Recap – CRAM U.P. Event 2021

A half dozen CRAW members and their families made their way up north this past weekend to join members of CRAM for their first ever regatta held in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Those that made the trip were rewarded with three days of exciting racing in the wonderfully scenic venue that is St. Martin’s Bay, just north of Mackinac Island.

A total of three boats, two Inter 20s and an F16, made up the CRAW contingent for this regatta.  Friday featured a distance race around one of the two islands that marks the entrance to St. Martin’s Bay at the northern end of Lake Huron.  Philip and Brett survived brisk winds and boisterous seas to complete the ten nautical mile round trip around the island and back.

All three CRAW boats competed in the traditional buoy racing that took place in St. Martin’s bay over the weekend.  After a two hour rain delay on Saturday, we enjoyed good racing in light to moderate winds for the first two races.  During the third and final race, the skies darkened ominously and a squall eventually blew in, which forced several boats who had not yet finished to abandon the race.  Fortunately, everyone made it back to shore without incident.  Sunday featured three more races on a specularly sunny day.  As with Saturday, the winds started out light to moderate, but toward the end of the second race, the breeze freshened considerably, and a massive wind shift turned the final downwind leg into a rollicking beat to the finish.  Following a brief pause while the race committee re-set the course, the weekend concluded with a final race in a brisk wind.

It turns out that the three CRAW boats comprised the entire Open Formula fleet for this regatta; the CRAM boats consisted of a fleet of F18s, a fleet of Hobie 16s, and a fleet of Hobie 14s.  All fleets were scored separately.  For the record, the order of finish for the CRAW fleet was:

1st place-Chris Blake and Matt Werner

2nd place-Dave and Eli Reese

3rd place-Brett Hulsey and Philip Tietze

A special thanks to Cesar Santana and Alex Hart, CRAM commodore and regatta organizer respectfully, for being such gracious hosts and providing a wonderful venue (in addition to the spectacular sailing waters, the campground is a hidden gem).  Definitely worth the eight hour trip!

Philip Tietze