PORT HURON - Strong winds made for some fast times in the 84th Bayview Port Huron to Mackinac Sailboat Race held on July 12-13, and along for the ride on two boats were sailing crews comprised of several pipe trades workers.

Plumbers from Local 98 and Pipe Fitters from Local 636 manned crews on two boats in the race, the 36-foot Legend, and the 32-foot Anemone. The Legend, co-owned and co-skippered by Dan Shriner of Local 98, took first place in its class with an elapsed time of 31 hours, 7 minutes. The Anemone, captained and owned by Doug Lowe of Local 98, came in sixth place (out of 14 boats) in its class, with an elapsed time of 43 hours, 53 minutes.

Overall the race was fastest since 1984. There were a total of 265 boats and about 3,000 sailors in the 252-mile race, with crews battling winds of up to 35 miles per hour, that churned up eight-foot Lake Huron waves - and churned some stomachs.

Shriner sailed with a crew of eight on his vessel, which beat six contenders in the "Beneteau First 36.7" class, which refers to the manufacturer and type of boat. A 38-year member of Local 98, this was his first win in the Port Huron to Mackinac race. He was the only pipe trades worker on the boat.

"We finished about an hour ahead of the competition," said Shriner, a member of the Albatross Yacht Club. "We pushed harder and faster to maintain the lead, and that's a pretty big lead. It was really astonishing and hard to believe that we won. We finished with the big boats."

Shriner said this race would go down as one of the "rougher" Port Huron to Mackinac competitions because of the high winds and waves. He said a number of other boats sustained sail damage or crew injuries. "I was hoping the boat would stay together," he said. Near Rogers City, the Legend sustained a snapped lanyard, which is a line used to raise and lower a sail. The crew used an alternate lanyard to keep the boat going.

Doug Lowe, a 39-year plumber out of Local 98, captained the Anemone, a boat he has owned for eight years. His deckhands for his first Port Huron to Mackinac race included both plumbers and pipe fitters, and was called an "optional" crew - an inside joke that refers to a contractual option contractors have to hire either plumbers or fitters for some jobs.

The crew was comprised of people he had worked with and who had an affinity for sailing. They worked together on the boat over the last two years.

"Oftentimes it's hard to get guys to work together well, but this was a very good crew," Lowe said. "For our first attempt, I think we did quite well, and we're looking forward to next year."

Lowe said crew members traded off duties during the race. Shifts to steer the boat - the most tiring task - were limited to about two or three hours.

He said the biggest challenge during the voyage took place in the middle of the night, about 60 miles from shore, with the wind blowing hard. The captain woke up crew member Rick Nelson, who was trying to get some sleep, to help haul in the boat's spinnaker sail. At that time, they heard over the radio that another boat in the race called in a mayday to the Coast Guard, requesting help because some rigging broke and a deckhand went overboard (he was rescued).

"That was probably the biggest nervous moment," Lowe said.

Both captains said much of the voyage was uneventful, with crews eating, working and taking rests in shifts. Both stressed the safety measures used on their boats, with the use of life jackets when necessary and safety lanyards.

For his part, Nelson, also a Local 98 plumber, said the big waves made it an "uncomfortable" voyage - but well worth it. "There was a lot of leaning over the side until you got your sea legs," Nelson said. "But it was a great experience."

THE LEGEND catches a breeze. The 36-foot boat, co-captained by Plumbers Local 98 member Dan Shriner, finished first in its class in the Bayview Port Huron to Mackinac Sailboat Race.

THE ANEMONE under its colorful spinnaker sail on Lake Huron had a crew that included two plumbers and two pipe fitters.