Those feeling the need for speed on the water will gather in St. Clair July 26 to 30, when the Blue Water Offshore Racing Association St. Clair River Classic comes to the St. Clair River.
The St. Clair River Classic is free for the public to attend. Bob Currier, secretary/treasurer of the Blue Water Offshore Racing Association, said this is the 29th year the nonprofit has produced the event. He estimated between 10,000 and 15,000 people will attend the event over the course of the weekend.
“It takes place in front of Palmer Park in St. Clair. Anywhere in the park is a great viewing area,” Currier said.
The racing course is about 4 miles long, running roughly from the north of the St. Clair city limits to south of the Pine River.
“Returning aspects, obviously the boats that will be racing, 11 different classes of boats will be racing Sunday, July 30,” Currier said.
Although he did not know exactly how many teams would be participating in this year’s race, Currier estimated, based on past numbers, about 50 teams would compete.
“It is not uncommon. This organization does not do or require preregistration for the race event,” Currier said.
He noted that one expected competitor in the race’s Vee Extreme class will be Ed Smith’s boat Instigator.
“There are a lot of folks that come to see the competitions of different classes. Ed has been racing for a little over 20 years,” Currier said.
Racers are able to do set up testing prior to July 29, but the official scheduled testing with rescue resources on the river will take place on July 29 from about 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Testing is important to racers as there are differences in handling a boat in salt water and fresh water, and some teams may want to make changes such as changing a boat’s propeller, Currier said.
“A lot of the teams, the last race they have run may have been in salt water, in the ocean,” Currier said.
Another important aspect of race testing is to allow racers to get used to the current in the St. Clair River race course. Currier said the current can increase boat speed, which can be a concern for racers as they are put into speed limited classes. Exceeding the speed for a specified class can disqualify a racer.
“The other thing that is unique to this race type, if you are familiar with the river at all, it has a current down river from Lake Huron,” Currier said.
The race village for the event will be open to the public, with attractions including vendors, entertainment and up-close views of the competitive racing boats.
“People can walk right up close and personal to the boats. The teams are more than happy to show the equipment off, sign autographs and get photos taken,” Currier said.
He said vendors and entertainment are provided in partnership with the St. Clair Chamber of Commerce.
As the primary organizer of the event, Currier coordinates all permits for the event from governmental agencies, including the city of St. Clair, Transport Canada and the U.S. Coast Guard. He said as a whole, the event takes about a year to plan, and this year’s title sponsor is Magna.
The race includes international waters and the aspect of commercial shipping also needs to be considered, Currier said. He said that although technology is used to track freighters that could be in the area, relationships with the shipping industry also play a crucial part.
“There is an extreme amount of coordination that takes place. One of the planning pieces that begins almost immediately after the year’s race is opening discussions with the commercial shipping industry, the sharing of dates and times and our requests, our asks of them in scheduling, if they can adjust their schedules so they are not coming through St. Clair on race day from basically 11:30 in the morning until 6 in the evening,” Currier said.
Current Offshore Powerboat Association ratings can be found online at oparacing.org/standings.
The tentative schedule of events for the St. Clair River Classic will be as follows:
• July 26: At 6 p.m., M-29 will be closed and the race village set up. Currier said the M-29 closure will essentially be from Brown Street to Clinton Avenue, from 6 p.m. July 26 to 8 a.m. July 31. Posted detours will be available.
• July 27: Race boats will arrive throughout the day. Viewing will be open in the race village. Vendors will be open.
• July 28: Race boats will be arriving throughout the day, and viewing will be available in the race village. Vendors will also be open throughout the day. Inspections will open in the race village from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entertainment provided by the St. Clair Chamber of Commerce will be available at Riverview Plaza courtyard area in St. Clair in the afternoon and evening.
• July 29: Race boats will be on display in the race village and vendors will be open all day. Race registration will be held at the Riverview Plaza from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Course staffed insured testing will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Entertainment provided by the St. Clair Chamber of Commerce will be available in the Riverview Plaza courtyard in the afternoon and evening.
• July 30: Race boats will be on display in the race village and vendors will be open all day. Tentatively scheduled for 11:15 a.m. are the invocation, national anthems of the U.S. and Canada, and the flag float down. An American Legion post in St. Clair is expected to have an honor guard present at the opening ceremony. Flags for U.S., Michigan and Canada will be hoisted on pace boats during the national anthem singing, Currier said.
The first race is tentatively scheduled for noon and the second race for 1:30 p.m. The third race is tentatively scheduled for 3 p.m. and the fourth race, if necessary, is tentatively scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Entertainment will be available at the Riverview Plaza courtyard area in the afternoon and evening. The awards ceremony in the Riverview Plaza court yard is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m.
Nicole Tuttle is a freelance reporter for The Voice.
