Red Herring sinks in Lake Michigan while moving boat to Chicago for race to Mackinac
U.S. Coast Guard rescues sailors from Canadian boat
This story has been updated to reflect new information from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Red Herring, a 55-foot sailboat, sank in Lake Michigan late Wednesday while traveling from Mackinac Island to Chicago for the Chicago to Mackinac race this weekend, Chicago Yacht Club race organizers told Shifting Gears.
“The rudder snapped. The boat took on water. The crew alerted the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Laura Muma, spokeswoman for the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust. “It happened during a squall.”
The Coast Guard did rescue all crew members, she said Thursday morning.
Initially, the sinking was thought to have happened near Sheboygan, Wis., but the rescue of five sailors actually happened near Kewaunee, Wis., based on since-corrected data.
“The first coordinate radioed in was incorrect,” rescued sailor Magnus Clarke told Shifting Gears on Thursday afternoon.
Red Herring, listed on the race registration form as a Custom Canting Keel Ketch, was owned by Fredrik Eaton of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
It just placed second in the 101st Bayview Mackinac Race and sixth overall in the Cove Island course, a 259-nautical mile race, ending on Monday, July 14.
Red Herring raced for 35 hours, 42 minutes and 39 seconds in brutal conditions that resulted in two separate man-overboard incidents during the race (involving other boats) and multiple withdrawals due to equipment damage and failure. Seven of its crew members are based in Toronto, one in Ellicotville, New York, according to the race registration.
The sailboat was one of many racing boats being moved from Mackinac Island to Chicago for the second in back-to-back races that’s scheduled to begin July 19.
“We have not received a full debrief from the team,” Muma said. “All we can say is details are limited at the moment.”
The Red Herring crew bio for the Port Huron to Mackinac event, according to the Bayview Yacht Club website, said: “A Canadian Crew comprising six resourceful sailors with experience around the world. Collectively they have done about 18 Mac races. This is the first time for Red Herring participating in a Mac race. This unique boat is 45 years old and is made of cold molded cedar and features a canting keel. Some of the crew have participated in the Olympics and the America's Cup events and two crew are two time winners of the Little America's Cup in C-class catamarans.”
The boat was based at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto.
Update: U.S. Coast Guard statement July 17
The Coast Guard released a statement confirming that it rescued five people after receiving a report of their vessel losing its rudder and taking on water near Kewaunee, Wis., on Wednesday.
“Sector Lake Michigan received initial notification at 9:31 p.m. from a Good Samaritan nearby the 55-foot vessel in distress with five people aboard. The sector issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and launched an Air Station Traverse City MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and a Station Sturgeon Bay 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew,” the July 17 news release said.
“Great Lakes District Command Center personnel collaborated with both crews, providing them updated positions of the vessel to guide them to the scene. The station crew rescued the five individuals from the water as the air station crew provided aerial oversight and support.”
Sailors rescued from Red Herring “exhibited symptoms of hypothermia and seasickness, resulting in their transport to Kewaunee Municipal Marina. They were then transferred to local emergency medical services for further evaluation,” the Coast Guard said.
“The swift, coordinated response to last night’s boating emergency was a result of countless hours of training to include training with station personnel and assets like Station Sturgeon Bay,” said Lt. j.g. Nicholas Betts, Air Station Traverse City Public Affairs Officer. “Thanks to the cooperative efforts of our crew, the station crew and the command center, we were able to save five lives last night.”
Phoebe Wall Howard covered sailing for The Detroit Free Press for seven years, until 2024. Find her recent sailing stories here.
More: Miracle rescue after storm tosses sailor overboard during 101st Bayview Mackinac Race
WOW! That crew had plenty of experience! But, heavy weather and equipment failure can doom a boat.
Wow…