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Another wet race

Aboard Manitu during the second race of the season on Little Bay de Noc, crewman Nathan Howes quickly wraps the port jib sheet around a winch as the vessel tacks. (Photo by R. R. Branstrom)

The second race of the Escanaba Yacht Club (EYC)’s June series was held on Wednesday. Rain nearly kept the three participating boats from going out, but skippers preferred to make the most of the short sailing season and race in spite of the soggy conditions. Variable winds from around the south set an uneasy standard for the course, and rolling seas made for a challenging foil to any speed gained on upwind legs. Neither spinnaker class boat raised a chute on the somewhat-downwind run from Buoy 8 to the Municipal Dock.

The course took participating sailboats from Sand Point to Little Bay de Noc Buoy 8, then to Escanaba Buoy 1 (near the Municipal Dock), back to the finish line at Sand Point.

For a second week, all boats made it around the course in less than an hour.

In the spinnaker class, Dolce (Bob Yin) took first place, followed by Hoopla (Mark Meyer) in second.

In the cruising class, Manitu (Dave Anthony) took first as the only boat in the class.

This map shows the path that sailboats participating in Wednesday night's race followed. (Graphic courtesy of Escanaba Yacht Club)

Although Escanaba Public Safety was summoned to the beach after one sailor’s Apple watch reported a hard fall, the call was a false alarm; no one was injured.

The EYC’s next event will be the third race of the June series, which begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24. The pre-race skipper’s meeting takes place at 6 p.m. at the EYC — found near the intersection of Ludington Street, Water Plant Road and Loren Jenkins Memorial Drive — and the races are open for public entries and participation. Spectators are always invited and encouraged to watch the action from the end of Sand Point.

Starting at $4.00/week.

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