105-foot sailing yacht Whitehawk stops in Ludington during Lake Michigan gale

This MCP Boat Blog is presented by the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, www.masoncountymihistory.org.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

LUDINGTON — One of the largest and most distinctive sailing yachts on the Great Lakes was docked at Harbor View Marina Tuesday as gale-force winds and large waves moved across Lake Michigan.

The 105-foot ketch Whitehawk, recognizable by its towering wooden masts, clipper bow and traditional lines, was moored along the west side of the marina. Its Ludington stop coincided with a strong Lake Michigan storm that prompted gale warnings across much of the lake and caused Lake Michigan Carferry to cancel Tuesday’s scheduled crossings of the SS Badger.

The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids had issued a Gale Warning for the Lake Michigan shoreline from Holland to Manistee. The warning called for south winds of 15 to 25 knots with gusts up to 35 knots and waves of 6 to 9 feet. Farther offshore, conditions were forecast to be even rougher. The National Weather Service’s open-lake forecast called for southerly winds of 20 to 30 knots with gusts reaching 40 knots and waves of 8 to 13 feet across the southern two-thirds of Lake Michigan.

It was not immediately known whether Whitehawk came into Ludington specifically to seek shelter from the storm. However, its stay at Harbor View Marina coincided with the gale and hazardous conditions on the lake.

Whitehawk was built in 1978 at Lee’s Boat Shop in Rockland, Maine. Designed by noted yacht designer Bruce King, the vessel measures 105 feet overall, with a beam of 20 feet, 6 inches. Its waterline length is about 78 feet and its normal draft is approximately 7 feet, 5 inches.

Although the yacht’s appearance suggests a vessel from an earlier era, the traditional styling was intentional. Whitehawk was patterned after Ticonderoga, the famous L. Francis Herreshoff-designed racing ketch built in the 1930s. Its clipper bow, long overhangs and extensive varnished woodwork give the yacht a classic appearance, while its construction incorporated relatively modern technology for the late 1970s.

Whitehawk was constructed using cold-molded wood and epoxy. At the time of its construction, it was among the largest yachts built using the WEST System wood-epoxy process, which bonded multiple layers of wood together to create a strong but comparatively lightweight hull.

The yacht’s home port is listed as Newport, R.I., which is also displayed on its stern. In 2019, yachtsman Peter Thornton purchased Whitehawk and brought it from the East Coast to the Great Lakes to compete in the Chicago and Bayview Mackinac races. Because of the yacht’s large sailing rig, its masts had to be removed during part of the trip through the Erie Canal.

Whitehawk has since become one of the most recognizable competitors in Great Lakes sailing.

In July, Whitehawk competed in the 117th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. The yacht was the first boat to reach Mackinac Island, completing the 333-mile course in one day, 23 hours and 11 minutes. It marked Whitehawk’s fifth consecutive year taking line honors in the race.

Despite its racing capabilities, Whitehawk was also designed as a cruising yacht and remains an operational sailing vessel nearly five decades after its construction.

Whitehawk was not the only unusual vessel in Ludington during the storm. The U.S. Geological Survey research vessel Arcticus was also in port after arriving in Ludington Monday evening ahead of the deteriorating Lake Michigan conditions.

The two vessels could be seen from Harbor View Marina Tuesday, with Arcticus docked across the harbor from Whitehawk.

Whitehawk’s mainmast towered above the marina and surrounding buildings, while the yacht’s varnished woodwork, sweeping stern and extensive standing and running rigging reflected its combination of traditional yacht design and modern sailing performance.

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