2022 St Clair River Classic,

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Wednesday, July 27, 2022
6pm M-29 road closure in place; Race Village set up

Thursday, July 28, 2022
ALL DAY Arrival of Race Boats; Race Village - N. Riverside Rd, St Clair, MI
11am-6pm Coast Guard Permit in effect - SPECIAL RULES APPLY
7pm-8pm Patrol Fleet Safety Briefing - St Clair City Hall

Friday, July 29, 2022

ALL DAY Arrival of Race Boats; Race Village - N. Riverside Rd, St Clair, MI
12pm-4pm Registration - St Clair Chamber of Commerce
1pm-5pm Race Boat Inspections & Walk-Throughs - Race Village
5pm-11pm LIVE Entertainment – Riverview Plaza Courtyard Area

Saturday, July 30, 2022

10am-12am Race Village open to the Public
8:30am Course Buoys Set
TBA Swim/Dunker Testing
10am Racer Meeting - St Clair Fire Station (216 Cass St, St Clair, MI)
11am-2pm Registration - St Clair Chamber of Commerce
11am-4pm GPS Registration - St Clair Chamber of Commerce
9:30am-4pm Boat Ramp & Crane Operational
11am-5pm GPS Registration - GPS Trailer in Race Village
11am-5pm Race Boat Inspections - Race Village
11am-6pm Coast Guard Permit in effect
11:30-4pm Race Control Operational
12pm-3:30pm Race Boat Testing
12pm-11pm LIVE Entertainment – Riverview Plaza Courtyard Area

Sunday, July 31, 2022
10am Race Village Open
8:30am Set Course Buoys
8am RACER PHYSICALS - St Clair Fire Station
9amRACERS MEETING - St Clair Fire Station
9:30amMedical/Dive briefing - St Clair Fire Station
9:30am-6pmBoat Ramp & Crane Operational
10amRace Control Operational
10:30amPATCOM Law Enforcement Briefing (Mouth of Pine River)
10:30amCourse Support Fleet on station
11am-7pmCoast Guard Permit in effect
11:15amOpening Ceremony; Flag Float Down (tentative)
11:30amClash of the Titans
12pm-5pmRACINGRace Starts TBD on-site
6pmLIVE Music at the St Clair Riverview Plaza
7pmAwards Ceremony - St Clair Riverview Plaza
8pmAfter Party at the St Clair Riverview Plaza
*Schedule Subject to Change

A perfect start to Class 5

 

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Course and Key Locations Map

 

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Everything you need to know about the 2022 St. Clair River Classic

Downtown St. Clair will look a little different this weekend. Think a music festival or a NASCAR race.

Okay, so maybe a lot different.

The 2022 St. Clair River Classic runs Friday to Sunday. More than 50 powerboat teams from across the country are expected to participate in the event.

It's produced by the Blue Water Offshore Racing Association, a local nonprofit organization. The race, now in its 28th year, is sanctioned by OPA Racing.

"Our race is the fourth stop in an eight-site offshore championship series that runs across the country," said BWORA secretary and treasurer Bob Currier, who is also the race coordinator. "We are the only race site currently where the race takes place in two countries simultaneously."

The St. Clair River Classic features four races, all scheduled for Sunday. But those are just the culmination of what'll be a busy few days in St. Clair.

Beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Riverside Avenue will close from Brown Street to Clinton Avenue. The stretch in between Riverside Plaza and Palmer Park will become Race Village — an area where spectators can get a closer look at each vessel.

"Folks can walk right up to the boats," Currier said. "They can talk to the teams, get autographs and get pictures. Most all of the teams are extremely excited to share information about their boat and their experience."

Food vendors will be stationed inside Race Village, which opens at 9 a.m. Friday. Admission is free.

The BWORA partnered with the St. Clair Chamber of Commerce to ensure the weekly concert series in Riverside Plaza will continue as planned. Live music is slated for all three nights.

"It's an open event," St. Clair Police Chief Tim Raker said. "The city allows alcohol anywhere in the (downtown) area. People can bring a picnic lunch. There is limited seating because corporations rent space along the river. So there will be fenced off tents for those corporations. Everybody else just finds a seat in between them."

"It's grandstand viewing from Palmer Park," Currier said. "You can see the entire race course from the park."

Teams will test their boats in the water from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday's festivities begin at 11:15 a.m. with the singing of the American and Canadian national anthems. The first race is tentatively scheduled for noon, with the next three starting at 1:30, 3 and 4:30 p.m., respectively.

"Because we are sharing the river with commercial traffic, those times are tentative," Currier said. "We cannot race while there is a commercial vessel within one half-mile of the race course."

Access to the river will be closed to private watercraft on Sunday. For those driving into St. Clair from I-94, there is construction causing stoppages on Fred W. Moore Highway at Carney Drive. Parking will also be limited.

"There will be a lot of people here," Raker said. "So park where it's legal. That makes it easier on us."

In addition to law enforcement and race officials, roughly 250 volunteers will be on hand to assist throughout the weekend.

"The city and all of the departments are tremendous supporters and very cooperative in making sure this event comes off smoothly," Currier said. "There are many local businesses in the community that are helping underwrite the cost of the event. We can't do this without them."

For the second year in a row, Magna is the presenting sponsor. The Canadian parts manufacturer opened a new plant in St. Clair earlier this year.

"We were very happy to have them come back," Currier said. "They indicated very early on that they wanted to continue. We're hoping that it can be a longstanding partnership with them as well."

More information about the River Classic, including the latest updates, can be found on the BWORA Facebook page.

"It's a family-oriented venue," Currier said. "We want everybody to come down and we want them to enjoy it."

https://news.yahoo.com/everything-know-2022-st-clair-132518586.html

 

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Powerboats to race in St. Clair River this weekend

Over 50 powerboat teams from across the United States are expected to participate in the St. Clair River Classic this weekend.

The 28th annual event is being held from Friday to Sunday and features four, sanctioned, offshore powerboat races on the last day.

United States Coast Guard Sector Detroit Petty Officer Andrew Escobedo said boat traffic will be impacted.

“All U.S. waters of the St. Clair River, bounded by latitude 42 degrees 50 to the North, and latitude 42 degrees 48 to the South, the shoreline of the St. Clair River on the West and the international boundary line on the East, will all be restricted to recreational vessel traffic from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. local,” said Escobedo.

The American event usually attracts a large crowd on the Canadian side of the river, with people lining the shore of the almost six and a half kilometre long course from Mooretown to south of Courtright.

Escobedo said temporary raised buoys will be in place.

“No recreational vessel may enter, transit through, or anchor within the regulated area without the permission of the coast guard patrol commander from station Port Huron. Once you start seeing coast guard boats out there starting to put stuff out, I’d say that it’s probably best to move out of those areas.”

Teams will test their boats in the river from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The first race is tentatively scheduled for noon Sunday, with the next three starting at 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

https://blackburnnews.com/sarnia/sarnia-news/2022/07/29/powerboats-race-st-clair-river-weekend/

 

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[MOBILEMERCMAN]

Steele sure looks like it flys nice. I hope the do well.

 

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