For boat Diablo, Bayview Mackinac Race will be a true family affair

The Detroit News

Detroit — Much about the Bayview Port Huron to Mackinac Race is making lifetime memories, often with family.

The boat Diablo is going to make a lot of them.

Steve Young and Brad Kimmel, co-owners of the 36-foot J/111 boat, will have their kids sprinkled among the crew. On board will be Young’s daughter Evelyn, 16, and son Alex, 14, along with Kimmel’s daughter Addison, 16.

It’ll be a special time for everyone involved in the 99th sailing of the race, which is one of the most challenging in the country.

And, yes, this will be the kids’ first time competing in the event.

“We’ve been asking to do it for years,” said Addison, as the crew began final preparations. “Dad finally thought we were ready.”

The two families, from Grosse Pointe Farms, have sailing in their blood. The grandparents in both families were sailors, and the fathers have carried on the passion and love for the sport to their kids.

Those emotions, and the time spent on the water this weekend with family and close friends, should trump whatever mishaps or struggles come about in the race.

“The definition of winning, that’s a little different this year,” Brad Kimmel said. “We win because we’re actually sailing with our family. Steve and I have raced numerous Mackinacs together. We want to make sure (in this race) they get to the island safe, had a great time and they say, ‘We want to do this thing again.’ That’s my major objective.

“You’d like to get on the podium (earn an award) too, but there’s a lot of time for that. They have a lot of years left.”

Steve Young never had an opportunity to sail in a race with his father.

“So, for the first time racing with a family member, and for it to be with my kids, that’s pretty cool,” Young said. “It’s very special.”

The kids have been sailing with their fathers for several years and are active in junior sailing programs. The interest level is high, which Young said made it a good time to get everyone aboard and do the Mackinac race for the first time together.

“They’ve been asking and we just felt they’ve put in the time and effort, both on our boat and also in junior sailing. They’re knowledgeable enough, strong enough and big enough. They’re largely ready,” Young said. “The other factor that played into it was if we didn’t do this at some point, they’d lose interest and that desire. It just might not be there.

“We really wanted them to get hooked before it was too late.”

There’s no question the passion for the sport is there for Evelyn Young, who has been sailing competitively for eight years. But being it’s her first Mackinac competition, the excitement is building.

“The cool part is going to be waking up and being ready every watch (at night) because I have never been on a boat, even close, to this long a time before,” Evelyn said. “I feel like I’ll be really tired.”

Sailing has been and always will be in both daughters’ blood.

“My favorite part about it is it’s so different from every other sport,” Evelyn said. “There’s always something more to learn and something that someone else can teach you. You never know everything about it.”

The ashes of Andrew Kimmel, Addison’s grandfather and Brad’s father, were scattered near Mackinac. For Addison, that’ll mean something when the boat approaches the island.

“My grandpa sailed in this race many times, and it’s cool I can share that same love for a sport that he did and carry on the tradition with my dad,” Addison said.

Scott and Merritt Sellers are one of the most successful “double-handed” teams around.

The class is simply two people on the boat — their boat is “nosurprise” — and the style of racing is an increasingly popular way to sail.

The Sellers, from Harbor Springs, won the class last year in their first attempt and are looking to repeat this weekend. But in this second time around, Merritt, one of the most accomplished young sailors in the state, feels she’ll be better prepared.

“We got hit with weather (last year) and it was hard the last couple of hours,” Merritt, 15, said. “Just lifting up the sails and grinding into the winds, it got pretty hard.

“But that’s what definitely attracts me to the event.”

Because of Merritt’s sailing schedule, it’s rare the father-daughter duo get to sail together at all anymore. But during this three-week stretch, with the Port Huron to Mackinac, the Chicago to Mackinac, and a regatta in Harbor Springs, the two get to race and spend time together.

“It’s one of the highlights of our year, the fact we get to sail together,” Scott Sellers said. “The fact we’re able to come together the next weeks and we’ll be sailing the Great Lakes, that’ll be fun.”

With only two sailors on board, it can get a bit ticklish in a long, difficult race when things aren’t going great. But Merritt feels she and her father have been able to keep the temperature moderate.

“It’s funny. We have our arguments as a father and daughter, but when we’re sailing, it’s a completely different experience,” Merritt said. “We’re both in tune and sometimes there are disagreements on what we may think is the right move, but we work pretty well together.”

▶ When: 11:30 a.m. Saturday

▶ Where: Lake Huron, just north of the Blue Water Bridge

▶ Courses: The Shore Course, covering 204 nautical miles (235 statute miles) along the Michigan shore, and the Cove Island Course, 259 nautical miles (290 statute miles) which takes boats into Canadian waters. Both courses finish at Mission Point.

▶ Did you know? More than 200 boats are expected to compete, with more than 2,000 sailors participating.