Aspiring sailors, successful racing boat leaving Holland today
July 4, 2008
By Jeremy Gonsior, The Holland Sentinel
Park Township, MI - Ian Fraser encountered plenty of pressure Friday morning as he scaled the vessel's 81-foot-tall mast.
Visitors at Eldean Shipyard in Park Township slowly gathered to observe the 21-year-old Rhode Island resident strain and stretch his body far above the boat's deck.
Meanwhile a local film crew had the camera's rolling from a 35-foot platform, trying to capture the perfect shot of his aerial acrobatics.
Racing History of the Denali
The boat, which was recently donated to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, has won a number of races in the past few years.
In 2007, the Detroit-native crew won first in its class for the Transpacific Yacht Race from California to Hawaii.
Other first-in-its class finishes included the Chicago to Mackinac race in 2005 and the Port Huron to Mackinac race in 2004.
On top of that, two of his fellow sailors were attempting to instruct him on his task and determine his progress.
"Louder!" they said when they couldn't hear his reply.
Fraser eventually completed the challenge, sliding down a line and landing back aboard the "Denali," a 68-foot-long boat that was donated to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
He and his colleagues - Phil Scott, 19, of Massachusetts, and Chris Morrow, 20, of Oregon - will likely have much more difficult tasks in the coming weeks.
The men will be some of the youngest competitors in the Port Huron to Mackinac race and the Chicago to Mackinac race this month, events that attract sailors from all over the world.
The students at MMA in Cape Cod were handpicked by the school to join a team of seasoned and successful sailors from Detroit who have raced on the Denali before.
"I feel privileged," Scott said.
For the past couple weeks, the students and the boat have been docked at Eldean Shipyard. They have been cleaning the boat and doing other preparations.
Morrow said during that time they met a few friendly locals and have been impressed with Holland's landscape.
"It's a really beautiful area," he said.
The student's story was recorded Friday by a three-man crew from Holland-based Grooters Productions.
They conducted interviews on the boat and also got footage from various elevations and viewpoints.
The company plans to use the video in a segment about the Chicago to Mackinac race for a documentary its producing on American sailors. They likened it to a sailing version of "Deadliest Catch," a Discovery Channel series that highlights the life of Alaskan crab fisherman.
Employees said they are going to pitch the series to some major TV networks and see what happens.
Morrow said the "Denali" will leave Holland today, July 5, to begin its two-day trip to Port Huron. The crew will get the ship ready until the race on July 12.