Fast Tango skipper appointed by Whitmer. Why it matters.
Tim Prophit is known as a fearless Great Lakes racer from Bayview Yacht Club
Tim Prophit, a champion sailor and past commodore of the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, has been appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to serve on the Michigan State Waterways Commission.
The seven-member commission is responsible for the acquisition, construction, and maintenance of recreational harbors, channels, docking and launching facilities, and administration of commercial docks in the Straits of Mackinac.
Prophit, 67, of St. Clair Shores, learned on Wednesday, November 20, that he is succeeding highly-respected sailor Candice Miller with a three-year term that involves close collaboration with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Miller, a former secretary of state and a member of Congress, is the Macomb County Public Works Commissioner now. She earned a reputation among voters for her commitment to protecting the integrity of the Great Lakes.
Miller encouraged Prophit to apply for the position, he said. “This is all new to me. I’ve never been involved in government. Our Great Lakes are very important to me. I want to see them thrive.”
Over lunch together, Miller told Prophit that the commission works with state legislators to try and get them to prioritize repairs and improvements for waterways.
“I said, ‘Shit, I’d be perfect,’” Prophit told me. “So that offhand comment spiraled into a whole new conversation. I can quickly name 25 harbors I’ve been to in Michigan at least once, and I can look and understand what works and what doesn’t.”
He noted that Miller is the only “old Goat” to serve in Congress, a title bestowed on sailors who race from Port Huron to Mackinac Island at least 25 times and have a unique understanding of Lake Huron.
With Miller a Republican and Whitmer a Democrat, Prophit noted he always splits his ticket during elections with no affinity for any political party. Political discussion is prohibited on Fast Tango, Prophit’s North American 40 sailboat.
“I’m not a politician. I don’t do well with bureaucracy, so we’ll see how this all goes,” Prophit said Friday. “I just thought it was way I could contribute a little bit to the world I live in without doing anything controversial where people will want to send me hate mail.”
Appointee raced all Great Lakes
Fast Tango saw an unprecedented race season in 2025 after competing in long-distance races on all five Great Lakes:
Mills Trophy Race on Lake Erie in June, First in Class (PHRF D), First Overall (ORC)
101st Bayview Mackinac Race on Lake Huron in July, Ninth in Class (Note: Prophit served as 2025 race chair of the Port Huron to Mackinac Island race.)
Chicago Yacht Club Mackinac Race on Lake Michigan in July, Third in Class
Trans Superior International Yacht Race on Lake Superior in August, First in Class (PHRF Crewed B) and First Overall (PHRF).
Won the 2025 Barthel Trophy for best overall time in the races from Port Huron to Mackinac, Chicago to Mackinac and the Trans Superior Yacht Race.
Whitby 100 on Lake Ontario in September, First in Class and First overall.
Prophit also holds a unique record on lakes Michigan and Huron: Fast Tango won back-to-back, back-to-back class races from Port Huron to Mackinac, and Chicago to Mackinac, in 2023 and 2024. Prior to that, the only boat to win two back-to-back Mackinac races was Prophit on Fast Tango — then a Santana 35 — in 1992 and 1993, according to information provided in 1993 by Robbie Roadstrum, then-historian at Bayview Yacht Club — and since verified through a records review by Prophit. Roadstrum was the only living person who participated in the very first Port Huron to Mackinac race. He died in 2009 in St. Clair Shores at age 101.
“Water is life. We have much of the world’s water around us,” Prophit said. “You can enjoy it, drink it, recreate with it, farm and support industry with it, and drown in it. Water doesn’t care about politics.”
Prophit is also past commodore of the Detroit Regional Yacht-racing Association, established in 1912, has 23 member clubs in Michigan, Ohio and Canada.
Safety and refuge
Sailors are thrilled to learn of the appointment because Prophit understands the value of the freshwater, plus the opportunity to advocate for boaters who use the water for recreation and international racing.
“When we’re out there sailing, it’s wind and water and the elements. You are tuned into what those Great Lakes are doing,” said Dave Simon, past commodore of Crescent Sail Yacht Club in Grosse Pointe Farms who races on Fast Tango.
“You’re really plugging into nature. That sensitivity to the water in its natural state is important. When we’re out in the middle of the lake, it could be 200 years ago or yesterday,” he said. “There’s a tremendous sensibility and sensitivity that sailors bring.”
Pushing for maintenance is essential, Simon told me. “I am a bit disappointed. We can do better.”
Recreational boaters, including sailors, seek shelter in harbors that aren’t being maintained properly in Michigan — and that requires sailors to stay on the water longer in rough conditions to try and find safety, or go to Canadian harbors.
So it’s a safety issue and tourism dollars are lost.
Simon, 62, of Grosse Pointe Woods, said when sailing this summer with his wife, Anne, and their daughter, they repeatedly encountered harbors that hadn’t been adequately dredged and boats were getting stuck. He cited Lexington, Harbor Beach, Harrisville on Lake Huron.
Harbor maintenance matters, including dredging, so boats can get into harbors.
Navigating Michigan now requires especially careful planning because of the lack of maintenance, an issue that has dominated discussion among sailors on Lake Huron and Lake Superior. Boats are getting stuck in harbors because of lack of maintenance.
“Those are situations that need to be addressed,” Simon said. “We couldn’t get over the shoal (in Lexington) and we were the third boat to get stuck in a day because the wind was blowing from the west. When targeted going to Big Bay Harbor (Marquette County, off Lake Superior) which was listed as a harbor of refuge, depth was only 3 or 4 feet at the entrance. How is that a harbor of refuge? Whitefish Point Harbor (Chippewa County) off Lake Superior had a depth of 11 feet. That was beautiful.”
He added, “Harbor of refuges are key enablers to safe enjoyment of the Great Lakes.”
These are real issues that directly impact families paying taxes in Michigan and families from outside the state wanting to spend their vacation dollars in Michigan.
“Next year, we’re planning to go up the Canadian side because our perception is that water depth maintenance has been better,” Simon said. “Lexington had been a favorite stop for us. They have great little shops and restaurants. But the situation has gone from needing to be a little careful to a no-go. We’ll be spending our dollars in Canada.”
Economic impact is real
Tim Porter, 63, of Royal Oak — a member of Great Lakes Yacht Club who sails Serendipity, a Catalina 470, on Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie and Lake Huron — emphasized the importance of harbor maintenance amid safety concerns.
“There’s really no safe harbor if the weather turns bad between Port Sanilac and maybe as far as Port Austin,” he told me Friday. “The state spent a whole bunch of money on new docks at Harbor Beach and sailboats can’t get in there” if they need more than maybe 4 feet of water. Silt creates a need for constant dredging.
The businesses in Harbor Beach then lose out on economic activity because sailors can’t get into town to spend money.
No question, Prophit has his work cut out for him.
“The commission will be the better for Tim’s unique perspectives and approaches,” said Sandi Svoboda, 58, of Grosse Pointe, vice commodore of Bayview Yacht Club. “This was great news to hear: that one of our members and a recreational sailor is tapped to join a state commission with responsibilities that impact the people, business and freshwater environment in Michigan.”
Prophit serves with commissioners Elaine Isely of Grand Rapids, Scott Labonte of Sault Ste. Marie, Craig Lehrke of Moran (Mackinac County), Steve Remias of Shelby Township, Fred Sitkins of Suttons Bay and Susan Stewart of Harbor Springs.
More sailing stories here
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Fast Tango on winning streak with heart warning for 101st Mackinac
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This is exciting news. Great to see long-time sailors sharing their knowledge and lived experience to support our Great Lakes. I grew up sailing at Great Lakes Yacht Club and raced intercollegiately at MIT in the 70's (one of the few Midwestern college sailors to be an All-American) so I appreciate the years of effort that Tim Prophit has put into this wonderful sport. I raced J-24's after college and "only" did about 14 Chicago Macs, on a Swan 39. It's a small world.
If you all are happy with Tim’s appointment, then so am I!
Good luck Tim!