PORT HURON, MI — Clear skies, temperatures in the low 80s and improved air quality welcomed hundreds of spectators to the Port Huron waterfront Saturday, July 18, for the start of the 102nd Bayview Mackinac Race.
The pleasant conditions marked a welcome turnaround after Canadian wildfire smoke blanketed the Blue Water Area earlier in Boat Week. As bagpipes played and more than 200 sailboats prepared to begin the journey north to Mackinac Island, many of those on shore were focused on something else entirely — seeing family and friends safely off.
For Elisa and Ken Doll of Ann Arbor, the trip to Port Huron has become an annual tradition.
The couple made the drive early Saturday morning to watch their sons, Jacob Doll of Ann Arbor and Matthew Doll of Boulder, Colorado, compete together aboard Wildcat.
“The boats are gorgeous,” Elisa Doll said. “The parade of boats coming out — there’s nothing like it.”
The brothers were competing in their fourth Bayview Mackinac Race together aboard Wildcat, owned by Ed Kriese of Grosse Pointe Farms.
“It is a fantastic thing,” Elisa Doll said. “I would not miss it.”
After the smoke and poor air quality earlier in the week, Saturday’s weather felt like a gift.
“It’s like we’re in a happy bubble right now,” she said.
Ken Doll said watching his sons continue the tradition has become one of the highlights of the year.
“I’m delighted that they’re involved in something that is so fun to come and support them,” he said.
Just down the waterfront, Kelly Hreno of Windsor, Ontario, waited for her husband, John Hreno, to begin his 22nd Bayview Mackinac Race aboard Underdog.
Hreno said one of the race’s greatest strengths is the people it brings together. The race’s scratch sheet lists competitors from across North America and as far away as Australia, New Zealand and Spain.
“It’s a wonderful event for mixtures of nationality,” she said. “It’s such a nice event for them to come together.”
She said changing conditions on the lake remained one of her biggest concerns heading into the race, but she was proud to watch her husband begin another trip north.
Nearby, Marilyn Abernathy wore a T-shirt from the 1998 Port Huron to Mackinac Yacht Race while waiting for a family member competing aboard Redline.
Asked if she was excited to be there, her answer came quickly.
“Absolutely.”
As crews cast off and sails filled with wind, cheers, waves and final photographs followed them out of the Black River and onto Lake Huron. The boats gradually disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving behind empty docks and spectators with one last wave.
For the sailors, the adventure had only begun. For those on shore, another Bayview Mackinac Race became a memory, one that will bring many of them back to the waterfront when the race returns July 10, 2027.
Contact reporter Andy Jeffrey at ajeffrey@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Spectators cheer sailors as Bayview Mackinac Race begins
Reporting by Andy Jeffrey, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Andy Jeffrey, Port Huron Times Herald | USA TODAY Network
