Marine Thunderstorm Wind — Seul Choix Point To the Mackinac Bridge and From Charlevoix Mi To S Fox Is 5nm Off Shore, Lake Michigan

2011-07-17 · near South Fox Island, Seul Choix Point To the Mackinac Bridge and From Charlevoix Mi To S Fox Is 5nm Off Shore, Lake Michigan

Event narrative

Wingnuts, a 35-ft sailboat, capsized while participating in the 103rd annual Chicago-to-Mackinac Yacht Race. All eight occupants were tossed into the water. Six were able to extricate themselves from the vessel, clinging to the hull until other race participants rescued them. However, the skipper and a crew member could not free themselves from the vessel when it capsized on top of them. They were found dead the next day, still tethered to the boat. These were the first weather-related fatalities in the history of the race. On a separate boat, one crew member suffered a broken wrist during the storm. Eyewitnesses indicated that the extreme winds, estimated at 60 knots, lasted for 10 to 12 minutes.

Wider weather episode

A line of thunderstorms crossed Northern Lake Michigan, producing a large swath of strong winds.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (45.4104, -85.5670)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 335477. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.