84K   24 downloads
•  IMG_5507.jpg   26.29K   50 downloads
•  IMG_5411.jpg   20.89K   16 downloads
•  IMG_5543.jpg   22.88K   43 downloads
•  IMG_5641.jpg   50.57K   35 downloads
•  IMG_5621.jpg   52.03K   77 downloads
•  IMG_5677.jpg   28.07K   36 downloads

[MR.CLEAN]

We just drank copious amounts of booze with the dude who shot this video the other day.







Natalie J and Wild Horses finish:

[Miss Mackinac]

Thanks to L-Z for getting the temp results posted at such an easily accessible place.

But as the last update was at 3:08 am - I am guessing that L-Z is finally catching some Z's before he goes back to working on the other issues.

I will keep posting results from sections that seem complete at chicagomackinac.com.

If you don't see the section you are looking for click the "more Chicago Mackinac Articles" link at the bottom of the list. If you still don't see it - that fleet is probably still incomplete.

[L Z]

Thanks to L-Z for getting the temp results posted at such an easily accessible place.

But as the last update was at 3:08 am - I am guessing that L-Z is finally catching some Z's before he goes back to working on the other issues.

I will keep posting results from sections that seem complete at chicagomackinac.com.

If you don't see the section you are looking for click the "more Chicago Mackinac Articles" link at the bottom of the list. If you still don't see it - that fleet is probably still incomplete.

I wish... no sleep for me last night... I just updated the file with the latest results.

http://www.chicagoya...sults_temp.html

Will do it again in another hour or so.

LZ

[Tomahawk]

Any of the racers here who want a pizza, go to the pizza place across from the pony - there's a girl called Piper that you have to meet. Holy crap, and Mer even took a pic.

PICS or she doesn't exist, come on Clean..........

[Pataloha123]

Mr. Clean - you made this completely awesome for anybody that was not on a boat this year, thanks for everything!

[Capo26]

Just heard Dandelion (section 8) saw 45 knots sometime last night. From what I hear with a reefed main and blade it was still over the top!
She's made it to the island (retired).

Any other info about what blew thru last night?

Still plenty of boats out there.

[MR.CLEAN]

Farr 40 Finishes...ignore the idiotic commentary - Convexity did not win, they got second of the 40s.

[MR.CLEAN]

Nice Pair and some other finishes.

[ppSailor01]

Clean,

where are the pics of Piper from the pizza joint? I may propose to her tonight.....

[MR.CLEAN]

Late night vodka hunt.

[MR.CLEAN]

Time to go get rid of the hangover with a greasy huevos rancheros. Today we're getting some interviews and we'll check out the awards, then stop in to the Beverators for a little SA get together - I need to win a shirt from Vegas.

The head pounds. It was a heifer convention last night. When it's rainy out, hotties don't migrate, and we didn't find their resident territory last night.

Clean,

where are the pics of Piper from the pizza joint? I may propose to her tonight.....

I know dude - Mer is attaching them shortly.

[MER]

SO sorry dude... here's your future ex-wife.

Attached Files

•  Piper_The_Pied_Piper_Mascot.jpg   431.4K   303 downloads

[ppSailor01]

Thanks Mer, I am in love. I wish she wasn't so shy about taking pics

[SailDry]

SO sorry dude... here's your future ex-wife.

Piper is much hotter in person. How'd the proposal go? Did she ever make it to her namesake "ocean racer"?

[HHN92]

Late night vodka hunt.


<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.c...v/JYutB-k2Sbk"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.c.../v/JYutB-k2Sbk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>

Anyone 'taking one for the team' this time for the CoS?

Or are there no nurses around?

[Miss Mackinac]

Just back from the awards presentation - did not make it through the whole thing, but Clean & Mer are on hand keeping it going.

There will be photos & video coming up from the awards & the Mount Gay Rum tent party!!!

The only awards being held back at this time were the Cruising division as there are still boats on the course that could correct into a winning spot.

[Revenge]

Congrats to Bill Martin and John Barbour on their respective Overall wins! Go BYC!

[KTB]

Congrats to Bill Martin and John Barbour on their respective Overall wins! Go BYC!

WORD

[MR.CLEAN]

Detroit racers take, I think, 7 sections plus both monohull overalls. Nice job, boyz. Also big congrats for the second year of Natalie J's dominance of her class - we got a great interview with Bora and Chris Balliet, boat captain. Lots more too, and I'm running down for a walk through of the Gunboat 62 in a few, then we're off to Marblehead. Someday I'll even get to sleep in my home in Charleston...not sure when.

[Skull & Bones]

Congrats to Bill Martin and John Barbour on their respective Overall wins! Go BYC!

Yes, big congrats to Bill! bring some more trophy's down to Casey's in Ann Arbor! (the place is packed with Stripes memorabilia)

[podrick]

Thanks all for the coverage, it been great to watch from down here. I must get back to doing some real work now.
Clean and Mer, good luck in Marblehead.

[HHN92]

Great job guys and highly entertaining. Sad to see it end and the excitement fade away into the history annals.

Have a safe trip and when you get the chance take a breather and get ready for the next time. It sure sounds like you'll need it.

[tigerregis]

Ditto. Great work all around. Almost as good as being there, 'cept for the fudgies.

[Skull & Bones]

Yeah, good job man. The coverage on here was better than anything CYC had

[CaptnPea]

Tons of thanks....

Got me motivated to save up for a boat, will be a couple years but, I'm not missing this race again

[hobot]

Thanks Clean and Mer, really cool coverage of the race. Your reporting from the bridge while looking for GR was classic!

[MR.CLEAN]

Please don't think it's all over. We've still got to post our "Women of the Chi-Mack" - which is pretty hot. Also, some more great interviews today with Geff, Brian Torresen, Natalie J crew, and more - you'll get all that tomorrow when we post it from the Eastbound lanes of Interstate 90. In the meantime, here's what I just sent the Ed for the front page. Links are not working right now - I'll fix them later.

Miss Mackinac

Mer and I aren't really planners – we prefer to go with the flow when deciding what events to sail, what events to report on, and where our next On-The-Water Anarchy will be. Our lack of certainty until shortly before a regatta is a bit stressful, but it has translated into some incredible opportunities around the world. This summer was no exception but for one event – the 100th running of the Race to Mackinac. Way back in February we decided we couldn't miss this one, and started looking for a fun ride to crew on for this blowout event, which we knew would be the biggest race on the Great Lakes in history.

The spring saw great racing opportunities materialize, only to later disappear. We lost our ride on the catamaran Nice Pair when the owner took on a partner for the summer campaign, and we'd already turned down a GL-70 since we thought we'd be aboard the cat. Our shitty timing and disappearance to Europe for all of June messed up a ride on The Cone of Silence and both Melges 30s – Nemesis and Peerless – and just two weeks before the big event, we still had no idea what we were doing.

Enter Kathleen Torresen. Kathleen's father started Torresen Marine in a Muskegon, Michigan garage before she was born, and she can still remember taking money from customers while standing on a milk crate behind the counter – that was the only way she could reach the cash register. Kathleen grew up as Torresen grew out, eventually expanding to the 13-acre full-service boatyard and storage operation that it is today. Now in her thirties, “KT” keeps everything running smoothly at Torresen – but she's also a bit of a visionary.

You see, Kathleen doesn't race distance races. Never mind that she's a hardcore buoy racer with decades of J/24 experience who could sail on pretty much any boat she wanted to – the truth is, Kathleen gets seasick on distance races, so she's just not interested. That's an interesting dilemma for a girl whose entire life revolves around Great Lakes racing yachts, especially when the majority of her friends, family, and customer base disappear en masse to Chicago every July for the Mackinac race. She'd find herself up on the island awaiting the arrival of the boats, sometimes for days without news. Sometime around 1995, KT realized she wasn't alone – there were hundreds of people starved for news while their friends and family members were drifting around on Lake Michigan, but no way to get it.

This was the infancy of the internet – there were no Yacht Club websites or e-mail press releases, and often even the racers had no idea how they did until the awards ceremony – so Kathleen took matters into her own hands with the creation of www.chicagomackinac.com. She called it “The Unofficial, Independent Source of Chicago Mackinac Info” and she used the site and primitive list servers to tell her readers about the conditions on the island, the finish times of the race boats as they crossed the line, and stories from the racers, all from her room at the Chippewa Hotel above the infamous Pink Pony Bar. Every year Kathleen did a little more, and a few dozen more people checked it out, and to this day, it remains the only place that's archived the story of the Chicago-Mackinac for more than a decade.

At Sailing Anarchy, we're proud of how entertaining and timely our On-The-Water Anarchy reports have become. It's taken a ton of work, lots of electronic gizmos, and dozens of people to make it that way – and we know it rocks. We've even been vain enough to think of ourselves as innovators doing something totally new, but this weekend we learned that this girl, hardly more than a teenager, was doing almost the same thing more than a decade ago – alone in a hotel, on a cumbersome computer with a dial-up connection.

Fast forward to our 2008 Mackinac dilemma – no ride and no work, just the desire to be there and share the event with as many people as possible. We happened to speak to Kathleen on the eve of our departure for the Midwest, and she explained her website, inviting us to bring On-The-Water Anarchy to the big race, while at the same time making her chicagomackinac.com report richer, and getting it out to more people. We immediately knew that this was what we were meant to do.

We're not going to recap the regatta for you – that would be redundant. You can see the entire light-air, rainy affair unfold before your eyes in excruciating detail in the On-The-Water thread, and you'd be a fool not to check it out. We will say that it was probably our favorite Mackinac race ever. We got to experience the race in a way we never could while racing, and the combined efforts of Torresen and the entire Sailing Anarchy community resulted in a richer information stream than has ever existed for a distance race outside the Volvo Ocean Race. When the Chicago Yacht Club's website got hacked in the middle of the race, we were there taking finish times and sharing them in real time. When iBoats tracker went down, Anarchists filled in some of the blanks with their call-ins and text messages. We went on our own “mission impossible,” driving up and down the Michigan coast for more than 12 hours to get the faintest glimmer of Genuine Risk and Windquest from the shore as they slowly raced North. We got to see the state of the racers after two plus days without sleep, and interviewed them.

We set out to tell a story – a story of a tight-knit racing community and the biggest race that most will ever compete in. A regular Mackinac is filled with intensity, the one week that Midwest sailors live for – and this one was a hell of a lot bigger. Thanks to Torresen, we were able to share it all with you, and hopefully, next year will bring in even more national and international teams, as well as the thousands of local sailors returning to make this event what it is.


The Thanks

It's important that we spread our gratitude to everyone who helped make our coverage so lively and complete. First, thanks to our wonderful pal Bruce Geffen – and not because he's a Torresen customer. Bruce called and texted us more than any other Anarchist - I received over 40 reports from him on Nice Pair. Maybe it was the good karma he earned by keeping us all informed, but whatever his secret weapon, Bruce finally won the Multihull 1 class of this great race after being the bridesmaid for nearly a decade. The broom hanging from his main halyard told the bigger story of Bruce's Great Lakes sweep this year: First in the Solo Mack (PH side), first, doublehanded Mack (huron), first, Port Huron-Mackinac, and first in class for the Chicago Mack.

We also owe a tremendous congratulations to Matt Scharl and Gamera, who also kept us well informed as we watched him start the race on the wrong side of the lake, spending two days battling back to overtake nearly the entire fleet and win his class and the overall multihull trophy.

Thanks and congrats to Phil O' Neil, Bora Gulari, and Christ Balliet, part of the Class 1 winning Natalie J, and thanks to FINS and the guys from Saturn..

Thanks also to Hellion, the guys and gal from Baby J, and Gonzo, Hippie, and Ike from Big Country for the great updates – also from Jerry Miller on Liberty. Thanks to our Quantum pals - Tac Boston from Quantum Chicago, and Brian Janney from Quantum San Diego on Windquest. To the entire crew of Adagio – Meade Gougeon, Jan Gougeon, Butch Babcock, and John “Vegas” Thomas – we can't thank you enough for keeping us in the loop. Also to the dozens of you that I don't even know, or that I'm forgetting right now – you sent messages, and we loved it. Thanks also to the Chicago Yacht Club (and Ken in specific) for helping us get right in the thick of the never-ending starts off Chicago.

Also, Mer sends a huge thanks to Mike and MK Fotos for helping us with some of our equipment – Mike's an amazing event photographer who travels all over the country to shoot sporting events and weddings, and he's worth a call if you're looking for a skilled guy who can make your event come alive.

Of course we send massive thanks to Kathleen Torresen and Torresen Marine for bringing us in – as well as for being dedicated members of the Sailing Anarchy community. Your vision and passion have paved the way for the last 13 years, and we were overjoyed to have finally given you the help you deserve. This is the beginning of a new tradition for the unauthorized, independent coverage of this great race and greater tradition, and, strangely for us, we're already planning next year's event. We are only sure of one thing – it will blow your minds.

Most of all, thanks to the Anarchists. Thanks for watching, thanks for your suggestions, and thanks for your messages and emails from as far away as South Africa and Australia – knowing you're enjoying it makes it a joy to do.

If your company would like to be involved in Torresen Marine and On-The-Water Anarchy's coverage of the 2009 Race To Mackinac, let us know – the more supporters we get, the better it'll be.

And in case you missed it, here's the thread again: The 100th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac.

[MER]

I apologize to all the teams that I didn't get shots of, but I hope you enjoy the ones I did get. Congratulations to everyone on winning a challenging and frustrating race.

Attached Files

•  23072008014.jpg   938.91K   50 downloads
•  23072008026.jpg   876.49K   43 downloads
•  23072008030.jpg   882.04K   52 downloads
•  IMG_5827.jpg   666.39K   57 downloads
•  IMG_5830.jpg   660.5K   59 downloads
•  IMG_5919.jpg   615.54K   47 downloads
•  IMG_5934.jpg   747.52K   28 downloads
•  IMG_5970.jpg   653.83K   35 downloads
•  IMG_5977.jpg   679.4K   32 downloads
•  IMG_5985.jpg   690.33K   59 downloads
•  IMG_6000.jpg   1.31MB   48 downloads

[JestemAmerykanka]

Hi guys, thanks for the great coverage! I was definitely checking this thread constantly to see what was going on & am looking forward to future reports :)

[Burnsy]

Thanks CLEAN, L Z, and others for keeping it going despite the usual unavoidable glitches. I knew I should have rummaged that Cone for hidden refreshments.

[Brian]

Another thanks to all for the coverage.

Also, congrats to Bounder for their Section 5 win!

[tillertime]

Not to be redundant, but thank's to everyone who worked so f'in hard to bring this level of coverage, lends itself to the community that exists within SA. Not that i did any hard work, i just sat on my arse and hit refresh every 4 minutes

[Squerb]

Thanks for the coverage everyone. Clean, you are a class act. I'd like to meet you one of these days. LZ, sorry for your computer woes. Screw those hackers. I'm in Harbor Springs for some fun for a few days now. It's fun to read about the Mac after the fact.

I was on Blitz in Section 5 this year. We had a decent race, but got sucked into the Michigan shore Sunday night and it was ugly. We kept hoping to catch up to Bounder, but it never happened. I have to say that the start was total crap. We were called over early with Bounder and others. I was on the bow and could swear that we were not over early. In fact, I thought that we were late to the line. It's odd that so many boats were being called over early. The start instructions were pretty clear about the line. Ah well, it's impossible to argue with the race committee. What sucked was that it took forever to get back over the line.

Overall, it was a decent race, lots of different weather and no way to know what was coming next. The finish sucked since it was pouring rain and a bunch of other guys from the boat and I wanted to get away to drive home. We ended up catching the midnight Shepler's ferry and driving home Monday night. I was just happy to not have to sleep on a wet boat again. Drove all night, slept four hours and turned around, picked up the family, and headed back up to Harbor Springs. This is what July is all about. I love it!!! I'm looking forward to next year already.

I was on Blitz for the BYC Mac and after the win in that race we were hoping for another win, but it didn't happen. I guess it's SailorRose's fault since she bailed on us for the Chi Mac.

[More Cowbell2]

I was on Blitz in Section 5 this year. We had a decent race, but got sucked into the Michigan shore Sunday night and it was ugly. We kept hoping to catch up to Bounder, but it never happened. I have to say that the start was total crap. We were called over early with Bounder and others. I was on the bow and could swear that we were not over early. In fact, I thought that we were late to the line. It's odd that so many boats were being called over early. The start instructions were pretty clear about the line. Ah well, it's impossible to argue with the race committee. What sucked was that it took forever to get back over the line.

We were surprised too (Liberty, also section 5). I have never seen a race with so many over early recalls. Our bowman swore we were not over early. In that hobby horse chop without any wind it took forever to get back to the line. Then the race committee called " all sections clear". I think they just wanted to get the start area cleared up before it got to be a train wreck.

[Squerb]

We were surprised too (Liberty, also section 5). I have never seen a race with so many over early recalls. Our bowman swore we were not over early. In that hobby horse chop without any wind it took forever to get back to the line. Then the race committee called " all sections clear". I think they just wanted to get the start area cleared up before it got to be a train wreck.

Wow, we never heard the "all sections clear" call. That sucks. We ended up going round the port end of the line and back into the cluster fuck of no air starts behind us. The over early calls gave us someone to rip on all race. I think the spotter was behind the double orange flags on the committee boat. Maybe our kite was over the line.

[SailorRose]

I was on Blitz for the BYC Mac and after the win in that race we were hoping for another win, but it didn't happen. I guess it's SailorRose's fault since she bailed on us for the Chi Mac.

You damn lurker and now you're posting?!

Yes, blame it on me! But honestly, after spending a week on a boat (not just this boat, but any boat), I truly couldn't have endured even a couple more days. While I love the sport, I'm beginning to see how Slow Ed's perspective makes sense - "A proper yachtsman ties his boat up to the dock each night and sleeps in a dry bed that isn't moving."

Either way, I missed you guys terribly and wish I had been there despite my utter exhaustion.

[jeff carver]

Eastbound lanes of Interstate 90.

eastbound 90......stopping by http://forums.sailin...showtopic=75676 ?

[RumBulls]

Another thanks to all for the coverage.

Also, congrats to Bounder for their Section 5 win!

Sculling back to the start really paid off didn't it!!!!

[Bruce in CT]

Fantastic job guys, I really appreciate your efforts. It's been great to be able to follow this race from out here in CT. You guys worked hard to make it all happen for people like me.

Thanks and best wishes,
Bruce

[MR.CLEAN]

eastbound 90......stopping by http://forums.sailin...showtopic=75676 ?

Thanks for the invite, Carv - we're running late as it is. Assuming we actually get out of here in the next couple of hours, we arrive in Marblehead around 7 in the morning, then go race. Nice to know I'm giving my body time to recover from this sinus infection. I'm screwed...

[dain bramage]

Clean,

Great job to you and all involved. THANKS!

Any pics of the SA party????

[the rev. petey]

cleans...good seeing you two again and getting a bit of a chance to rip it up with y'all. I hope Mers legs have the feeling back in them after billy squashed her when you two were sleeping. I know Kathleen was thinking we needed more rooms, but i think we could have stuffed more people into that room of ours. anyway lets chat about things after your event this weekend...good job brotherman.

rev out

[MR.CLEAN]

cleans...good seeing you two again and getting a bit of a chance to rip it up with y'all. I hope Mers legs have the feeling back in them after billy squashed her when you two were sleeping. I know Kathleen was thinking we needed more rooms, but i think we could have stuffed more people into that room of ours. anyway lets chat about things after your event this weekend...good job brotherman.

rev out

Thanks bro - and thanks for being part of it. Next year we need a 50' power cat for our HQ. We'll shadow the fleet, do interviews on the rail, and sneak up on boats in the middle of the night until we're ten feet from them, and say "BOO!"

[Trimmed for speed - - -]

Clean - great seeing you on the island! Your thoughs and sympathy regarding our dsq was appreciated. (Convictus Maximus)

What an asshole move.

[hellion]

Just walked in...home...mmmm...oh perchance to sleep...

Thanks Mr. Clean and Mer for this thread.
There were a few more of you I would have loved to have come across there and some of you to meet in person.
A delight to meet more SAers at Bev's shindig.
(More details in the Chicago ongoing thread at some point.)

A correction to your post from me though, Mr. Clean: I was not on Mojo; I was on CanCan Deux.
And only Tsunami Mike got displaced to CanCan from the injured, and unrace-able Tsunami.

A quick note about the race:
I wish I had a third hand to whip out my l'il camera and snapped one of Badger-the-ferry blasting its horn as its bow came out of the fog 50 metres or so from us.
Scary moment number??

The fog!

I do have some cool shots and can post tomorrow.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........

[Ayes]

great thread on the coverage. Thanks Kathleen, Clean andd Mer !

I was on the J-120 Perseverance. The fog at night with commercial trafic was crazy scarry. It was eyes and ears pealed all night for any sign of any other boat.

We chased Carinthia all the way up the lake and rounded the can at the reef bow to stern with them. Their stern our bow. They got away sailing deeper downwind and leveraged that seperation when the wind went east for the finish.

The party(ies) on the Island were a blast and we hung around for an extra day. Got home just in time for Wednesday night Ensign beer cans.

We leave from Marquette tonight to be in Harbor Springs tomorrow morning.

I don't think we have had too much fun yet but we are really close.

Ayes

[smelly weasel]

Thanks bro - and thanks for being part of it. Next year we need a 50' power cat for our HQ. We'll shadow the fleet, do interviews on the rail, and sneak up on boats in the middle of the night until we're ten feet from them, and say "BOO!"

Hey guys- great seeing y'all this weekend! hopefully see ya soon for J24 Nats- you know I've got a place for you to stay.

If it's as foggy next year it will be easy to sneak up and scare the shit out of boats with a load blast of the horn!!

good times-

weasel out-

[cariguy]

great thread on the coverage. Thanks Kathleen, Clean andd Mer !

I was on the J-120 Perseverance. The fog at night with commercial trafic was crazy scarry. It was eyes and ears pealed all night for any sign of any other boat.

We chased Carinthia all the way up the lake and rounded the can at the reef bow to stern with them. Their stern our bow. They got away sailing deeper downwind and leveraged that seperation when the wind went east for the finish.

The party(ies) on the Island were a blast and we hung around for an extra day. Got home just in time for Wednesday night Ensign beer cans.

We leave from Marquette tonight to be in Harbor Springs tomorrow morning.

I don't think we have had too much fun yet but we are really close.

Ayes

You were so close to our stern we talked about getting out the rubber gloves. Come to think of it, I am sure Dr. Rob had a pair.

[Pai]

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=12oP7hluulU

[Flying Wasp]

You were so close to our stern we talked about getting out the rubber gloves. Come to think of it, I am sure Dr. Rob had a pair.

Even in the back of the J120 pack we were having fun chasing Jahazi and Scirocco from the bridge to the finish. 12 120s finished within a 2 hour window. 5th -12th place was separated by 30 minutes. Safe to say Carinthia and Persevearance had a gear the others couldn't find. Nice work out there.

[MR.CLEAN]

The video above:

[Miss Mackinac]

Looking for 2008 results? check in at chicagomackinac.com - I think I have all the sections posted.

If you don't see what you are looking for on the front page, click the link at the bottom of the list that sends you to "More Chicago Mackinac Articles >> "

It is great to hear from ya'll who were out on the course!!!

[jeff carver]

Thanks for the invite, Carv -

anytime....

[Bow Monkey]

Clean, nice job on the reporting. I especially loved the way you laughed about the crazy little Laser 28 starting in section 9 during your start line coverage (seriously). Don't worry, we weren't offended, we were going for that reaction from the beginning. If only you'd posted your phone number a few days earlier, I would have sent some great "on the water" repots from the second smallest boat in the fleet. It would have given me something to do while forced to spend the entire night on the rail outside Grey's reef.

[wallysailor]

Just heard Dandelion (section 8) saw 45 knots sometime last night. From what I hear with a reefed main and blade it was still over the top!
She's made it to the island (retired).

Any other info about what blew thru last night?

Still plenty of boats out there.

newbie here, so be gentle.

Got caught in this squall ourselves. Came outa nowhere around 10:30 or so (give or take an hour). Just kept getting worse and worse. Dropped all sails at one point as winds hit 21-25 sustained, gusting to 30. Seas continued to build to 6 to 8. Steep, breaking bastards. Wind and waves directly out of the north. We were between Beaver and the mainland. Couldn't make any northern progress, and didn't relish trying to tack thru Grey's Reef under those conditions. Threw in the towel around 3 AM and spent the next 2+ hours fighting our way into Charlevoix. Never showed signs of letting up the whole time out there. Fun time had by all! (<-- sarcasm alert).

wallysailor

[MR.CLEAN]

Damn wally - that's a bitch. I just got off the water after a day in light air in Marblehead. We're staying with Dan and Maureen Tucker Mackinnon (sp?) and there's a barbecue and real dark & stormies. Depending on how many I drink, I intend to post the rest of the videos and some pics tonight. Sorry for the delay.

[Bmajor]

Clean,

Great job to you and all involved. THANKS!

Any pics of the SA party????

I don't know if there are any pictures, but trust me when I say it was OFF THE HOOK! Thanks to those who made this happen!

[Yachtsman]

newbie here, so be gentle.

Got caught in this squall ourselves. Came outa nowhere around 10:30 or so (give or take an hour). Just kept getting worse and worse. Dropped all sails at one point as winds hit 21-25 sustained, gusting to 30. Seas continued to build to 6 to 8. Steep, breaking bastards. Wind and waves directly out of the north. We were between Beaver and the mainland. Couldn't make any northern progress, and didn't relish trying to tack thru Grey's Reef under those conditions. Threw in the towel around 3 AM and spent the next 2+ hours fighting our way into Charlevoix. Never showed signs of letting up the whole time out there. Fun time had by all! (<-- sarcasm alert).

wallysailor

We were in it too approaching Grays reef 25-28 sustained on the nose for the better part of six hours then 20-25kts for another two. Reefed main and #1 rolled up to a #4, 4-6 ft waves with the occasional 10 ft that we drove through more than surfed. In control but not fun. Could not see anything with all the rain was using the depth sounder as a double check to decide when to tack. Ended up with only one very sea sick crew member. Arrrg that sucked myself and the other driver felt like we were beat with rubber hoses.

J

[Tulosba]

Why no Video of the Section 8 start?

[Grinder]

Here's a little sample of the action last night. It really is one of the parties of the year - the CYC bash on Mackinac Eve. We overheard some of the Equation crew bitching about the "circus" that the Mack has become - but considering the size of the regatta and the number of people enjoying it, we'd say that the CYC is probably doing it pretty well. Besides, it's mostly a handicap race - and the handicapped deserve parties.



<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.c...v/UQCXp2Ws6W0"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.c.../v/UQCXp2Ws6W0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>

Fuckin hilarious, but painful to hear myself sing. Yeaoch!

[slushfund]

Been back pack'in in Colorado. Missed all the fun.

Fantastic job Mr. Clean!

[outtafocus]

Why no Video of the Section 8 start?

ditto....
where is the section 8 start?

[Geff]

Just a huge thank you from the "Nice Pair" program for all your support and cheers and congrads over the last number of weeks. It truly meant a lot and made a difference. Particularly to Clean, Mer, and Kathleen for all the hard work they did to bring this all to the forefront for the general public to enjoy and follow. Everyone associated with the incredible success of the Chi Mac, Bayview Mac and the other races this year deserves and has earned our heartiest thanks. There are too many of you to mention, but all of it contributed to being THE BEST all around for all!

[outtafocus]

ditto....
where is the section 8 start?

clean, doing a bang up job but where the hell is the section 8 start?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?????!??!?!?!??
were you filling a drink at the time?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??????

[support crew]

I'm sure I watched the section 8 start.

[MR.CLEAN]

Finally back on track, and here's the video we did with Matt Scharl on his F-25C Gamera before the race. Matt won a Rolex by taking out the Multihull division, and we'll get you the post-race video shortly.

[MR.CLEAN]

And here's that self-guided tour of Genuine Risk, along with a funny dude thanking SA for keeping him occupied while he was locked in a merchant ship for months with nothing but a computer.

[MR.CLEAN]

Here's a little Jobson - Gary tries to get the crowd to say something for his video of the Mack. Like grade school, only gayer.

[MR.CLEAN]

Here's our post-race interview with Matt Scharl, after he wins the Rolex for top Multihull in the race. Awesome dude, awesome sailor.