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 raft off 2005       August 13th 2005


Lots of Boats


View from Above
We took part in the Guinness World Record Attempt at having the most boats rafted in a continuous line. This was a blast, and just a few miles across the lake from our slip.

We made the trip with our marina neighbors; Greg and Cathy in their SeaRay 340, and Bob and a couple of friends in his SeaRay 340.

The location was in Muscamoot Bay and we hadn't been there often and followed them in as it is very shallow and a little tricky getting to the bay (see charts).

Once there, the three of us rafted together in about 3 feet of water. The two lines of boats set up stern to stern and stretched for miles it seemed, connected in a 'U' at the very beginning. The lines formed what they call the 'gauntlet'.

The event was  like Mardi Gras in water.

click images to enlarge

      Charts of the  Area

 

Aerial photos courtesy of Great Lakes Aerial Photos 



   



 

Local News Story:

Lake St. Clair Boaters Cruise Toward World Record

More Than 1,600 Boats Tie Together, According To Organizers

 

August 15, 2005

Boaters lined up their vessels in Lake St. Clair this weekend in an effort to set a world record for the most boats rafted together at one time on a fresh water lake.

More than 1,600 boats came together in Muscamoot Bay on Saturday for the second annual Lake St. Clair Raft, event co-organizer Brian Elliott told the Times Herald of Port Huron. The crowd started early with hundreds of boats already gathered before noon at the bay, which is known as a gathering spot for boats every weekend during the summer.

With a makeshift midway between the two rows of boats on a sandbar, the crowd attempted to walk through the 3- to 4-feet-deep water from end to end, a feat some said would have taken hours.

Authorities patrolled the area to ensure there were no problems, while a vendor patrolled the waters on a pontoon boat to sell hot dogs and chips to the crowd. Airplanes flew overhead to snap aerial photographs of the scene.

T-shirts commemorating the event were also sold to raise money for the Special Olympics and repairs of the South Channel Lights.

Volunteers now have to verify that all the boats that participated were registered for the event and that there was no break in the formation. Last year's record-setting attempt failed because the line was broken.

The Lake Norman Raft-Up in North Carolina holds the current record. That event linked 1,453 boats in July 2004.