Race Tracking

For the 2003 Race to Mackinac, the Chicago Yacht Club's Race Tracking feature is once again a unique and engaging part of the total Mac experience. Boat owners will be able to provide family, friends and associates an opportunity to follow their progress as they manage their way up the broad lake, tack and jibe through the islands and hopefully blast their way down the Straits of Mackinac to the finish. This year forty (40) transponders are available on a first-come-first served basis via an application available from the link above. This is a totally

hands free operation with boaters needing only to provide 12 volt power and a rail mount for the transponder; the system handles the rest.

Boaters will be provided with a transponder unit that downloads GPS signals. The transponder determines the boat's position, and sends positioning data via VHF transmission to a network of low level satellites circling the globe. The data is then transmitted from satellite to RMI Network Services, an official Race to Mackinac sponsor whose custom software performs the required translations and dynamically builds each chart for subsequent display via the Chicago Yacht Club's web site.

For 2003, we will be tracking between 1 and 6 boats per section. Viewers will be able to choose from among a full lake view or one of 25 "zoom" views for each boat section (a section consists of 6-9 similar sized boats). Both full lake and zoom views will be updated approximately every two hours, and the viewer can select any 2 hour "snapshot" to follow a boat's or a section's progress up the lake. Tracking will commence at 4:00 pm on Saturday July 12, and will most likely conclude on Tuesday July 14. Tracking data can be viewed at: http://www.rminet.com/index2.html.

Save the tracking displays to share with friends and crew long after your racing has finished. Use the charts to plan next year's approach to this most prestigious fresh water racing event.

If you are interested in Race Tracking for you boat, download the application and attached instructions, complete the form and fax to the number on the form.