The City of Port Huron is getting ready to host the kickoff of the 2021 Bayview Mackinac Race this week and celebrate with Boat Week activities.
The first Port Huron to Mackinac race happened in 1925 when a group of 15-20 yachts made their way from Detroit to Port Huron for a series of boat races called a regatta. Following the event, a group of sailors from the Bayview Yacht Club decided to hold a race from Port Huron to Mackinac on July 25th, 1925.
The first race started with 12 yachts but sooner after they began, thunderstorms on Lake Huron started taking their toll on the racers. Only 6 boats finished that original race.
This year’s race is the 97th consecutive Bayview Mackinac Race, and spectators can watch the boats parade out of the Black River starting at 8 AM on Saturday, July 24th. There are also several other advantageous places along the St. Clair River to watch the boats head to the lake, such as Keifer Park and along the Blue Water Bridge.
Details about Boat Week activities in the City of Port Huron are available here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/3053998494818911/
Details about events at the Port Huron Yacht Club are here:
https://phyc.org/current/boat-week/boat-week-schedule#.YPGOt-hKiUm
Updates for racers are available here:
https://www.bycmack.com/raceupdates.cfm
Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand
