Lucille, Manitu and Lightning 15455 are seen at the starting line during the Escanaba Yacht Club's first race of the season on June 10. This shot was snapped from Sand Point, where spectators are encouraged to watch the sailing races on Wednesday evenings in June and August. (Photo courtesy of Cindy Anthony)

ESCANABA — The Escanaba Yacht Club (EYC) kicked off its racing season on Wednesday with the first race of the June series. With the summer still young, not all the EYC’s racing boats participated because they aren’t launched or fully rigged yet, but the boats that did sail had a challenging ride.

Just as the race started, rain blanketed the fleet, dampened the wind and sent spectators scattering for shelter. Wind remained light after the squalls lifted but picked up to a good stiff breeze mid-race, which swiftly carried the fleet over the finish line in less than an hour after race’s start.

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.

In the spinnaker class, boats skippered by brothers came out on top. Lucille (Steve Harris) took first place, followed by Lightning 15455 (Dave Harris) in second and Hoopla (Mark Meyer) in third.

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

The EYC’s next event will be June series race two, which begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17. 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.