Sudbury skipper sets his sails for Macman Challenge

“It’s like you’re flying, at sea level,” said Dennis Centis about being a sailor. “There’s something about being on the water and feeling the wind and getting the boat moving without an engine.

“It’s a great feeling just being on the water and moving for free.”

Centis has been sailing since he was in high school. Four decades later, he still hasn’t tired of what he says is the biggest thrill: “when the engine turns off and the boat is just sliding through the water.”

It’s a passion he has shared with his wife, Marianne, and one he has passed down to his two grown children. In fact, they’ve been sailing together as a family for the past 10 years.

On July 23, Centis, his wife, and a crew of four other sailors from Sudbury, Espanola and Little Current, will join the ranks of some of the Great Lakes’ best sailors, as they embark on a two-day journey across the waters between Mackinac and Manitoulin Islands, in the sixth annual Macman Challenge.

Centis, co-owner of Centis Tile and Terrazzo on Kelly Lake Road in Sudbury, is a member of the Little Current Yacht Club and participates in yacht and sailboat races on a regular basis. However, he said the Macman Challenge is unique and definitely lives up to its name.

It is a two-day sailboat race, which begins in the waters surrounding Mackinac Island. Racers leave the start line at 1 p.m. for the first leg of their journey to Gore Bay.

“The exciting thing about the race is that the first leg is an overnight leg,” Centis said. “We don’t arrive in Gore Bay until the next morning — the earliest we’ve arrived is 7 a.m.”

Centis and his crew sail aboard a 33.5 foot vessel named Azzurro, which means blue in Italian. The Canadian-made Mirage 33 weighs about 10,400 pounds and has a mast height of 46 feet. Despite the size of the boat, the 110 nautical miles to Gore Bay aren’t exactly what you would call smooth sailing, Centis explained.
“For the first seven to eight hours, we’re in a very exposed part of northern Lake Huron. There’s a lot of open space for the wind to pick up waves and make it rather exciting. It’s comparable to an open ocean race because it’s very big water and you can get some pretty exciting wave and wind action.”

The next portion of the race is more of a navigator’s race, the Sudbury skipper said, as the course turns back into the North Channel.

“You’re navigating through several channels and you’re trying to get to Gore Bay at night, which adds a bit of excitement to it.”

Once in Gore Bay, the racers step ashore to rest up for the second leg of their journey. At 9 a.m. the following morning, the crews step back aboard their vessels and point their bows to Little Current — roughly 25-30 nautical miles away.

A winner is declared for each leg of the race, as well as an overall winner with the fastest cumulative time based on the boat’s category and handicap.

“The handicaps bring everything back into line. You’re racing against other boats but you’re also racing against your own boat’s abilities.”

Centis and his crew have been with the race since it began. Though they have yet to win the overall title, the crew has won individual legs of the journey on four separate occasions.

“Just finishing is a big deal because it’s a long race,” he said. “Every year we’ve done better — last year we placed fourth overall. Our goal this year is to win.”

Centis attributed the team’s success to the fact that the Azzurro crew has been the same since the start.
“It’s truly the all-for-one and one-for-all concept in sailboating. When the boat's moving, it’s like you’re all one organism in the water.”

For more information about the Macman Challenge, visit http://www.lcyc.ca/macman/macman.html.