Well we are about 30 minutes from leaving the dock. Its been raining all morning, which washed out some practicing. Fortunately we have a very seasoned crew on Denali, so no harm no foul. Winds look to be light for most of the race, so a repeat of the record run last week doesn't look to be in the cards. No problem for us because this crew and boat likes light winds. All that being said, we will have some cells/squalls to play with and get us ramped up and rocking. The boys love to play with these cells as we did in the MoBay Race and most recently in the Trans-Pacific Race. All for now.

Skipper of Denali

Yep, retired at 6:15 AM CDT after our headstay broke. Sailing upwind in light air, when suddenly a loud bang, and the jib is flopping around, while still attached to the mast with a halyard. The sail held the mast up, and after sending Mark aloft, we were able to let the sail down and secure the rigging. We are thankful this happened in light wind and that the crew calmly handled the situation. That takes real experience.

We are all extremely disappointed about not finishing the race, and feel that we were in good position for top three finish. On the other hand, the beer has come out already and spirits are quickly lifting. Thank you to all our loyal fans, and we are sorry to disappoint you too.

Denali is all set to go with final provisions and minor maintenance concerns all addressed for the race up Lake Michigan to Mackinac Island. The classic sitings we anticipate include Wisconsin shoreline, Point Sable, Sleeping Bear sand dunes, Greys Reef, Mackinac Bridge, and finally the Island of Mackinac. 430 boats is the most I have ever heard of in a long distance race. Logistics for that many boats must be a major factor in pre and post race management. Crew dinner tonight, a few minutes to see old friends at the Chicago Yacht Club, and then early to bed. Tomorrow morning will be busy with last minute preparations based on expected weather. Speaking of weather, all the forecasts have very low probability, which means light wind and variable direction. Very difficult to plan a strategy, other than sail the shortest distance while going as fast as possible. Should be more thunderstorms to spice things up Saturday afternoon and evening. Please add comments to this BLOG if you have any, and we will try our best to keep you posted on progress. You can track us at http://charthorizon.com/races/2008_chicago_mackinac/htdocs/mapper.phtml select Turbo for the class, or just Denali to see us only. The reports are delayed on this tracker by 3 hours. #