bayview yacht club hitchhiker

Mackinac race tops improbable sailing journey for Detroiter Brian Ellison

Detroit  — It started with a single phone call. Raymond Washington was taking family sailing on his boat, now many years ago, and called his godson Brian Ellison. Would Ellison be interested to come along?

There was no commitment, no pressure. Just a simple ask.

Ellison, a teenager in Southfield at the time, didn’t know anything about sailing. No knowledge, no expectations. It was completely foreign. But nothing else was going on. He had no plans that day.

So, sure, Ellison gave it a try.

“I was super fortunate,” said Ellison, now 50, smiling about the memory. “I was the tagalong. I went one time and I was hooked.”

Ellison loved it. He found his calling and passion. Sailing was the way he wanted to live life.

Ellison knew nothing about the sport to that point. But on that one glorious afternoon on Lake Huron, with the sun beaming down, a light wind, smooth water and family on the boat, this was living.

“At 11 or 12, no, it (sailing) just wasn’t around me,” Ellison said. “My parents were great about camps and if I was interested in something they would try to find camps. Ranch camp, horses — I did that. You see and experience things.

"But I never saw sailing. Then my godparents were like, 'We have this boat and do you want to come out?' Then I saw sailing on TV. Then MTV came out and I saw a Duran Duran video and I knew I wanted my life to look like that.”

Now, Ellison has sailed the Virgin Islands and the East Coast. He's a regular on the Michigan circuit. On Saturday, he will be sailing his sixth Bayview Port Huron to Mackinac Island race, which celebrates 100 years this weekend.

Evelyn Washington, Ellison's godmother (Ray Washington passed away in 2003), isn't surprised by how Ellison has attached himself to sailing.

"Brian was very good mechanically, could fix things. Whenever he would come down in the summer, he'd work around side of my husband," Evelyn Washington said. "That was sort of his introduction to sailing.

"Yes, he's been hooked ever since. I've been so happy and thrilled to see his dreams have taken him to this point."

Ellison, a Black sailor, received an opportunity, had an outlet, and fulfilled a dream he had when it came to the world of sailing.

Ellison would love to see more kids — Detroit kids, Black kids, kids who don't have the means or opportunity — to get that first introduction into sailing like he did. Ellison is confident if they get a chance to get out into the water, they'll also be hooked.

"Part of it is just general lack of access," Ellison said. "I'm not oblivious to that part of it.

"It's disappointing because a lot of people are missing out. We have this incredible natural resource (Great Lakes) available to us, but it's so disappointing to me that a bunch of kids are missing out on something that is so awesome, Detroit kids especially. You live next to his amazing resource and it's almost as if it's foreign, something that doesn't even register or something kids can utilize."

Ellison is one of the founders of Detroit River Sports, and the Washingtons' granddaughters have been active in Challenge the Wind, a Detroit Boat Club-based program that brings sailing to youth who'd never the opportunity otherwise.

Bayview Yacht Club has a number of programs that get novices on sailboats — one doesn't have to be a member — including junior sailing, adult learn to sail and learn to race, and Hitchhiker Thursday.

Other Detroit and Grosse Pointe sailing clubs have various junior programs to introduce the sport to youth. So, the sport is growing and the opportunities are becoming more plentiful.

"I know people who sail from all levels of income, frankly," Ellison said. "But we don't see that diversity yet. Once you get past that perception and think about how sailing aligns to all these things we're trying to teach our kids, all the physics, the mechanical aspects, the engaging aspects, there's not a better STEM project."

Ellison is a tremendous ambassador for sailing, said Charlie Trost, race chairman for the 100th Bayview Mackinac race.

"He's a genuine guy and he really cares about the sport," Trost said. "He put together a rock-star crew last year and you could tell how much they enjoyed (sailing) and had a fun time."

Ellison had to pause and think about his own humble sailing beginnings to where he got to last summer, when he entered Revel in his first Mackinac race as an owner and skipper.

It was a long way from being a teenage "sailing nerd" and helping his godfather where he could, to being in charge of a crew of 11 and testing himself against the crews in the Bayview Port Huron to Mackinac race.

"It was amazing," Ellison said of skippering Revel, which placed seventh of 14 boats in its division last year and this year is representing the Tigers in the Pro Team challenge (each of the four pro teams in town is paired with a boat). "It was something I had wanted to do and it was a culmination of so many things. My godfather had passed, but I remember him learning whenever he was sailing Lake Huron and I was with him and he was passing on that knowledge to me. Now I had my own boat and it was huge to get to put everything I had learned to the test.

"This sailing community we have around here, too. It's difficult to express how much assistance and knowledge they've passed along over the years and always been so open and sharing."

This will be Ellison's sixth Mackinac race and second on his own boat. Being involved in the historic 100th Mackinac race is something he doesn't take lightly.

"There's 100 years of Michigan tradition in this race," Ellison said. "If you're talking about Great Lakes sailing, this is the Super Bowl. This is where you test against everybody else. You have professionals in the sport coming in, the best Michigan has to offer, just outstanding crews.

"You're going up against the best."

Ellison is intent on doing his best this weekend. He and his crew has been going over plans and strategy for some time. But establishing the memories of being on Lake Huron with his friends and soaking in all the joy of it, that's what matters most.

"I love sailing and I love winning," Ellison said. "But we have real good camaraderie on this crew and a lot of good times and a lot of laughs. I would venture to guess a sour or unhappy boat will be a slow boat. We laugh, we enjoy being out there and together."

100th Bayview Mackinac Race

▶  When:  11:30 a.m. Saturday

▶  Where:  The start is on Lake Huron, just north of the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron

▶  Course: There is only one course that all entries will sail this year — the 204-mile 1925 Original Course. The entire fleet (a record-breaking 332 boats) will head north along the Michigan shoreline before finishing between Round Island and Mackinac Island.

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Behind the gates of Detroit's exclusive boat clubs

A year ago, a friend and I were denied service at a local yacht club that shall remain nameless for merely mispronouncing the name of the member we'd accompanied (he was outside on his boat). It was my first brush with the exclusivity of a club where boats are kept, and it left me wondering what lived behind the gates of these places where I was not welcome. Turns out, metro Detroit's yacht and boat clubs keep themselves sealed from the public (sometimes with barbed-wire fencing) because everyone would hang out at them if they could. On a visit to five well-known area clubs, we found beautiful views, swimming pools, and frozen blended drinks. But each club was also a cultural microcosm, representative of the people who call themselves members. Join us for a written tour from the blue-collar Kean's Marina, all the way up the coast to the hoity-toity Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.

Detroit Yacht Club

The historic yacht club on Belle Isle is one of Detroit's crown jewels. Founded in 1868, it's one of the oldest clubs in the country, and much of that history has been preserved. The Mediterranean-style clubhouse is steeped in nautical themes, with gold-painted rope and anchor embellishments along the ceiling, the face of poseidon carved into the concrete above the main entrance, and sailboat figurines and paintings throughout. At 93,000 square feet, the clubhouse is believed to be the largest yacht clubhouse in the country. It allows space for a seemingly endless array of amenities that include a banquet hall, bar, restaurant, snack shack, tiki bar, indoor and outdoor swimming pool, squash court, fitness center, beach volleyball court, and concert stage. Hundreds of members have joined the DYC just to utilize those offerings; the club's general manager says two-thirds of its members don't own a boat. And though one might assume such a grand club would feel stuffy or uncomfortable, the DYC appears devoid of pretense. "We're in the heart of Detroit," explains general manager Rick Price. "[The members are] down-to-earth people, they're normal Joe Blows. There's nobody here that looks at me any differently whether they have $10 million in the bank or $100 in the bank."

Kean's Marina

This "resort marina" has the tiki bar and playlist to make you feel as if you've been transported to Margaritaville. Beach music (think reggae hits like "Red Red Wine") plays throughout the marina, and people sip frozen cocktails garnished with mini umbrellas around a U-shaped pool.

Additional amenities include an indoor bar, jacuzzi, playground, and locker rooms. To hang out at Kean's, you must have a boat in one of its 400 wells or a storage rack. A convenience store and gas-up dock can be used by anyone boating on the river. Kean's is more affordable than a yacht club — it costs just $3,500 to put a 30-foot boat in the water and store it in the winter — and as a result, it's more laid-back and diverse. Co-owner Michael Litt says more than half of Kean's membership is black, and there's been a recent uptick in millennials who store their boats there.

Bayview Yacht Club

Bayview Yacht Club offers a home away from home for sailing aficionados in Detroit. It's not uncommon for members to set sail from the club several times each week. Commodore Ryan Farrell says he was up to four days a week until marriage force him to slow down his habit. On most weeknights, dozens of boat crews compete in races on the Detroit River as a sizeable crowd watches from a patio along the water's edge. Major races include a days-long regatta up Lake Huron all the way to Mackinac. Sailing and racing is really the focus here (the club counts an Olympian sailor among its members), so no pools or tennis courts, but there is a gorgeous bar-restaurant and lounge with plush leather seats. Much of the membership is from Grosse Pointe and St. Clair Shores, though the club is trying to diversify and expose more people to sailing. One of those efforts was underway the night I stopped by. Having not recognized me as a member, a regular asked if I was there as a "hitchhiker" — or, a person with no affiliation to the club who can join a boat crew once a week as part of a new program. "It's really not like the elitist sport most people make it out to be, I mean we're just Joe Schmoes around here," member Mike Dodge said as we stood at the water's edge. An air horn sounded, and a fleet of larger yachts came into view. He pointed out a 70-footer estimated to cost $300,000. "That boat typically has a lot more shrimp cocktail and lobster tail on it than some of the other boats," said member Kevin Rossell.

Edison Boat Club

"Egalitarian" is the word member Vince Pardi uses to describe this boat club for current and retired DTE Energy employees and their family members. "I love this club because you can have VP's and presidents and linemen and secretaries and nobody knows or cares," says Pardi. Situated on the grounds of a DTE natural gas plant, the club is more modest and homey than the others we visited. It has only 150 wells, and its primary features include a bar-restaurant, game room, and hangout area. On an overcast Friday evening, people of all backgrounds filled the windowed restaurant to take in the grey-blue view of the Detroit River. The atmosphere was cozy and friendly — no one inquired as to whether I was a member, and a guy who seemed to work at the facility popped up behind the bar and casually poured himself a shot of Jameson before disappearing again. The only unwelcoming aspect of Edison appears to be the barbed-wire fence that divides it from the McMansion community next door.

Grosse Pointe Yacht Club

This massive yacht club on Lake St. Clair is far and away the most grandiose of any club in metro Detroit. The Italian Renaissance-style clubhouse is distinguished by arched windows and a nearly 200-foot bell tower. Inside, an elaborate rotunda connects two dining rooms and a long foyer. There, a large bronze fountain statue called "Rhythm of the Waves" produces a light pattering sound that greets guests when they arrive. The 75,000-square-foot site features a bowling alley, Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool, multiple tennis courts, and a sailing center. But it's the details that set Grosse Pointe Yacht Club apart. A harbor staff will do "virtually anything for these boating members," a membership marketing manager says, from delivering food to washing boats. A gourmet outdoor pizza oven can cook a pie in 90 seconds. The bathroom in the lobby has lotion and listerine . Grosse Pointe Yacht Club was once ranked the top yacht club in the country and currently sits in the top five. Membership, of course, does not come cheap. A social membership requires an initiation fee of approximately $3,500 and additional payments of about $500 a month. Boating members pay even more. On its website, the club professes to embody "the true spirit of excellence" but adds that "owning a yacht is not a measure of any of our members' worthiness. We value members that are authentic, sincere, and goal-oriented." Ninety percent of the club's members live in the Grosse Pointes.

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100-year-old tugboat being used as Bayview Yacht Club's temporary clubhouse sinks

An old tugboat that the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit was using as a temporary clubhouse while it renovates its permanent one sank Sunday to the bottom of Connor Creek.

Images of the Queen City going down were captured by a local tugboat captain, Alex Haggart, who happened to be in the area. Photos show the boat listing and then sinking.

"I couldn't tell you what happened," Haggart said late Monday morning, noting that he doesn't think anyone was injured. "Except, the boat is supposed to be in the creek, not the creek in the boat."

The boat took on water overnight, but it's unclear how or why, the club said late Monday. The boat began listing heavily to starboard, broke free of her moorings and then settled on the creek bottom.

There is no engine, fuel tanks or hazardous material on the boat, the club added.

Haggart sent some photos to Ben Wixson, who quickly posted them to his Facebook group, Lake St. Clair Sailors, for metro Detroit yacht club members and boating enthusiasts. 

The boat, Haggart said, is more than 100 years old and was recently renovated. Its age, he said, might have done it in. But that, he added, is only speculation on his part. He doesn't know why it sank.

Wixson said he doesn't know why the boat sank either — or whether it is salvageable.

Below the photos, people posted some colorful comments, including: "Oh-oh," "Looking a bit tipsy," "Looks like it’s leaning a bit too far right," "If you wanted to sell it, there is a better way to List it. ..." and "Maybe they were having one of those mystery dinners with the Titanic theme?"

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According to the club's website, the Bayview Yacht Club was founded in 1915 by four men, only one of whom might be called a sailor, but is now focused on competitive sailing.

The club started in a "corrugated-iron shack," about a mile downstream of where it is now at 100 Clairpointe St. The first sailboat to call it home was the Wrinkle, which was 18 feet at the waterline.

The founders were just looking for a place to fish and have fun.

During Prohibition, the club grew because it was a short sail from legal bars in Canada.

But in more recent years, club membership has been declining, according to news reports. Members have been hopeful that a multimillion-dollar renovation of the clubhouse will reverse that trend.

The club did not say how the latest misfortune will affect it — or the renovations.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or [email protected]. 

The most boats ever will compete in the 100th Bayview Yacht Club race to Mackinac Island

Billed on its website as the “world’s longest continuously run long-distance freshwater yacht race,” the 100th Bayview Mackinac Race is set to start Saturday.

A record-setting 334 boats have registered for the 100th year of the race, shattering the record of 316 in 1985 and a huge contrast compared with the 200 boats that raced last year, said David Stoyka, spokesman for the Bayview Yacht Club, which puts on the race.

Bayview Yacht Club says boats start leaving the Black River in Port Huron around 8 a.m. on race day and will continue leaving until around noon. From the Black River, they will proceed up the St. Clair River, under the Blue Water Bridge, into Lake Huron.

The first scheduled start time in Lake Huron is 11:30 a.m., with starts every 10 minutes until approximately 1:30 p.m. The starts may be delayed due to weather conditions.

This year, for the 100th running, the race will follow the original 1925 route and span 204 nautical miles. From the starting point, the boats will head north along the Michigan shoreline, passing south of Bois Blanc Island, sailing west to east at the finish line between Round Island and Mackinac Island, organizers said.

The range of boats are expected to finish in between 30 and 60 hours.

The sailors

Teams at all skill levels have entered the race, which draws competitors from around the world.  The highly skilled racers know they will cross the bow of competitors within inches. Still, there's always risk of a crash with the slightest miscalculation.

"Everybody recognizes this is super intense," said champion sailor  Tim Prophit , 65, of St. Clair Shores, past commodore of Bayview Yacht Club and owner of Fast Tango, a North American 40 sailboat.

The teams are vying for trophies and flags to show their accomplishments.

The J.L. Hudson Trophy is awarded to the boat with the best corrected time in Division I, and the Canadian Club Classic Trophy is awarded to the boat with the best corrected time in Division II.

How can spectators follow the race?

Spectators can go to bycmack.com during the race and click on “RaceTracking” link to watch real-time GPS positioning of all the race boats, or, on your mobile device, download the free app YB Races and select the current race.

Boats will start arriving at Mackinac Island on Sunday afternoon and continue until Monday evening, all dependent upon the wind.

Finishes can be seen from Windermere Point on Mackinac Island at the south end of Main Street.

Sailors who have completed 25 Bayview Mackinac races are called “Old Goats,” according to the club, while those who have completed 50 are called “Grand Rams.” 

"Double Goats" are sailors who have completed 25 Bayview Mackinac races and 25 Chicago Yacht Club race to Mackinac races. This year’s Chicago to Mackinac race encountered strong winds in Lake Michigan , snapping some boats’ masts and tossing one sailor overboard. No one was hurt.

Volunteers who have served for 15 years on the Race Committee are honored with the title “Old Forts,” as designated by the Race Committee.

This story includes material from a staff report by former Free Press reporter Phoebe Wall Howard and from the Bayview Yacht Club.

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Winners emerge among record 332-entry fleet in the 100th Bayview Mackinac Race presented by National Fleet Services

July 23, 2024 – Mackinac Island, Michigan – After a challenging 204 miles of sailing in conditions that ranged from perfect to challenging, the winners of the 100th edition of the annual Bayview Mackinac Race presented by National Fleet Services were celebrated today at the scenic finish venue on Mackinac Island, Michigan. A record 332 monohulls and multihulls entered the race, with 309 boats completing the course.

To add a historic dimension to this milestone event, all competitors competed on one course, the original course used in the first race in 1925. Overall scoring used ORC ratings for the Bayview Shore Course model for all monohulls in all classes.

In Division I, 154 racing and one-design entries completed the course, and in overall standings the fastest boats in the fleet in Class A dominated the overall results. After a start in light air at Port Huron on Saturday July 20, the fleet enjoyed fast reaching conditions in the first night and in the early hours of Sunday. However, the easterly breeze gradually lightened on Sunday afternoon when Class A finished and got even lighter throughout Sunday evening and Monday for the remainder of the fleet.

David and Peter Askew’s TP 52 WIZARD was first to cross the finish line at 13:12:34 local time, 22 hours after their start, and was trailed by Chris Duhon’s TP 52 MOCKINGBIRD by only 9 seconds, followed by Doug DeVos’s TP 52 WINDQUEST another 3 minutes later. Three more of these “GL 52’s” finished soon thereafter, followed by Bill McKinley’s Ker 46+ DENALI 3 , the several ULDB Sleds after that.

Having a slightly slower rating than their rivals, Duhon and the MOCKINGBIRD team thereby claimed overall victory in corrected time by a 10-minute margin over runner-up WINDQUEST, with WIZARD in third.

In Division II’s cruising, doublehanded and one-design entries 143 teams finished the race, and unlike in Division 1 the overall winner in ORC scoring was one of the slowest-rated boats in the fleet: Jeremy Thompson’s Grampian 30 TRAV’LER . This is a repeat win for Thompson, whose runner-up in overall scoring was also a class winner last year as well: Tim Prophit’s Carter-designed NA 40 FAST TANGO . In third was Peter Thornton’s Bruce King-designed 140-foot Ketch WHITEHAWK , demonstrating the tremendous diversity of boat types that were competitive in the top ranks of this division.

During the race ORC’s Dobbs Davis produced a race analysis show that described the fleet, their positions, the weather and the relevant tactics and strategies of numerous teams in the fleet. These shows were supported by VanTol & Vitelli Insurance Group and Legal Copy Services , and are available on this YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DobbsDavis .

“This was a challenging race suitable for the 100th edition, with a variety of wind conditions to test everyone in the fleet,” said Race Chairman Charlie Trost of Bayview Yacht Club . “Those on the podiums in each class earned their places through great sailing and great perseverance.”

For complete results and more information on the 100th Bayview Mackinac Race presented by National Fleet Services visit https://bycmack.com .

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While the sport of sailing is the main focus of the Bayview Yacht Club today, the Club was founded in 1915 by four men, only one of whom might be called a sailor.  The history of the Club starts in Detroit, then spreads, not only throughout the Michigan area, but to the Atlantic Ocean then around the world.

Bayview has been a place where accomplishments on the water were more important than those off, where the mission of promoting the sport of sailing and those who sail, guides and informs everything about it. It is a Club whose members are there for one reason: to sail competitively.

So, how did Bayview start? With four men - Floyd Nixon, Lloyd Kurtzwarth, Perc Williamson and Paul Dietrich - who were looking for a place to fish and have fun on the water. They established Bayview in a corrugated-iron shack, on a dock about a mile downstream of the present location. The first sailboat to call Bayview home was Perc Scott’s “Wrinkle”, 18 feet at the waterline and capable of taking the entire membership out for a cruise.

By 1924, Bayview members extended the reach of the Club to the Atlantic Ocean by winning their class in the Bermuda race. Then in 1925, the Club launched its signature event that spread its fame and influence, the Bayview Mackinac race from Port Huron to Mackinac Island. This has become the longest continually run freshwater long distance sailboat race.

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Yacht Clubs

Bayview Yacht Club

Bayview Yacht Club was founded in 1915 by four sailors, E. Lloyd Kurtzwarth, P.C. Williamson, Floyd Nixon and Paul Diedrich. Back then the club had only one boat, the 18-foot (5.5 m) Wrinkle, which P.C. Williamson sailed with the three other founders. Bayview’s first clubhouse was a two-story tin shanty built atop a floored-over boat well at the foot of what was then known as Motor Boat Lane, adjacent to Water Works Park. Bayview moved to its present clubhouse and harbor, at the foot of Clairpointe, in 1929-30.

Stories from Bayview Yacht Club

Situated on the banks of the Detroit River, Bayview is known as the Midwest’s “Shrine to Nautical Culture.” Many graduates of the junior sailing program have gone on to sail at the high school and collegiate level, and some have even reached the Olympics. Their Adult Learn to Sail Program, offered to members and non-members alike, has been so successful over the past few years that they have had to increase the number of classes to accommodate the demand. The club also offers courses in Race Management, US Sailing Judging and Safety at Sea. In past years, Bayview Members have brought home awards in the Moth Worlds, Richardson Cup, Cal 25 Nationals, Pineapple Cup, Beneteau 36.7 Nationals, U20 Nationals and DN Ice Boat Worlds. The club is responsible for organizing and sponsoring more than 15 regattas throughout the course of the year, including the famous Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race, now known as the Bayview Mackinac Race.

John C. Burke

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Control of Luhansk, and the wider Donbas region, could hinge on the battle for Sievierodonetsk.

Russian-backed forces already control an estimated 80 to 90 percent of the Donbas, which is a prize for President Vladimir V. Putin.

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By Cassandra Vinograd

• June 13, 2022

The battle for Sievierodonetsk, which could fall to the Russians within days, is about far more than one city. Its capture would give Russia a key victory in its drive to seize the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Donbas, which comprises the territories of Luhansk and Donetsk, is a prize for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. After failing to swiftly topple Ukraine’s government in Kyiv, Mr. Putin refocused his military campaign on the Donbas, which makes up about 9 percent of Ukraine’s land, but holds significance for its industry, location and potential as a bargaining chip for Moscow.

The Donbas borders Russia and runs from outside Mariupol in the south to the northern border near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Home to coal mines and steel, an estimated 6.2 million people lived in the region before Russia’s invasion, according to the most recent census data .

Kremlin-backed separatists have held territory in the Donbas since 2014, after Russia annexed Crimea, a move that Ukraine and its Western allies have termed illegal. The proxy forces seized more than a third of the Donbas at the time and proclaimed the formation of two breakaway republics; they have been waging a civil war against Ukraine’s government ever since.

More than 14,000 people have died in the fighting since it began. But the battle was effectively at a stalemate — albeit one with sporadic and deadly shelling along the roughly 250-mile front line known as the line of contact — until Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Now Russian forces and their separatist allies control an estimated 80 to 90 percent of the Donbas, according to Ukrainian officials.

Capturing Sievierodonetsk and the neighboring city of Lysychansk would give Russia full control of Luhansk, and position its forces to advance farther west toward the city of Kramatorsk in neighboring Donetsk province, one of the last major cities still under Ukrainian control there. If Kramatorsk falls, Mr. Putin’s forces would in effect control the whole Donbas region.

That’s critical from a supply standpoint as well as a symbolic one. Mr. Putin could claim a tangible military victory and use the territory as leverage in any future peace negotiations with Ukraine. Holding the Donbas would also expand Moscow’s “land bridge” connecting Russian territory to Crimea.

But a full capture of Donbas is far from assured. Pushing westward from Sievierodonetsk could strain Russian supply lines, which proved vulnerable in its early failures to seize Kyiv and other parts of northern Ukraine. And the Russian military’s tactics of scorched-earth bombardment mean that any territory gained will likely bear widespread destruction and need extensive rebuilding.

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