The Erie Yacht Club race committee starting the race
THE FINISH AT DETROIT RIVER LIGHTHOUSE
1997 HISTORY AND RESULTS
For the Nay-sayers who thought running a long distance race on Lake Erie in August
would be
plagued with no wind, the inaugural event was anything but a drifter. A preview of coming
attractions was experienced by many just delivering their boats to the starting line. A
deep low
pressure area was parked over Toronto causing unsettled weather before and through the
race.
Delivery crews experienced thunderstorms, sustained winds of 35 kts, wind gusts to 50 kts,
funnel
clouds, water spouts, very large waves, windshield wipers blown off delivery vehicles and
smoked
wheel bearings. (More on these memorable situations later)
12 boats battled 15-20 knot headwinds and 5 foot seas for most of the 140 nautical mile Trans-Erie Yacht Race, held over the weekend of August 22-24, 1997. This inaugural event, which started off Presque Isle Harbor in Erie, PA, and finished at the Detroit River Light at the southern end of Grosse Ile, MI. was a collaborative effort between host Grosse Ile Yacht Club, Erie Yacht Club, and MORC Stations 53 and 31 to bring back long distance racing to Lake Erie.
Jazzy, a Capo Bay 30 owned by Jerry Frabutt of Grosse Ile Yacht Club, took first to finish honors, crossing the finish line at 12:22:50 on Sunday afternoon, with an elapsed time of 29 hours, 57 minutes, and 50 seconds. The fleet watched gale force 50 knot westerly winds buffet the Erie Yacht Club on Friday, with impressive, 8-10 foot waves rolling up onto the beach at nearby Presque Isle State Park, as an early fall storm, more reminiscent of late October than mid-August, forced the postponement of the scheduled Friday evening 6:00 pm start, until Saturday morning at 8:00, when both winds and waves subsided.
When the 12 boats, ranging in size from 26 to 44 feet, finally crossed the starting line on Saturday morning, they faced 140 miles of upwind conditions that were still quite formidable. The 15-20 knot winds and short, choppy 4-6 foot waves made keeping both the boat and crew intact a critical factor. Many boats suffered both gear breakdown or seasickness. With 140 miles of beating, upwind speed also played a factor, with a premium placed on changing gears, to power up in the waves and de-power in the puffs.
Two big tactical decisions faced the fleet. Skippers and tacticians had to decide whether to follow the Ohio shoreline south, or sail north to the Canadian side of the lake. In addition, timing the long tack across the lake to take advantage of the predicted southwesterly shift proved critical, as the boats that played the left Ohio shore, and delayed crossing the lake made big gains. The lead boats sailed so close to the Ohio shore that they could often see the waves breaking on the beach, and waited to cross the lake until they were just east of Cleveland, late Saturday night.
Jazzy took first place in MORC Class A, with Kevin Lemond's Olson 911SE, Ballyhara,
second in MORC A. In PHRF A, Gus, an X-3/4 ton, owned by Jim Bourgault of Grosse Ile
Yacht Club was first, followed by Harvey Spriggs of Ford Yacht Club, owner of the C&C
34, Vagrant. The MORC B Class was won by Matt Dubois' S2 7.9, Slapshot, from Grosse Ile
Yacht Club, and in PHRF Class B, the winner was Byte Size, Mark Weihs' Catalina 36 from
Monroe Boat Club, followed by Corsair II, an Abbott 33 owned by Jack Bernard of North Cape
Yacht Club.
PHRF overall honors went to Byte Size, and MORC overall was won by Slapshot.
Each finisher was presented with a commemorative bottle of champagne upon docking at
Grosse Ile Yacht Club,and recuperated at the awards party, sponsored by UK
Sails-Detroit and AAA Wire-Rope Splicing, featuring complimentary hot soup,
chili, and beer . 
For many of the veteran sailors, this race proved as grueling as any Mackinac race, but
in spite of the conditions, the event was a success. There has been no overnight, long
distance racing on Lake Erie for a number of years. For many Lake Erie skippers, the
Mackinac races, acknowledged to be the premier distance events on the Great Lakes, are
just too far away, and therefore logistically too difficult to pull off. The race
committee hoped that this race would fill a void, and it appears that it has. The
format proved quite popular with the participants, as no special equipment was required
other than US Coast Guard required equipment. Entry fees were kept low, and the Friday
evening start should allow the race to be completed in a weekend in most years. Plans for
the 1998 which will begin on August 21, 1998 race have already begun.
Submitted by the 1997 Trans- Erie Race Committee
1997 RESULTS - The Weather During The Race =
More Pictures
SLAPSHOT AS SEEN FROM VAGRANT OFF ERIE PA.
