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While the sport of sailing is the main focus of the Bayview Yacht Club today, the Club was founded in 1915 by four men, only one of whom might be called a sailor.  The history of the Club starts in Detroit, then spreads, not only throughout the Michigan area, but to the Atlantic Ocean then around the world.

Bayview has been a place where accomplishments on the water were more important than those off, where the mission of promoting the sport of sailing and those who sail, guides and informs everything about it. It is a Club whose members are there for one reason: to sail competitively.

So, how did Bayview start? With four men - Floyd Nixon, Lloyd Kurtzwarth, Perc Williamson and Paul Dietrich - who were looking for a place to fish and have fun on the water. They established Bayview in a corrugated-iron shack, on a dock about a mile downstream of the present location. The first sailboat to call Bayview home was Perc Scott’s “Wrinkle”, 18 feet at the waterline and capable of taking the entire membership out for a cruise.

By 1924, Bayview members extended the reach of the Club to the Atlantic Ocean by winning their class in the Bermuda race. Then in 1925, the Club launched its signature event that spread its fame and influence, the Bayview Mackinac race from Port Huron to Mackinac Island. This has become the longest continually run freshwater long distance sailboat race.

Published on March 26th, 2015 | by Editor

Bayview Yacht Club’s 100-Year Milestone

Published on March 26th, 2015 by Editor -->

Ten years after it was founded in Detroit, Michigan, the Bayview Yacht Club held its first Bayview Mackinac Race with only 12 canvas-sailed wooden boats competing. The year was 1925, and much of the fleet never made it to the finish line off Mackinac Island.

But not to worry, as the club persisted in nurturing this Great Lakes distance race into the extraordinary destination sailing experience it is today, with hundreds of boats and thousands of competitors from the Midwest and beyond converging on Lake Huron for the start and celebrating their finish, more than 200 miles later, in the grandest of style on Mackinac Island.

As easy as it is to measure a sailing organization’s success by such a remarkable achievement as the Bayview Mackinac Race (now famously sponsored by Bell’s Beer), the reality is that the scale and distinctiveness of this event, due for its 91st annual running this July, is merely a microcosm of the larger world of its host Bayview Yacht Club, which in 2015 joins the heralded ranks of yacht clubs with a 100-year history.

“In 1915, at the hands of four gentlemen, a small yacht club took shape in a three-story tin boathouse on Motor Boat Lane,” said Commodore Hanson Bratton. “Now, in its Centennial year, Bayview Yacht Club has over 1,000 members, including world-renowned racers and leaders in the sport, and a 5,000 square foot ‘Shrine of Nautical Culture’ as its clubhouse on Clairpointe Street (no. 100 for those who like coincidences), just minutes from downtown Detroit.”

The “View” in Bayview is from the edge of the Detroit River at the mouth of Lake St. Clair and commands a sweeping panorama of islands, the cityscape of Detroit and the shore of nearby Canada. The club itself is one for all seasons: legendary for the sailing scene that sets the standard in Michigan, an acclaimed junior sailing program and regattas – both one-off and re-occurring like the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race – that cement its national stature and continually draw devoted members as well as participants.

Among those carrying the torch for Bayview Yacht Club as he sails the world is member Stu Argo, Jr. “I’ve been involved with seven America’s Cup teams and locally with four Canada’s Cup teams, and I’ve been fortunate to win at least one of each of those,” he said. “Through the junior sailing program here and then in bigger boats on Saturday and in Mackinac races, you learn how to do things right. It’s the character of people around here to teach you the right way to do things.”

In many ways, Argo’s thoughts reflect the fortitude of the club’s founders and followers in preserving the club’s basic tenants, which as written in its history books are “development of sailors; preservation of the finest traditions of the sea; continuance of that finer class of sportsmanship, which seems born largely of the sea and sea-minded; and development of sailing vessels, which add fresh glory to the most daring and romantic of all sports.”

Practicing what it preaches, Bayview Yacht Club won the Canada’s Cup – a cross-border match racing challenge first held in 1896 and with a format similar to the America’s Cup – four times (1972, 1975, 1988 and 1994) and is unmatched in being either the challenger or defender over eight consecutive Canada’s Cup competitions. It was one of the first yacht clubs to create a women’s invitational regatta, and now its Detroit Cup is a revered Category 2 Match Racing event that hosts champion women sailors from around the world, while its point-to-point WOW (Women on the Water) Regatta is in its 11th year. After 19 years of hosting the NOOD Regatta, Bayview Yacht took over the reins of that successful event to run it (for the fourth time this year) as the Bayview One-Design Regatta. And as expected, the club hosts a full slate of club, local and regional events, including a blessing of its fleet in early June.

Fred Kreger, who has been a BYC member since 1964, epitomizes what being a sailor at Bayview Yacht Club means. “I race two to three times week, and I’m at the club five days a week in the summertime. If there’s a race I do it.”

Now in his 90s, he has won the Bayview Mackinac Race 15-18 times and recalled sailing with Henry Burkard’s famously successful Meteor, a 32 footer, for 27 years. “The first 10 years we sailed, we came back with a flag (for first, second or third) from each of the Macs.” Kreger also competed aboard a Formula 60 trimaran, a 50 footer, an 80 footer and a 36 footer during his Mac career. “After my 50th time (2001), I skipped the next year, but then I decided to go back because it was no fun to stop. I don’t know why I stopped.”

Impressively, Kreger has a total of 62 Bayview Mackinac Races and 46 Chicago Mackinac Races (another popular distance race held on Lake Michigan) under his sailing belt, making him one of only 32 “Double Old Goats” (completing 25 or more of each of the races) and, more scarce, one of 13 “Grand Rams” (completing 50 or more Bayview Macs).

“There’s a lot of track; I have no idea how much I’ve run,” he said jokingly before nonchalantly adding that he also has been with four Canada’s Cup campaigns, completed 24 SORCs and currently handles foredeck aboard the Beneteau 36.7 Grizzly.

“The club hasn’t changed much over the years; like any place it’s the people that make it special,” said Kreger. “Bayview is the sailing club around here, so if you are going to sail, this is where you have to sail from. Our 100th anniversary is a great occasion for us, and we’re looking forward to another 100 years.”

Additional information: www.byc.com

Bayview Yacht Club will host the following major regattas in 2015 4th Annual Bayview One Design Regatta – May 28-31 91st Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race –July 18 start 11th Annual Women on the Water (WOW) Regatta –July 31 – August 1 Tartan Ten North American Championship –August 13 – 16 Detroit Cup Category 2 Match Racing event in BYC Ultimate 20s –August 27 – 30 Beneteau First 36.7 North American Championships –September 1-13

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Sailing is the focus at Bayview Yacht Club

The reason sailors join Bayview Yacht Club differs for each member.

For some its the camaraderie, for others it may be the restaurant or its location on the banks of the Detroit River. Most agree, though, that it's the club's rigorous focus on sailing that sets Bayview apart from other clubs.

For Lynn Kotwicki, it was the club's legacy of racing champions.

"I knew the history, I knew the reputation. I knew the America's Cup sailors and sailors across a number of classes that were members," says Kotwicki of Royal Oak, who became a member in the early 2000s. A competitive sailor, she grew up around powerboats, but focused on sailing around age 10.

Kotwicki developed the yearly Women on Water regatta at Bayview in an effort to draw more women to the sport. She says Bayview is known globally because members like herself travel the world's waterways leaving behind the club's flag, known as a burgee.

"When I compete, whether it's in Portugal, Brazil or Sweden, or wherever, I always take the burgee and leave it there at that club. It's one of those things that ties you to home, but then again it makes notoriety for the club around the world, as well."

This year, Bayview celebrates 100 years in Detroit. The six-acre club at 100 Clairpointe, off East Jefferson, offers members access to boat wells, banquet facilities, a bar and restaurant and plenty of social activities. For all the stereotypes that may be associated with yacht clubs — exclusivity, old money, polo shirts — Commodore Hanson Bratton says Bayview aims to be inclusive and welcomes anyone interested in the sport of sailing.

"Bayview, as far as private clubs go, has a pretty narrow focus in terms of sailing," says Bratton, who will serve as commodore for one year, per tradition. "We don't have a lot of powerboats here ... we don't have a swimming pool, we don't have racquet courts and all that, so a lot of it is truly focused on sailing."

Bayview hosts regattas regularly. Besides a Thursday night series, the annual Summer Match Racing Invitational will take place this weekend, and, later this summer, the yacht club will host the Detroit Cup Aug. 27-30. The international sailing competition — which partners with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit — is spectator-friendly and has onsite commentary to add to the excitement of competition.

Bayview is best known for creating the annual Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race, which began in 1925. Frank Kern, a member since 1996, has collected extensive history on the race. Kern says when Bayview opened, there were only six members. Today there are around 1,000.

"Bayview started 100 years ago in 1915 and it was literally a fishing shack on motor boat row, which today is the boat basin owned by Gregory Marina (two miles west of Bayview)," Kern says.

One of the most popular aspects of Bayview in terms of boating is the adult and youth sailing programs, where people of almost any age can learn the basics of the sport. The Junior Sailing Program is open to youths ages 8-18 and offers a two-week "Learn to Sail" program ($450) or a summer-long program ($1,150).

Sailors are not required to be members of BYC, nor do they need to own a boat; they just need some close-toed shoes, a life vest and sun block.

Jessica Dodge of Grosse Pointe Park started her fourth summer in the sailing class last week.

"When I came in, I didn't even like sailing, but I love it so much now," says Dodge, who will be a freshman at Grosse Pointe South High School after her summer on the water. "The community is so nice and everyone is really helpful. I've learned so much about sailing. They teach you everything."

"And it's not just sailing; we play games and you make a lot of friends."

The final youth sailing class begins Monday, adult classes are under way, and a second wave of the program starts in mid-July.

Bridget Nutter joined Bayview as a junior member of the sailing program in 1997. She said Bayview offers a great way to make lifelong connections.

"I grew up in the junior sailing program and I was lucky enough to meet a lot of people who are still some of my closest friends today," says Nutter of Grosse Pointe Park.

"We've always been a club that prioritizes racing over anything else, although the social aspect is a close second. You can walk into the bar almost any time and see someone dressed up for work talking to another member covered in paint, and they're both equally at home because the love of the sport is what brought them in the door."

In addition to beginning sailors, Bayview also is home to champions, as demonstrated by the many shelves stocked with trophies throughout the club. Bayview even supports Olympic sailors. Two Olympic sailing teams — Bora Gulari and Solvig Sayre, and Alex Hume and Matt Graham — are working with the club to compete in the 2016 summer games.

Bratton stresses that while it can be costly to maintain and house a big boat, sailing can be for people in all economic situations.

"People think that it's a rich man's sport. The fact of the matter is that there are people that have money here and lot of what happens requires that financial support — owning a big boat — but people that don't have a lot of money also are very much welcome here and are needed to support sailing," Bratton says.

"All these boats need people to crew, and everybody here is willing to take on somebody and teach them what to do, and not even in the adult sailing program, just one of the regular boats that go out, we'll take them out and teach them how to sail and see if they're interested in it. Eventually, if they think they can become members, they do, but there's no obligation to become a member."

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Bayview Yacht Club

100 Clairpointe, Detroit

(313) 822-1853

Clubhouse summer hours: 3-10 p.m. Mondays; 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturdays; 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Sundays.

Membership: Adults ages 35 and older: $2,500 initiation fee, plus $145 monthly dues. Lower rates available for ages 25-35. Bayview Yacht Club is seeking new members, especially younger ones.

Adult Sailing: This year's remaining seven-week programs runs July 28-Sept. 1 and July 29-Sept. 2; orientation on July 23.

Junior Sailing: The remaining two-week Learn to Sail program will start Monday.

Visit byc.com to download applications.

Prestigious Detroit sailing club gets first female commodore in its hundred-year history

Lynn Kotwicki allowed a little extra time to stop at Mt. Olivet Cemetery on Van Dyke in Detroit the day she drove from Royal Oak to Bayview Yacht Club.

She wanted to share the very special day with her father, a retired truck driver, and it had to be done graveside.

"I knew he would be smiling down," Kotwicki said. "I know he's proud."

On that Dec. 1, she became the first female commodore of the prestigious sailing club,  which was founded in 1915 and overlooks the Detroit River.

While the distinguished Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle is older, founded in 1868, Bayview has earned a reputation  over the past century as a club of hardcore sailboat racers who compete and win nationally and internationally.

Fewer than 10% of its 932 members are women but their numbers have been steadily climbing, according to the club. Its annual budget is an estimated $4 million.

Applications from potential members have spiked since Bayview completed a $5 million clubhouse renovation in the summer.

'Relentless'

At Bayview, athleticism is key. Reading the wind is key.

Kotwicki, 49, has raced all over the world.

She has represented the U.S. in competition. She has raced in the Caribbean. She has raced to Bermuda. She is preparing now to crew for her 25th trip on the historic Bayview Mackinac race from Port Huron to Mackinac Island in July.

"I actually grew up power boating," Kotwicki told the Free Press. "Since I was born, my family had a powerboat in St. Clair Shores. On Friday, dad gets home from work, we head down to the boat and come home on Sunday at dusk."

At 9, her mother passed away. And when friends wanted her father to keep sailboat racing, he didn't plan on leaving his little girls at home in Warren. 

"That boat owner basically kicked off the other adult crew, brought his two kids and my dad brought me and my sister. They called us the kiddie crew. It was a Catalina 38 named 'Relentless,' " Kotwicki said. "A couple times a week, me and my dad and my sister were doing something we loved together."

She stopped talking briefly during the interview to regain composure. She explained that her father died in 2016. He never saw her win election to lead the club. 

"To me, being the first female (commodore) is not why I ran. I felt it was my turn to give back to the sailing community. Bayview has afforded me so many opportunities," she said. "I knew I was qualified, therefore I ran. It wasn't to go break the glass ceiling. But having said that, it's pretty cool. And an honor."

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People from across the sailing community have reached out to applaud her ascent. It reflects that more women are racing and they're respected sailors.

"It's long overdue," said Kotwicki, a business management consultant who lives in Royal Oak. 

'Level of respect'

Sailors at Bayview judge a lot by a person's skill on the water.

And Kotwicki has made a name for herself.

"At our club, you couldn't become a commodore unless you were a sailboat racer and an avid sailor. The fact that Lynn is the first woman sort of goes to the level of respect she engenders from the membership," said Chuck Bayer, a past commodore who served in 2004. "You have a fairly male-dominated sport and a fair amount of, well, old curmudgeons. She broke the glass ceiling at our club."

Bayer, 65, a real estate developer from Grosse Pointe Farms, is preparing to race 635 miles for three to five days from Newport, Rhode Island, to Bermuda in June.

Kotwicki will be the only female racer among his crew of 14 or 15 on "Arctos," an Andrews 70 ultralight, which is sometimes called a sled because of a long, narrow canoe body made to run before the wind.

"She's become quite an accomplished offshore sailor. Of the people in the Great Lakes, probably fewer than 40 in the Detroit area have gone offshore in the ocean for a 600-plus-mile race," he said.

Strength and agility

Bayer, himself a national champion who has competed all over the globe, said sailors have a unique connection because they depend on each other for safety. 

"Some people probably view sailing as a country club-type sport that isn't very physically demanding. But sailing on these kinds of boats requires a huge amount of strength and agility and you rely upon your crewmates, quite literally, for your life," he said. "People die in offshore races. We're strapped in often with harnesses and tethers and we're bolted to the boat so when waves come, we don't wash away."

Few non-sailors understand the level of intensity and danger that sailing involves.

"You have to know what you're doing,"  Bayer said.

Kotwicki has worked to bring women into leadership positions at the club while also expanding sailing programs with Women on Water (WOW) events. 

This year her work will also include planning for the 100th consecutive Bayview Mackinac Race in 2024. The celebrated freshwater competition from Port Huron to Mackinac Island attracts international competitors.

'Keep us on course'

The fact that Kotwicki is female didn't factor into her election at Bayview, said Hans Brieden, 55, a health insurance consultant from Grosse Pointe Farms and 2017 commodore.

The new commodore paid her dues over the years, he said. 

"She's simply qualified. It just matters that you can do the job. It's to take the helm of the boat and just keep us on course," Brieden said.

Tim Prophit , 63, of St. Clair Shores, has known Kotwicki 35 years and raced against her.

"She's an active sailboat racer, organized, professional, enthusiastic," said Prophit, who served as Bayview commodore in 2014. "I don’t think it’s remarkable that she’s a commodore. There are fewer of them because there are fewer women in sailing. She’s the first woman to run for commodore (at Bayview) and got elected on her first try."

He just finished his term as 2021 commodore of the Detroit Regional Yacht-Racing Association, which includes Bayview and two dozen other boat clubs.

"I’m a big believer in meritocracy," Prophit said. "You succeed or fail or become mired in mediocrity based on your skill set and how well you play with others."

Three stars now

Still, being a female commodore may still have its uncomfortable moments.

Cindy Porter, 59, of Royal Oak was 2021 commodore of the Great Lakes Yacht Club on the "Nautical Mile" on Jefferson Avenue in St. Clair Shores, and she attended multiple events where she was told to get in line with wives attending with their commodore husbands.

"More than once, I had to hold up my (jacket) sleeve and point to the stars," Porter told the Free Press.

A commodore wears three gold stars on the sleeve to signal authority.

"I think we want to encourage more women to be involved in club leadership," Porter said. "I brought a business background as a banker. With diversity, you get different decisions and better decisions."

She said she is actually the fifth female commodore to serve at her club, which was founded in 1952 by a group of Jewish sailors barred from membership at other clubs. The Great Lakes Yacht Club elected Eve Kommel to be commodore in 1983 — among the first women in the country. Forty-three years earlier, she had been forced to leave Germany because of Hitler's effort to eliminate Jews, she told The Jewish News in 2002.

Now 91 and living in Grosse Pointe Shores, Kommel hasn't raced sailboats for quite some time. But she remains active and her love of sailors hasn't faded. Her sister Margot Gardner, 86, of Bloomfield Hills said Kommel responded to news of the Bayview commodore by saying simply, "If they elected her, then they think she's fit for the job."

Gardner, also a sailor, said she was surprised. "I just think of Bayview as being a racing club and very masculine."

Kommel rarely discusses her trailblazing history these days, though she has been recognized with loud applause when her name is announced at yacht club events. Now with Kotwicki, a small but mighty sorority of female commodores grows.

More: 9-time champ almost had to miss Mackinac race. Then competitors stepped in

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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard at 313-618-1034 o r [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid .