MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. -- The 63-foot sloop Heritage from Chicago finished first in the 59th Port Huron to Mackinac Island yacht race, becoming the first boat to sweep three related events.
Don Wildman's Heritage, winner of the Chicago to Mackinac race a week earlier as well as the Chicago to Sarnia, Ontario, leg, finished ahead of the 61-foot Triumph, owned by Steve Gagne of Grosse Pointe, by a corrected time of 1:09.28 Monday.
As the scratch boat, Heritage had to give a time allowance to the other 287 boats in the fleet for the 259-nautical mile race.
Heritage posted a time of 54:21.13 and Triumph 55:30.41 while Brassy, owned by M.S. Keeler of Grand Rapids, finished in 56:21.00. Wind Dancer owned by John Nedeau of Muskegon was in at 57:31.58.
Force, sailed by Tom Clemons of Marine City with a crew including three sons, finished in 58:42.38 but was expected to be fairly close to Heritage in corrected time.
High winds and 10 to 12-foot seas buffeted the boats Saturday night and early Sunday. One boat, Morgan Dee of Cleveland, was dismasted but no injuries were reported.
Wildman attributed his victory -- in part -- to 14 gallons of ice cream in 10 flavors.
'We turned to licking ice cream cones when our nerves became frazzled,' said Wildman, reported to have consumed 60 ice cream cones in two Big Mac races.
Wildman celebrated his arrival as usual with two bottles of Cuvee Dom Perignon, 1975 vintage. Last year he bought out the Island's supply of three cases at $110 a case, causing a wine emergency.
