Strong winds and choppy waves wreaked havoc on the 109th annual Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac this weekend.
One boat capsized during the prestigious 333-mile event, but more than 75 yachts were forced to retire from the race due to extreme conditions.
Alex Gezon, who has participated in this race before, said winds gusts were so high that their instruments maxed out.
"It was pretty scary," Gezon said. "I have experienced seas like that, but never a storm like that. So it was definitely an exhilarating and scary experience."
The boat Gezon competed on even tore its main sail, which forced them to drop out and find shelter within Ludington's harbor.
"The seas were very rough even the next day, which just goes to show it was a really powerful storm," he said.