Pure Michigan® to Set Sail With Bayview Yacht Club for 2010 Mackinac Race

DETROIT, June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Detroit's Bayview Yacht Club, one of the most storied and historical sailing clubs in the world, announced today that Travel Michigan, a division of Michigan Economic Development Corporation, has come aboard again as the 2010 title sponsor for its annual Port Huron to Mackinac regatta.

The official name of this year's race is "The Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race" and the regatta starts on Saturday, July 17, 2010. This year will mark 86 consecutive years for the world class event that will set sail from Port Huron to Mackinac Island. More than 220 sailboats and 2,500 sailors will take part in the annual regatta with thousands of sailing fans and families attending the festive start in Port Huron.

For only the second time ever, sailing fans in Michigan and around the world will be able to monitor the historic race via the michigan.org Web site with Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking technology. GPS devices will be placed on all participating race boats.

"This race is truly 'Pure Michigan', and it attracts thousands of people to the magic of Michigan summers each and every year," said George Zimmermann, vice president, Travel Michigan. "The race is based out of Detroit, starts in Port Huron and takes everyone 'Up North' to Mackinac Island, so it is a perfect fit with our highly successful Pure Michigan national advertising campaign to draw tourism to our great state."

Zimmermann said the event draws sailors and fans from some 20 states and multiple countries who participate in the event. Based on its draw and the visits to the web site, sponsoring the event for the second year made good business sense.  Last year, the three days of the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race were the three busiest days at michigan.org in the site's history.

"This race will feature sailing in the Great Lakes and showcases the natural beauty and fresh water resources that are unique to Michigan," said Zimmermann. "We welcome boats and racing teams from Chicago and around the world for the ultimate Pure Michigan sailing experience."

"Bayview greatly values the association with Travel Michigan and we are excited to have Pure Michigan as our title sponsor for this historic regatta," said Bruce J. Burton, Commodore, Bayview Yacht Club. "We literally draw people from around the world to sail in Michigan waters and our sailors are Michigan's ambassadors to the world by participating in regattas on the seven seas."

The Bayview Yacht Club web site, www.byc.com, generally draws a million page views for the race; up to 20 million page views are expected to hit the michigan.org Web site where the GPS tracking link for the 2010 race will be located, said 2010 Race Chairman Tom Burleson. GPS tracking will be offered exclusively through michigan.org.

Detroit's professional sports teams, The Lions, Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers have each adopted a Mackinac Sail Boat and will outfit the crew with their respective team jerseys, hats and pennants. The winning team will receive game tickets and the "Pro-Team Challenge" Crystal trophy creating for the event by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

"I would like to extend our appreciation for the sailors, their families, friends and staff of Bayview for all that they do to make this event such a success. I congratulate the Mackinac 2010 Race Chairman, Tom Burleson for a great job in getting this race organized so far in advance," said Commodore Burton.

The 2010 Pure Michigan Bayview to Mackinac Yacht Race will be held on Saturday, July 17, 2010, with final race registration for participants on June 19. Bayview, founded in 1915, is widely regarded as the premier sailing club in Michigan and the Midwest. The private club is located on the Detroit River near the mouth of Lake St. Clair and has more than 1,000 members. For more information: www.byc.com. The official Michigan travel information site, michigan.org, features more than 12,000 attractions, events, hotels, resorts, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses. The site highlights special travel deals for golf and other warm weather activities for all ages and interests. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, michigan.org was recognized as the most popular state tourism Web site in America.

SOURCE Bayview Yacht Club