The sailing boat Moxie, led by Laura McCranner, Tanya Bleeker, and Bree Reckenagel, successfully completed the Chicago to Mackinac Island race in July as the fifth all-female crew in its more than century-long history.
Moxie’s nine-woman crew faced numerous challenges during the 115th edition of the race, which spans 300 nautical miles across Lake Michigan. The crew worked in three shifts to navigate the course, with five crew members participating in their first Mac race.
The team encountered difficult weather conditions, responded to a man-overboard alert, and even sent two crew members up the mast during a lightning storm.
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Laura McCranner and her daughter, Molly, on the Moxie during the race.
Despite the hurdles, the Moxie crew successfully finished the race. Laura McCranner, whose family owns the boat, sees the participation of the all-female team as a significant step toward promoting inclusivity in women’s sports.
“We hope to have made a positive impact on inclusivity in women’s sports and continue to encourage and uplift the next generation of sailors,” says Laura, whose daughter, Molly was a part of the crew and served as a sail trimmer and backup foredeck.
When the Moxie crew docked at Mackinac Island, they were greeted by a crowd of supportive friends and family, marking the end of an unforgettable journey and a significant moment in the race’s history.
In their own words, crew members share the highlights of the voyage:
Fran Bruischart, sail trimmer
It's hard to pick just one moment. Every bit of it was great … even sailing through Saturday night's storm. Leaving the city Saturday morning and seeing the Chicago skyline disappear behind us knowing I was on a journey of my life with an amazing crew of women put a smile on my face. I had no doubt we would sail under the bridge and to the finish line. The crowd support at the end as pulled into the slip was another great feeling.
Tanya Bleeker
Although everything was such an amazing experience, including storms, starting, and finishing, I’d have to agree with Molly that the very last part of the race was very emotional for me and I’m sure for others. The light wind required such alignment with everyone to complete our passage through Gray’s Reef. Once we were through, we could finally focus on finishing. In addition, Fran was able to get the engine started at the last moment, which would have disqualified us if we crossed without it. That last day was epic.
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Mollie McCranner working on the Moxie during the race.
Molly McCranner, sail trimmer and backup foredeck
Truly, it was all amazing. If I had to pick one of my favorites, it would be the last day of the sail. We had extremely light wind, and if the whole crew didn't sail in total alignment, we would've had dead wind about one hour behind us and we wouldn't have been able to make the finish. … It felt euphoric how in alignment we all were to get under the bridge. I didn't want that moment to end … even though I really wanted to get to the party on the island!
I didn't realize it until the last day, when the finish line was in sight, but Tanya shared that she had dozens of people come to her and dissuade her from doing the race. She was told by others that it would be too dangerous, that we didn't have enough muscle, that we didn't have enough experience, and that the boat wasn't in shape to sail in a race of this caliber. I live in somewhat of an "oblivion is bliss" mindset, but supposedly there were many crew members that had people come to them with doubts and discouragement for an all-female crew to race with our 1981 sailboat. And we did it! Many things that could go wrong went wrong, and all of the things that we could control, we controlled with moxie (determination, courage, and vigor) and had a stellar race and finish.
Laura McCanner
Change is hard for me. My husband, Bryan, and I spent almost every evening for five months preparing the boat and crew for the Mac race. It seems like a lot because there is a lot. I had very little balance in my life, I also have no regrets. After all the preparation, the pre-race pace and everything leading up to and including the race, I knew my mindset would have to shift after leaving the island. Once we got through the Straits, under the bridge and across the finish line, I knew there would be a crowd of people at the dock (I tear up just thinking about it). I knew that because when the dock master told us we'd be in slip B30, he said, "If you have trouble finding it, just look for the crowd.”
After we crossed the line, our leadership team – Recknegel, Bleeker and I – decided to hold Moxie back for a bit in the bay for two reasons. One, we had every sail on deck which needed to be put away and, two, we just needed a moment. Some time to breathe and celebrate each other. We had been through a lot together. My daughter said it perfectly: "I don't want it to end," and the truth is once we hit the dock – "the crowded dock" – everything would change. We hope to do this again and it will still be bonding, but a different sort of bonding; challenges, but different challenging experiences. Still fabulous, also different.
Angela Schaddelee
Echoing what others have shared, my favorite part of the race was how quickly we became a team and how quickly Moxie felt like home. That first night in the dark and storms was truly beautiful, being surrounded by all the twinkling lights of the other boats and knowing we were among the souls making this venture north. The laughter and respect we shared, the ways we looked out for each other was so deep, as well as the support from friends and family. Our team being a gathering and magnifying point for women in sailing was also so empowering – when we took a group photo on the island, the energy was palpable!
Maria Alfonso
I have done a handful of Mackinac races and have even been on the podium with a well-oiled "program." Two distinct things resonate with me from this race. First, the crew was proactive, not reactive. Before we did a sail change or a reef, our leaders would say, "does everyone know their position? Everyone ready?" rather than having one person say an order and everyone jump and then if something went wrong, there was a lot of yelling. That never happened on Moxie, even if something did go wrong (yes, we were not perfect). Secondly, despite all the doubts my husband and many others had previously stated, I never once felt unsafe. I was bummed we didn't have a bigger sail up in the storm, but I was thankful for the leadership on our boat making the decisions to reef the main and put up the storm jib. I love a good storm, and I think it tests every single sailor every single time. There are no pictures of me going up the mast when the spin got stuck before the storm, but that was one of my favorite moments as a bow-person.