In Port Huron, the longest continuously-run long-distance freshwater yacht race in the world kicks off on Saturday. It's the 102nd Bayview Mackinac Race.
The Bayview Yacht Club said more than 200 boats are taking part this year from 11 states and Canada.
The celebrations began during Port Huron's Blue Water Festival this week, and the hope is the weather will be better than last year.
Twelve sailors from the "Talisman" and their skipper — Bruce Aikens of West Bloomfield — were recognized by U.S. Sailing for helping rescue two men on July 12 last year when a catamaran overturned when a squall came through.
Watch our story covering the rescue from 2025 in the video below
I talked with one of The Talisman's crew members, longtime sailor Fred Detwiler of Grosse Pointe Park, who said they found one of the lost sailors standing atop the capsized boat stunned.
His crewmate had fallen overboard into Lake Huron north of Lexington and drifted out of sight.
"So, if your crew had not spotted that overturned catamaran, what could it happen?" I asked.
"I think the worst could have happened because the wind was blowing in the offshore. So, they were being blown out to sea. The dark was coming. It was only a half hour, 45 minutes before dusk. And then the water was 60, 62 degrees. And then it gets colder at night and they're there. So, there were two souls lost," he said.
See the story from Alicia Smith in the video below
The crew of the Talisman alerted the U.S. Coast Guard, which was already helping another sailboat in trouble.
After that rescue, the Coast Guard started searching for the man adrift and eventually spotted him, lifting him to safety.
Detwiler said the sailor had probably been in the water for about three hours, and hypothermia was a big concern, so the man was saved just in time.
A crew from the "Otseketa" helped tow the men's catamaran to shore. U.S. Sailing recognized the crew of Amante 2 for pulling another sailor out of the water in last year's race.
