In this Issue:
Port Huron Mac- Review
Chicago Mac- Preview
49er US 349- Update
Atlantic Alone- Progress
Augin- Record Status
Ilbruck- Purchases EF Language
Great Circle- Earth Quake

Port Huron Mac-
	The first of the Great Lakes two 'Mac' races
is now officially in the books.  In even numbered years
it's Bayview Yacht Clubs Port Huron to Mackinac race
that is sailed first.  The Chicago to Mac race follows
this Saturday.
	Although the Port Huron race is the shorter of the two
most sailors would agree that this years race was long enough.
Conditions along the 259 mile course were generally light.  The
start featured a light started with the fleet beating.
	Later as they raced to the Cove Island turning mark, the wind 
went around behind and the fleet ran under spinnaker.  Steve 
Fosset's catamaran Stars and Stripes was the first boat around
Cove Island at 0642 Sunday morning.  The first monohull was 
RX Sight at 1247 Sunday.
	For the fleets bigger boats the wind really shut off around
the Duck Islands.  This windless condition occurred closer to Cove
Island for the bulk of the fleet.  
	Once the wind filled back in the fleet reached most of the rest of the
way to Mackinac Island.  Once near the island and in the straits of 
Mackinac things happened as they usually do in this area.  The lite
area race finished with boats beating in 30 knot conditions.
	Stars and Stripes was the first boat to finish at 1823 Sunday.  RX
Sight was the first monohull finisher at 0329 Monday.  The first
Great Lakes boat across the line was the Santa Cruz 70 Cynosure at 0701
Monday morning.
	Class winners were as follows:
IMS A & Great Lakes 70's Equation William Alcott
IMS B Disruption Lawrence Oswald
PHRF A Leading Edge Eugene Mondry
PHRF B Heartbreaker Robert Hughes
PHRF C Big Kahyna Jim Tepel 
PHRF D Diversion 2 Charles Miller
PHRF E Epic Ray Adams
PHRF F X-Heartbreaker Richard Ditttus
PHRF G Pendragon G. Thomas/J. Trost
PHRF H Time Chuck Cable
PHRF I  Limerick Arthur Cope
PHRF J Sweet Carmela Richard Frazier
PHRF K Bravo Frank Tenkel
PHRF L Jeanne Ann Larry Petersen
PHRF M J Shinkse/B. Wilson
PHRF N Bantu/ Thomas Kuber
PHRF O Cippewa Robert Wall
Cruiing Class A Saturn Wallace Tsuha
Cruising Class B Yare J.Tripp/E Stroh
Open Class Wahoo Edward Wheatley

Chicago Mac Preview-
	This Saturday July 18th will see the start of the 100th Anniversary
sailing of Chicago Yacht Club's race to Mackinac.  A fleet of 300
boats will sail the 333 mile course.  Since the race was not sailed
during war years, it will actually be the 91st race.
	The original race in 1898 had a 5 boat fleet.  This year the fleet
will range from Steve Fosset's 60 foot catamaran Stars and Stripes,
to monohulls as small Tartan 10's.  
	Among other highlights of the race will be Muskegon yachtsman
John Neadu's 52nd Mac race.  Neadu sailed his first race in 1946 and
has missed only one since.  This gives him the record for most Mac's
sailed by an individual.  This year he will be sailing Windancer VI
a Nelson Marek 68.
	The fleet will set sail trying to beat the course record of 25 hours
50 minutes and 44 seconds.  This was set by Dick Jennings Santa
Cruz 70 in 1987.  Pied Piper will also race this year.
	For coverage of the Chicago to Mackinac race please
visit the Torresen Sailing Site: http://www.torresen.com

Atlantic Alone- The South Pays
	Last week the question was how would the 5 boat Atlantic
Alone fleet skirt the light air of the Azores High.  At that point
Fila and Cray Valley were committing to a Southern Route.  Magellan
Alpha and Team Group 4 were staying north.
	From the current positioning, it's clear the south paid.  Saturday nite,
Magellan Alpha and Group 4 began to be shunted aside by the southern
contingent of Cray Valley and Fila.
	As of Wednesday morning, Fila and Cray Valley continue to
be the race leader, respectively in Class I and Class II.  Fila with skipper
Giovanni Solidini leads Mike Golding and Team Group 4 by 317 miles.
Cray Valley is ahead of Magellan Alpha by 212 miles in Class II.
	In general though, there are no mid Atlantic rooster tails from 
these high performance boats.  Wednesday mornings high speed was
Cray Valley's 6.3 knots. Cray Valley's J.P. Mouligne sums it up this way:
"I am afraid it is the end of the big surfs for a while and a grind 
for every mile, in oven-like conditions. The good news, if there
 is any, is that I am not the only one with light conditions and 
it will affect the whole fleet."  Still Cray Valley is in good shape
trailed by a frustrated Mike Garside on Magellan Alpha who 
hasn't, "had one decent day's sailing since I made that 
disastrous decision to go over the high rather than under it."
	In Class I leader Soldini is in high spirits.  He says: "I'm in 
a very relaxing situation - cooking, sleeping well, reading 
some books, listening to some music."  His pursuer in Class I
Mike Golding sails on without his only spinnaker which he 
has blown out.  Golding e-mailed his tactical thoughts which 
included these: "If the wind goes right I must Gybe and head
 away to the South. If the wind goes left, which I hope it does, 
I can tack and head North. I prefer this option as it gives me
better angles for the sail in towards the coast and possibly a
different set of conditions which might help me catch Fila."  So far
Golding has been forced further south.  This puts him nearer to 
sailing in Fila's wake, not a promising tactical position for a comeback.
	The fleet should not expect much wind according to most
weather sources.  In fact the fleet's weather forecast recently
contained a warning that "winds will become quite light in 
all areas [of the race course by] the end of the week."  
	This will not make for fast racing, but as the sayings go
shifts happen.  Especially in light air, wind shifts and windless
holes can serve like a caution flag in stock car racing and bunch
the fleet up.  
	For continued updates visit: http://www.aroundalone.com

49er News
	Spring Lake sailors Chad Hough and David Fox recently sailed
a regatta in their 49er in Kingston Ontario.  
	Day 1 of the regatta saw 12-15 knot winds and just generally 
perfect conditions.  David and Chad finished 2nd, saying "we were
very happy with our upwind boatspeed, which had been a problem."
	The next two days saw light and fluky breezes.  Day 2 saw only
one race.  Day 3 was gain light.  Still, Chad and David found, " the
boat is going faster and we will build on that."
	USA 349 will continue training this summer.  Later in July a Canadian
49er will pay a visit and 2 boat test.  In August US 349 will head back
to Canada for the CORK regatta sailed in Kingston Ontario August
23rd to the 25th.  
	To continue their campaigns progress, what they need is the
 support of their fellow Great Lakes and Midwestern sailors to help 
them accomplish their goal ! Any contribution made is tax deductible. 
You can send  your donation to:

  SLJA (Spring Lake Junior Sailing Association)
  P.O. Box 965
  Grand Haven MI 49417 

Augin-  Record won't be official
	Last week, it was reported that Christophe Augin had beaten
the west-to-east transatlantic record.  According to John Reed
of the World Sailing Speed Record Council, "  Christophe Augin,
despite asking for copies of the International Rules for record
breaking and knowing of the requirements, decided that he
would ignore them."
	It seems that there are numerous reasons that this record will
not be official.  For one, he never paid the necessary $1,200 fee to the 
WSSRC.  So, there were no observers at either the start or finish.
	Augin claims a pilot boat recorded his start, and
that he radioed British Coast Guard official upon finish.  On this matter
the WSSRC says:  "Another missing factor in this is for the boat to
be checked or at least physically identified.  The fact that a radio
signal had been logged by HM Coast Guard, Falmouth is of no account
for record purposes. "  
	Due to all of these factors, the official record for mono hulls
is still the one set by Nicorette in 1997.

Ilbruck buys Ef Language Boats
	The Whitbread 60 "EF Language", winner of the 
Whitbread Round the World Race 1997/98, and her
 sister-ship "EF Education", are the new training 
vessels for the "illbruck Round the World Challenge". 
John Kostecki, skipper of the first entry for the 
Volvo Ocean Race 2001/2002, announced today that 
the Leverkusen-based illbruck Group has purchased the 
two Bruce Farr-designed race boats. 
	"Our campaign team will take delivery in Stockholm, Sweden, 
at the beginning of October," Kostecki said. "With matched 
boats we can begin an intensive two-boat testing program to 
develop and compare sails. In addition to sail optimization studies, 
we can also advance our crew training and selection program."
	The two boats will be shipped first to Germany for refitting 
before they go to a training camp at a port on the Atlantic 
seaboard. The site has not yet been selected.
	The illbruck Round The World Challenge acquired the 
60-footers in a package deal from the Swedish Team "EF" Syndicate. 
It included extra sails, support containers with tools and gear, 
chaseboats and other items. The sale price was not disclosed. 
Team "EF" manager Johan Salen and Michael Illbruck, chairman
 of illbruck Round the World Challenge, both confirmed that the 
purchase terms would remain confidential.

Great Circle Lives to tell about Earthquake
	An earthquake hit the island of Faial in the Azores group 
on Friday, July 10. The Open Class 50-footer Great Circle is 
docked on Horta, a small village on the south side of the island. 
" I woke up in the middle of the night after a strange dream," 
reported skipper Brian Hancock from his home in Marblehead. 
"I dreamt that I got a desperate call from the marina office in Horta
 telling me to come and get the boat.  I told them that I would be there 
soon, but they kept insisting I move it out right away.  I went back
 to sleep and in the morning I heard on the news that the island had 
been hit by an earthquake."
	Faial is eight miles long with Horta on the south side. 
After frustrating delays trying to get through to the island, 
Hancock learned that the north end of the island had been 
badly hit with hundreds of houses destroyed. The town  
of Horta had suffered some damage, but all the yachts in 
the small marina were fine. "I guess someone is definitely 
watching over me," said Hancock.
	Great Circle plans a stop in Bermuda for a number 
of reasons. "Firstly it is a wonderful place to spend some 
time, and I have some sponsorship possibilities there, and
 secondly I will be looking to take on some campaign donors 
for the trip to the US, the same as I did on the way over to the 
Azores. It worked out great for everyone concerned and 
offers a wonderful opportunity for someone to experience 
sailing on an Open 50.  My thought is to let the crew (if they wish), 
sail the boat alone while I assume a standby/trainer mode. 
Each of the three crew members will be able to run the 
boat alone for a day, and only use me if they feel they need help.
	To contact Brian Hancock and Great Circle about sailing
from Bermuda to the USA visit: http://www.greatcircle.org