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Thunder Bay Yacht Club

Founded in August 1945, our goal remains to encourage and promote boating on Lake Superior. We are a non-profit organization with a board of directors, located in Thunder Bay on the north shore of Lake Superior.

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The club was founded in August 1945 with the goal to encourage and promote boating on Lake Superior. A non profit organization with a board of directors, TBYC is located in Thunder Bay on the north shore of Lake Superior. Services include: Launch and haul facilities on Mission Island complete with 30 ton carry lift. Fenced yard complete with clubhouse, water, electricity, pump-out and dry-land boat storage. Docking at Mission Island. Racing program with long distance and round-the-buoys races. Superior North Regatta (SUNORA) annual cruise. Anchorage Lounge in Marina Park, open Monday/Friday year round. Meeting rooms available at Marina Park in the historic CN Station. Education and boating safety programs. Youth sailing, learn to sail programs. Year-round social events. Active participants in Lake Superior tourism and land use planning. Regular Fund raising activities for local charities. newsletters. Mission Island Facilities Home base for the Thunder Bay Yacht Club, the Mission Island Facilities are many from with a well stocked Clubhouse to an expansive yard for winter boat storage. A travel life, 16 finger docks, a pump out, and mast lift are some other amenities. Please inquire with the Storage Manager for further details or questions. Mission Island Docking Situated at the Mission Island Clubhouse of the Thunder Bay Yacht Club there are many slips which sit along the Mission River. If you are interested in renting a slip, please go to the board listing under 'The Club' menu and contact the Docking Director.

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• Score sheet position
• Significance of events
• Depth of competition
• Overall consistency in performance;
• Recognition and/or ranking achieved outside Ontario and Canada;
• Versatility or scope of achievements;
• Degree of inspiration to others both on the water and on shore;
• Overall contribution to the quality and recognition of Ontario sailors;
• A role model to others in the sailing community.
• Actual race results with particular regard to:
• Noticeable improvement in performance during the current year, indicating the potential for future international results;
• The recipient will normally be in the 23 & under age category;

The Female Junior Sailor of the Year is presented to a female athlete who has achieved results on at least a Provincial and National level (could be International, but not necessary) that demonstrated a high level of skill and expertise in their discipline. Must be 18 years or younger as of December 31st in the year ending. SELECTION CRITERIA:

WINNERS INCLUDE: 2019 Hunter Dejean 2018 Hunter Dejean 2017 Clara Gravely 2016 Clara Gravely 2015 Clara Gravely 2014 Not Presented 2013 Olivia Mew 2012 Ali ten Hove 2011 Violet Stafford 2010 Meredith Megarry 2009 Sarah Douglas 2008 Brenda Bowskill 2007 Helen Dam 2006 Emily Hill 2005 Joanne Prokop 2004 Alessandra Herrera Reimer 2003 Erin Kestenbaum 2002 Yolande Gooderham & Katherine MacLennan 2001 Caroline Kaars Sijpesteijn

Female Sailor of the Year is presented to the female sailor who has achieved results on a Provincial, National, and/or International level, which demonstrated a high level of skill and expertise in her discipline. SELECTION CRITERIA:

• No age guidelines;

WINNERS INCLUDE: 2019 2019 Jodi Munden 2018 Sarah Douglas & 2017 Sarah Douglas 2016 Danielle Boyd & 2015 Brenda Bowskill 2014 Brenda Bowskill 2013 Brenda Bowskill 2012 Violet Stafford 2011 Meredith Megarry & Emily McIlquham 2010 Claire Merry 2009 Joanne Prokop 2008 Katie Abbott, Martha Henderson, Jen Provan 2007 Alanna Foscarini and Alison Ludzki 2006 Victoria Crowder 2005 Amy Cada 2004 Jen Provan & Nikola Girke 2003 Victoria Crowder & Claudia Strobele 2002 Claudia Strobele 2001 Jen Provan & Nikola Girke 2000 Jen Provan

This award is presented to a (current) certified Sail Canada Instructor/Coach who has shown exceptional leadership in a learn-to-sail or racing program. NOMINATION PROCESS:

In order to be considered, a nomination form must be completed and a letter supporting the nomination must be submitted to [email protected] and come from one of the following:

• Employer, Club or Head Instructor (The club/school must be members of OSA/Sail Canada and teach CANSail levels and award CANSail certificates and seals);
• A student or athlete;
• Certified coach from another club, (or Provincial or National Coach);

SELECTION CRITERIA: /p>

• Demonstrates and exudes sportsmanlike behaviour in him/herself and expects the same of her/his athletes/students,
• Is a primary factor in improving the skills and results of his/her students,
• Is a team player and works well with fellow coaches/instructors and supervisors,
• Volunteer contribution to her/his community and/or school may be considered (in a bonus category).

WINNERS INCLUDE: 2019 Ryan Perry & Kristina Harris 2018 Max Robinson 2017 Lauren Laventure 2016 Nigel Crosscombe 2015 Geordie Miller 2014 Max Crothers 2013 Rob Frost 2012 Rob Frost 2011 Cam Lymburner 2010 Ethan Holtzer 2009 Graham Fraser 2008 Samara Crothers 2007 Corey Lynam 2006 Roslyn Dakin 2005 Ashley Lethbridge 2004 Karen May 2003 Will Abbott 2002 Darin McRae 2001 Tim Bishop 2000 Rob Fox

This award is presented to a Member Club or Organization that ran a regatta of exceptional quality during the past year. NOMINATION PROCESS:

n order to be considered, a nomination form must be completed and a letter of recommendation must be submitted to [email protected] and come from either an athlete or a coach who participated in the event.

• Race management (must be certified Race Officer as PRO, Level 2),
• Pre-regatta information package, i.e. Notice of Race
• Reception, registration, billeting, hosting, food & refreshment
• Value for registration fee
• Overall component of fun and fellowship that may include entertainment or special events.

WINNERS INCLUDE: 2019 Blind Fleet Racing World Championship @ Kingston Yacht Club 2018 Canadian Youth Championships @ The Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2017 J24 World Championships @ Port Credit Yacht Club 2016 Sailfest @ Sarnia Yacht Club 2015 Lightning Worlds 2014 2.4mR Worlds 2013 GHRYA 2012 Kingston Yacht Club – Shark Worlds 2011 Royal Hamilton Yacht Club and Burlington Sailing & Boating Club – Mobility Cup 2010 CORK – National Qualifying Regatta 2009 Disabled Sailing Association of Ontario – Mobility Cup 2008 Nepean Sailing Club – Ontario Summer Games 2007 Royal Hamilton Yacht Club- Youth National Championships 2006 Oakville Yacht Squadron – Ontario High School Championships 2005 Sarnia Ontario Sailing 23 & Under Provincial Championships 2004 Brockville OSA 16 & Under Single Handed Championships 2003 Etobicoke Yacht Club – J35 North American Championships 2002 Royal Hamilton Yacht Club – 2002 Europe World Championships 2001 Grand Bend Yacht Club – Canada Games 2001. 2000 Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club – Millennium Regatta

In an effort to recognize the great history of sailing in this province, Ontario Sailing is proud to present the Legends of Ontario Sailing Award … “Honouring the Past to Inspire the Future”. PURPOSE:

To acknowledge and recognize the outstanding contribution of an individual or a group of individuals who through his/her and/or their efforts, have inspired participation in the recreational and/or competitive sport of sailing in Canada.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

• A Canadian or Canadians whose primary residence is in Ontario.
• Someone who has donated significant time and energy to improve the quality of and/or participation in the recreational and/or competitive sport of sailing.
• Present members of the Canadian Sailing Team
• Present members of the Ontario Sailing Team
• Anyone currently holding a board position with Ontario Sailing

WINNERS INCLUDE: 2019 Larry MacDonald 2018 Not Presented 2017 The Abbott Family 2016 Jean & Bernie Luttmer 2015 Alex McAuley 2014 John Osborn 2013 “The 12 Founders of CORK”: Roger Green, Bill Cox, Paul Henderson, Lynn Watters, Sandy McPherson, Bart Dalton, Cam Jones, George Goodfellow, Russ Scrim, Harry Jemmett, Jack Orgill and Doug Keary. 2012 The “Ontario-Based, Canadian Flag-Bearing, Olympic Medal Winners”: Terry Neilson, Terry McLaughlin, Hans Fogh, John Kerr, Steve Calder, Frank McLaughlin, John Millen, and Mike Wolfs. 2011 The “Builders of C&C Yachts”: Rob Ball, Erich Bruckmann, George Cassian, George Cuthbertson, George Hinterhoeller and Ian Morch. 2010 The brave crews of Evergreen (RHYC) and Magistri (RCYC) that survived and endured the great storms that hit the 1979 Fastnet race.

WINNERS INCLUDE: 2021 Wendy Loat 2019 Tim Irwin 2018 Not Presented 2017 Pat Lymburner 2016 Edward Graham Dougall 2015 Nicholas Thompson & Ashley Hum 2014 Donna Scott 2013 Irene McNeill 2012 Lynne Beal & Doug Creelman 2011 Marilea McAllister & Ethel Thayer 2010 Carolyn Gagnon 2009 Bernie Luttmer Sr. 2008 George Blanchard 2007 Ron Kobrick 2006 Al Will 2004 2005 Alex McAuley 2004 Mike Vollmer 2003 Laurel Connell 2002 Alan May 2001 Peter Van Buskirk 2000 David Sprague 1999 Keith Hobbs 1998 Leo Reise 1997 Easter Seals Regatta, RCYC

The award has no criteria other than what the title implies. The selection is made by the Executive Director with the approval of the Executive Committee. This award is not open to nominations. If you would like suggest a nominee, please send an email to [email protected]

WINNERS INCLUDE: 2019 TBA 2018 Andree Gauthier 2018 Jay McKinnell 2017 Tom Bolland 2016 David Starck 2015 Barbara Lyon-Stewart and; 2015 Ben Rabinovitch; YMCA Camp Kitchikewana 2014 Alan Johnson; Windsor Yacht Club 2013 Gary Howard; Canada Summer Games Team 2012 Mike Milner 2011 Derek Hatfield and VELUX Canada 2010 Paul Davis 2009 Laura Jarvis 2008 Rick Watters & Audrey Kobayashi 2007 John Miolla 2006 John Weakley 2005 Linda Waddell & Jenny McEwen-Hill 2004 Lynne Beal 2003 Allan Sparrow 2002 Bruce Bussin 2001 Brian Knoll 2000 Jon Matthews 1999 Tommy Wharton 1998 Loren Richter, Eastgate Ford

To acknowledge and recognize the outstanding contribution of Ontario Sailing volunteers. The contribution can be related to activities over a period of years or to a specific event or program during a particular year. The selection is made by Ontario Sailing representatives.

This award is not open to nominations. If you would like suggest a nominee, please send an email to [email protected] .

• Someone who has demonstrated leadership qualities
• A Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Ontario.

EXCLUSIONS:

WINNERS INCLUDE: 2019 Katie Coleman Nicoll 2018 Not Presented 2017 Mark Searle 2016 Wendy Loat 2016 Kevin Corcoran 2015 John Weakley

To acknowledge and recognize the multi-dimensional aspects of running a club. Criteria such as financial management, policies, governance and community outreach as well as the sailing components of running a club are considered in selecting a club that is demonstrating successes in different ways.

• The nominated club must be a member in good standing with Ontario Sailing.

WINNERS INCLUDE: 2019 Cedar Island Yacht Club

This award is presented to the Club with the best Overall Results from the Ontario Sailing Grand Prix Development Series. To see the regattas included in the results, please see the current year’s Grand Prix Development Series regattas.

NOTE- This award is not open to nomination. It is based on results

WINNERS INCLUDE: 2018 TBA 2017 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2016 Bronte Harbour Yacht Club 2015 Bronte Harbour Yacht Club 2014 Bronte Harbour Yacht Club 2013 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2012 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2011 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2010 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2009 Kingston Yacht Club 2008 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2007 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2006 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2005 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2004 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2003 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2002 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2001 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2000 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 1999 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 1998 Royal Canadian Yacht Club

This Award is presented to the Club with the best results in single handed classes in the Ontario Sailing Grand Prix Development Series. To see the regattas included in the results please see the current year’s Grand Prix Development Series regattas

NOTE- This award is not open to nomination. It is based on results.

WINNERS INCLUDE: 2018 Britannia Yacht Club 2017 Royal Canadian Yacht Club & Port Credit Yacht Club 2016 Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club & Royal Hamilton Yacht Club 2015 Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club 2014 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2013 Port Credit Yacht Club 2012 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2011 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2010 Port Credit Yacht Club 2009 Port Credit Yacht Club 2008 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2007 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2006 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2005 Royal Hamilton Yacht Club 2004 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2003 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2002 Island Yacht Club 2001 Royal Hamilton Yacht Club 2000 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 1999 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 1998 Island Yacht Club

This award is presented to the Club with the best result in the double handed classes Ontario Sailing Grand Prix Development Series. To see the regattas included in the results please see the current year’s Grand Prix Development Series regattas

WINNERS INCLUDE: 2018 Bronte Harbour Yacht Club 2017 Oakville Yacht Squadron & Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2016 Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club & Bronte Harbour Yacht Club & National Yacht Club 2015 Bronte Harbour Yacht Club 2014 Bronte Harbour Yacht Club 2013 Kingston Yacht Club 2012 Kingston Yacht Club 2011 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2010 Burlington Sailing and Boating Club 2009 Kingston Yacht Club 2008 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2007 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2006 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2005 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2004 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2003 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2002 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2001 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 2000 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 1999 Royal Canadian Yacht Club 1998 Royal Canadian Yacht Club

This award is presented to the winners of each class in the Ontario Sailing Grand Prix Development Series.

WINNERS INCLUDE:

Thunder Bay Yacht Club

1851 108th Ave., Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 6P8 Visit Website

Amenities: Free Parking, Transit Access

1851 108th Ave.,

Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6P8

807-345-4410

[email protected]

www.tbyc.on.ca

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Thunder Bay Yacht Club

• 1851 108th Ave, Thunder Bay, Ontario
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• Phone: 807-622-0256
• Website: http://www.tbyc.on.ca/

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It's the mission of the Thunder Bay Yacht Club to encourage and promote recreational boating in the area and provide members and the public with some mooring locations.

Lake Superior, being one of the largest lakes in the world, has an abundance of anchorages and places to tuck in for the night or to weather a storm. Mooring balls currently are located in two areas near around Sleeping Giant Provincial Park in Thunder Bay. Sawyers Bay, near the head of the Sleeping Giant, and 'T'-Harbour located on the east side of the Sleeping Giant provide two anchorages with several mooring balls available to visit. Also installed recently there are two mooring balls at the second Welcome Island (B). 

If you are taking up a moorning close to The Sleeping Giant Provincial Park please respect campers on the main land as they hiked in to enjoy the traquil setting. If you are landing your dingy on-shore (there is a designated area away from the trail head) to hike a trail on Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, you are required to have a day pass. You can do this by calling the Park office ( (807) 977-2526)  in advance and they will take your credit card information and issue you with a pass for you and your guests. You may also do this online. 

As time progress it is hoped that more destinations amenities, such as mooring can be provided. If you have any feedback or questions let us know [email protected]  

Upcoming Events

• June 22, 2024 Blessing of the Fleet - Mission To Seafarers
• June 22, 2024 Short-handed Race
• July 20, 2024 Spar Channel (day race)
• July 27, 2024 to August 4, 2024 SUNORA North shore Regatta

Thunder Bay Yacht Club Box 29136 Thunder Bay ON, Canada P7B 6P9

(807) 622-0256 [email protected]

• Sail Racing
• Mission Island
• Prince Arthur's Landing

Thunder Bay Yacht Club

Podcast/Photos: Gunilda, Great Lakes Deep Diving Pinnacle

The photos are stunning. Haunting. Compelling. They are photos which lead you in, tempting you to explore…further, in a cold, underwater environment, some 265 feet below the surface of Lake Superior. These are, perhaps, the best photographs ever taken of “The Gunilda”, a ship that went down in 1911, over 100 years ago, in the Canadian waters of Lake Superior, near Rossport, Ontario.

Infosuperior was fortunate enough to talk to two people who dove the Gunilda this summer. A podcast, linked here , allows you to hear what it is like to carry out a dive to a beautiful wreck, in the deep waters of Superior. We’ll let Jitka Hanakova and Becky Kagan Schott tell their own story about diving the Gunilda. First though, a little background…

Go directly to the Podcast…

At 195 ft. in length, with a draft of 12 ft, the ship was actually a yacht. In fact, the Gunilda sailed under the burgee of the New York Yacht Club . It was built in Leith, Scotland in 1897 with a steam engine and a top speed of 12 knots. By any standards, the vessel was one of the foremost yachts in the world at the time, akin to what we would call a super yacht today. Indeed, the vessel had sailed many parts of the world, including the Caribean, and of course, the Great Lakes. The vessel was owned by William Harkness.

William Harkness

William Harkness, was born in Ohio in 1858 and died in 1919. William was a Yale University graduate and in 1896 inherited his father’s large share in Standard Oil , also moving from Cleveland to New York in the same year. William became a member of the New York Yacht Club and while the wreck of the Gunilda was a major loss, the family also had several other yachts, among them the 215 ft. Agawa , (later renamed the USS Cytheria) also the Wakiva 1 and 239′ Wakiva Two .

In 1911, Lake Superior fish stocks were strong and the population crash induced by factors like sea lamprey had not yet taken place. Rossport was a thriving fishing community with excellent shelter for vessels. The fishermen of Rossport owned economical, home-built, very sea-worthy vessels, patched together with materials at hand. The only purpose of such vessels was to “make them pay,” that is to bring home marketable fish. A vessel like the Gunilda, on a liesurely cruise of the Rossport area, would hardly have gone unnoticed and was likely a fascinating sight to the people of the village. Many villagers were deeply connected to the lake and dependent on vessels they’d built with their own hands to make a living.

The Gunilda wrecked on McGarvey Shoal, not far from the village of Rossport, near Copper and Wilson Islands. Today’s Canadian charts show 4 feet of water over McGarvey Shoal. The “Great Lakes Pilot” for Lake Superior, a book produced by the Candian Hydrographic Service, describes McGarvey Shoal as follows, “…less than 6 ft. over it, lying 4 cables north of Copper Island, is formed by large boulders. It has deep water about it with the exception of the southeast end, where the 27 ft. bank extends for a cable.” [a cable is one tenth of a nautical mile or approximately 600 ft./183 m.]

It is not known exactly why the vessel went aground on a summer’s day (August 11), 1911. Accounts provide no mention of rough seas or heavy winds and in fact boaters familiar with this area know the Rossport Islands as extremely scenic and also relatively protected. There would have been no shortage of locals more than willing to act as pilot. This would allow the added advantage of seeing this very large yacht first-hand, from the deck, as well as earning a little extra income.

It is known however, that Harkness chose not to hire a local pilot. Once on the rocks of McGarvey shoal, all passengers were brought to shore with a tug, leaving their belongings in their respective staterooms. All accounts provide no sense of panic and are almost serene in nature. A second tug would have been necessary to pull the ship off the rocks but it is well documented that Harkness chose not to pay for this assistance.

Initially resting on McGarvey shoal with the bow well up on the reef, the vessel slipped off the rock during salvage efforts, into about 270 ft. of water. The Harkness family contended the ship was worth about $132,000 dollars. They received $100,000 compensation from the ship’s insurer, Lloyds of London.

It’s not know whether Harkness was a gambling man, but whoever was in charge of the Gunilda was certainly gambling when they cut it so close to McGarvey Shoal. The situation may have been compounded when Harkness rejected paying for a second tug to assist with salvage. On the other hand, Harkness may have simply been someone who kept his money close, deciding not to hire either a pilot or a second tug. There is also speculation that U.S. charts of that time did not show the shoal, although it is a very prominent reef. Some have speculated that vanity may have entered the picture. Harkness, at the upper echolons of the Standard Oil Company, may have felt more than capable of managing his own vessel, without any help from local fishermen.

Many efforts were made to locate and dive to the Gunilda but it was not until 1967 that the first diver made it to the wreck. In a technical sense, the depth of the wreck put it at the very outer edges of diving capability at the time. In the seventies, Fred Bronelle, who founded Deep Diving Systems Inc. and eventually used a submersible to reach the wreck, headed up one of the best-known efforts to reach the Gunilda.  His dive partner was King Hague, who is mentioned in the podcast.  Jitka Hanakova and Becky Schott point out that although a dive to the Guilda is still a very serious endeavour, improved technology and methods now make diving the Gunilda both practical, and safe.

Special thanks to Jitka Hanakova and Becky Kagan Schott for agreeing to this interview.

Jitka Hanakova is associated with Shipwreck Explorers .

Photos of the Gunilda by Jitka Hanakova (forward/back arrows upper right).

Becky Kagan Schott is associated with Liquid Productions.

Photos of the Gunilda by Becky Kagan Schott.

A Harkness family photo album was found by chance at a New York City flea market, years after the sinking of the “Gunilda.” The photo album was embossed with the word, “Gunilda” on the front cover.  The album is full of high quality photos of life aboard ship as the Gunilda cruised the Western Hemisphere, from Martinique in the Caribean, to the East Coast, to the Great Lakes. The album conveys a sense of family and gracious, liesurely living aboard a beautiful yacht.

A browse through these photos of life aboard Gunilda during her extensive voyages is well worth it. The underwater photos of Jitka Hanakova and Becky Kagan Schott, of the same vessel, over 106 years later are also worth purusing. Enjoy.

Visitors to Thunder Bay's Waterfront are often greeted by the sight of boats in Lake Superior; the fresh harbour breezes are just right for sailing and windsurfing.

The best way to experience the Big Lake is in a sailboat! Sail Superior offers a wide variety of tour options including harbour tours and Wine and Cheese tours. If you’re looking to learn how to captain your own vessel, Sail Thunder Bay Sailing School and the Thunder Bay Yacht Club both offer lessons. On Wednesday evenings, make your way to Prince Arthur’s Landing to watch the races. If you’re so inclined, you can wait at the “Crew Bench” and join a crew.

Experience the Big Lake, get up close to Salties and Lakers, and see the city from a whole new perspective on a Lake Superior Sail Boat Tour with Sail Superior .

If you’ve got the need for speed, try the Superior Rocket – a 500HP Zodiac that will have the wind whipping through your hair as you fly across the surface of the water.

For a longer adventure, try micro-cruising in Sail Superior’s catamaran, SV Welcome . It is spacious and elegantly furnished, offering both day and night space for 10 guests in five cabins with en-suite bathrooms: four double cabins and one cabin with bunk beds. Imagine a Caribbean Catamaran holiday in a wilderness setting.

Explore Canadian history by travelling back in time while visiting Porphyry Island and Lighthouse – a volcanic island surrounded by turquoise waters. Archie’s Charters departs from Silver Islet Harbour every Sunday at 9 a.m. and returns before 4 p.m. After visiting the historical Silver Islet General Store , a 20-minute trip to the lighthouse includes panoramic views of the Sleeping Giant, Silver Islet and Black Bay. Once at Porphyry Island, you will be given a guided tour before returning back to reality.

Wednesday & Thursday night races

Join the Thunder Bay Yacht Club at its Wednesday night races throughout the summer or the Temple Reef Sailing Club , who holds its races on Thursday nights.

Join up with a crew or just sit on the Pier and watch the action.

Learn to sail

For those looking to learn, check out the Sail Thunder Bay Sailing School .

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The Trans Superior Race: Sailing from the Sault to Duluth

by Ann Klefstad

June 1, 2009

Wally McMinn / Great Lakes Singlehanded Society

Trans Superior Race

It’s all about the wind in your sails – and other good luck – for the Trans Superior racers. This photo, taken by Wally McMinn of the Great Lakes Singlehanded Society, represents a boat in the “singlehanded” class, sailboats crewed by a single person. This year will be only the third race that such a class has been entered.

In the end …

It was 2 a.m., just off of Two Harbors in a black night of heavy overcast, and Eric Thomas was alone on his 30-foot sailboat, Polar Bear , headed down Minnesota’s North Shore on the home stretch of the Trans Superior Race.

He’d spent the last couple of days with no more than 20 minutes of sleep at a time, and he was several hours from any real shut-eye.

Lightning began to flash from cloud to cloud above the hills. The sky got lighter and soon it was pink with lightning, bright as daylight.

A big storm was coming over those hills, Eric knew it. It was calm where he was, for the moment, and he had all his sail out. If he wanted to win this race, he needed to keep sails up until the last minute. He waited to see how fast the storm moved in.

Then his radio crackled; another sailor, John Ayres, farther offshore and a little behind, was calling. John had a lot of sophisticated weather equipment and the radio was talking about big winds and rain at a place called “Floodwood.” John wanted to know where that was.

Eric told him where to find the Minnesota town on his charts, and John told Eric about the storm and how it was traveling. Lightning slammed behind the hills.

Such was the scene in 2005 near the end of the Trans Superior Race , run every odd year across Lake Superior and at nearly 390 miles one of the longest freshwater races.

Duluthian Eric Thomas knows the subtleties of long-distance racing. In 2008, he took second place in the Singlehanded TransPacific Yacht Race from San Francisco to Kauai, Hawaii – his first time in that race.

His family has raced since the 1970s. Eric remembers that as a 2-year-old, he would roll around on the cabin sole during races. This family crew has a distinctive style that serves Eric well on solo runs, too. “Our family, we’re not the best racers by any means, but we’re good at change. The more times things change, the more times you roll the dice, the better we do.”

Solo racing is like stepping backwards from the finish, step by step, Eric says. The fewer mistakes you make, the more likely you are to win. How you handle dubious gifts, like a storm, matters.

So Eric knew what to do that night in 2005 on his home surf of Lake Superior in his familiar Olson 30 sailboat.

“I said to Ayres, I’m going off the air. I’m going to disconnect electronics so they don’t get ruined. … I put on my survival suit, as much for insulation from a lightning strike as well as cold.”

Minutes before the 40-knot (46 mph) winds hit ahead of the storm, Eric took down his headsail and “double-reefed” the mainsail, folding it down smaller.

“Luckily I could steer 20 degrees off course. All the time, the boat planed (skimmed the water).”

In 45 minutes, Eric sailed 15 miles … mostly in the right direction. The storm “plastered John pretty good, but it propelled me up ahead. I ended up beating him by about an hour.”

Eric had been racing for 66 hours, 39 minutes nonstop.

The Trans Superior Race starts in Sault Ste. Marie with the boats going under the International Bridge after being lowered 22 feet at the Soo Locks.

In the beginning …

Jack Soetebier lives on Park Point in Duluth, where out his windows he can see the great expanse of water that his boats, Blitzen and Hussar , traversed so many times. Jack is a founder of the Trans Superior Race along with John Pierpont, who docked his boat, Snark , at the Apostle Islands Marina in Wisconsin. John Pierpont died in March.

“It was really Dr. Pierpont’s brainchild,” says Jack, on a spring day when it seems possible that open water will return. We’re watching movies he made of the first race in 1969 – one of the family voyage to Sault Ste. Marie to start the race, one of the race itself, back to Duluth. There’s an indescribable Sixties charm in the films. Many heading to the Sault watched that year’s historic moon launch on TV at Whitefish Point, and there’s something of that explorers’ optimism in this little fleet of 22 boats, bobbing brightly on the screen in 8 mm film.

Jack recounts how it all began: John Pierpont wanted to sail in The Mac – a famous long-distance race from Chicago to Mackinac. But he needed yacht club backing to enter. So he and some friends started the Apostle Islands Yacht Club around 1960.

Then John thought it would be great to have a Sault-to-Duluth race, the longest freshwater race in the world at the time. He was tireless on the subject.

“He kept bringing it up at club meetings, and everyone just looked at him,” Jack says. “No one wanted to do it. It would be a big job, to get all the way to the Sault and then back against the prevailing winds.”

In the winter of 1968, Jack was in the front row at a yacht club meeting. “I owed him a favor. He had loaned me his 42-foot Siskiwit to sail for a couple of weeks up in Canada. I was out of a boat that year, and that’s, you know, like someone loaning you his wife . . . so I really owed him one.

“He was talking about the race again, and he saw me, and he said, ‘Jackson’ – he always called me Jackson – ‘let’s you and I race, and the rest can come along if they want. I want do it before I get too old to run it!’ And I felt like I had to do it then. He was about 56 and I was 42, so what do I say? I say, ‘Yes,’ and then the others fell in, too.”

Manley “Monnie” Goldfine, who died in April, began organizing the race. It was hosted that year and ever after by the Duluth Yacht Club, then called the Keel Club. Algoma Sailing Club in the Sault and the Thunder Bay Yacht Club also help now.

Bill Dunlop, fleet captain of the Thunder Bay club, has been in the race since 1989 and teaches sailing. He gives students four reasons to race: they’ll be better sailors; they’ll be able to handle a wide variety of conditions (races ignore most weather); they’ll learn attention to details; it’s fun. “When you finish your race, particularly a long race like the Trans Superior, there’s an amazing sense of accomplishment, regardless of how well you’ve done in the race.”

Keith Stauber

Papa Gaucho, skippered by Keith Stauber, heads toward a sunset and a victory.

Permanent trophies for the overall winners and various class winners are housed at Sir Benedict’s Pub in Duluth, sitting on top of the beer cooler. Jack Arnold, former owner of the pub, has been a mainstay of sail racing in Duluth.

The boats are diverse, from as small as 24 feet to 40-plus feet, now mostly fiberglass, racing and cruising sailboats. They come from all the Great Lakes and the saltwater coasts.

The Trans Superior’s singlehanded or solo entries are a fast-growing division. In 2007, of 35 boats racing, 23 had solo sailors. But solo racing is new to the Trans. This year’s race is only the third time a solo division was part of the race. The crewed division is the heart of the tradition. They race hard all day and all night, shifting crews so that people get sleep.

This year, as always, the race starts off of Gros Cap in the mouth of the St. Marys River. Depending on conditions, boats should arrive in Duluth 40 hours to several days later. This year you can track the race from home, in real time. Every boat has a satellite transponder and the race website will follow progress.

There will likely be continued growth in the solo division and in a new category: boats with a crew of two. Time demands work against full crews – four to nine crew members; it takes up to a week just to get to the starting line in the Sault … and then the weeklong race begins. Finding half a dozen people who can all take off more than two weeks to sail is pretty hard nowadays. (Dr. Pierpont had a full crew of sons, but families that size are rare now.)

There remains a general dearth of women in the race, but boats have been crewed exclusively by women. Skipper Gail Bowdish in Shanti was the first solo female racer. Duluth skipper Keith Stauber’s winning Papa Gaucho has always had women on its crew, as do other boats. Keith says women are adept sailors, but spending days in close quarters means that the boat owner has to plan well for mixed crews.

Racers note that sail competition preserves traditional skills. Eric Thomas says that in the days when sailing ships had to get from Point A to Point B on a schedule, sailors handled whatever came up. Racing does much the same; you sail in all conditions, on a set course. Racing, these sailors say, teaches you what you and your boat can do. They love it for its challenges.

In the end, again …

Ted Harwood

The race ends in Duluth, where Polar Bear is about to take the singlehanded win.

Skipper strategy can win the Trans Superior, something that Duluth skipper Keith Stauber, sailing Papa Gaucho , understood when he took home top honors in the crewed division of the race in 2007.

Since 1977, Keith has raced the Trans Superior every time except two: one when a shoulder injury kept him out and one when he was racing in Russia.

“Sailboat racing has given me a lot of opportunities,” says Keith. “In 1985, I raced for two months in Florida with the America’s Cup helmsman Ed Baird.”

Keith used strategy and a bit of weather luck to win in 2007. His strategy involved using the Performance Handicap Rating Formula, or PHRF, to his advantage. What’s PHRF? Each type of boat has a record of racing performance used to assign it a handicap. Boats considered to have greater speed must “give time” – through handicaps – to inherently slower boats. As in horse racing, the goal is to make the race as close as possible. Thus, the first boat across the finish line may not win, depending on its “corrected time,” or the actual run time minus the handicap.

Papa Gaucho has a low handicap in the Duluth fleet, but in the “Trans,” where boats come from far away, many inherently faster boats have even lower handicaps and had to “give time” to Papa Gaucho .

So Keith’s strategy in 2007 was to sail a conservative race. “We knew they had to give us time, and the longer we stayed with them, the harder it would be for them to beat us on corrected time. So we stayed right with the pack; whatever they did, we did.”

The weather was nice in the beginning of the race, but during the second night the wind began to blow heavily out of the northwest. They were beating hard into it and had to change sails to reduce sail area.

Hours passed slowly; this isn’t pleasant sailing – ­heavy chop, night black as pitch, cold.

“We got tossed out of some waves. Then the boat almost stops, everything shakes and shudders, you can’t cook or eat. You just try to keep warm food in your crew,” says Keith. “It’s hard to be below without getting sick, but if you don’t eat and keep warm, you will get sick. You won’t have the body energy to fend it off.”

The wind had been pushing the fleet to the Ontario shore, but that was slowly changing. Everyone listened intently to weather reports. It was important not to tack – to change direction – too soon, but the boat that first caught the moment to head west would have the advantage.

“We put our best helmsman on. … Usually, even at night, there’s enough light to see the waves, but it was black, so dark you couldn’t see the waves at all. It was hard to steer over them. Finally I went below for a nap. Our strategy was to stick with the pack. I said, when I left the deck, that as soon as the first boat went west, to follow them.”

Being a true competitor, Jack Soetebier bought the Blitzen (pictured) for that first race … and came in near last place. “After that first year, we decided to buy a bigger boat,” says Jack. The new Hussar, a 35-foot Ericson sailboat, won him bragging rights, and the Trans Superior’s Class C in 1971.

When Keith got back on deck, he saw two lights instead of the five or six once there. The deck crew thought a couple of boats had headed west. So Papa Gaucho immediately tacked, but the delay put them behind.

Things seemed bleak, but then, says Keith, “the wind gods brought the race home for us.” The wind picked up to about 25 knots (29 mph). The boat had been making 3 or 4 knots (3.5 to 4.5 mph), but with the new wind, it moved at 12 knots (about 13 mph) – very fast for a sailboat. Now all the boats were spread across the lake, and Papa Gaucho was pointed west, right at Duluth.

The lead boats had nearly reached port making 3 or 4 knots; Papa Gaucho skated the last 20 miles or so at 12 knots, closing the gap.

In the end, Keith and his crew spent 57 hours, 27 minutes sailing down the lake, but time gained by PHRF “corrected” that to 50 hours and 58 minutes.

Good strategy, good luck and a good wind gave them the overall prize.

Places to See Races

You can see sailboat races by the local yacht clubs. Check websites for details.

Thunder Bay Yacht Club : 6 p.m. Mondays and Fridays at the waterfront. www.tbyc.on.ca

Duluth Yacht Club : 5:15 p.m. Wednesdays at Canal Park. www.duluthkeelclub.com

Algoma Sailing Club (Sault Ste. Marie): 7 p.m Wednesdays on St. Marys River. www.algomasailingclub.org

Apostle Islands Yacht Club (Bayfield, Wisconsin): Special racing events. www.aiyc.net

The Trans Superior: Just the Facts

Race date 2017 : 1 p.m. EDT, August 5

Race route : Sault Ste. Marie to Duluth (338 nautical miles or about 388 standard miles)

Fastest singlehanded time : 66 hours, 39 minutes, 14 seconds Polar Bear in 2007, Skipper Eric Thomas

Fastest overall crewed time ever : 28 hours, 38 minutes, Earth Voyager trimaran in 2001, Skipper Ray Howe

Website : www.transsuperior.com

Ann Klefstad is a sculptor, writer, and aspiring sailor who lives across the street from Lake Superior in Duluth.

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