Our friend John, invited us to join him aboard his Ericson 38, Royal Wave, in the Joey Shepro Double Handed Memorial Race held on August 15th. The Menominee/Marinette Yacht Club, (MMYC) holds this race each year to raise money for Make a Wish in memory of the young sailor it is named after. John knew we would be disqualified for having more than two people on board but asked us along anyway so we could enjoy being part of the experience.
At the start, just off the Menominee breakwater, we danced amongst the 24 boats vying for the title. All boats are assigned a handicap, based on size and speed. The higher your handicap number, the earlier you cross the starting line. John's boat has a handicap of 135 which put him in a category of fast boats that would be the last to start the race. Mystic has a handicap of more like 210, so we would have started long before Royal Wave.
Lining up with all the other boats, but staying out of the way as each wave started, John positioned us perfectly to cross the starting line within seconds of the gun going off. The 14 mile course runs around Green Island either clockwise or counter clockwise, captains choice, depending on strategy. John chose clockwise which turned out to be the fastest under the weather conditions of the day. We passed a lot of boats on our way out to the first marker before turning southeast toward Green Island. We made the turn alongside an Islander 30 called ICUP. John had to give way, making a wide turn in order to avoid crossing in the path of the Islander. Once we were able to make that first marker, we picked up speed and headed toward the red on the east side of Green Island, passing more boats along the way. When we slipped around the west marker and turned north again, the wind moved to our stern. Several following boats were running wing to wing, gaining on us, but we held our ground. We were elated to finish 7th overall. It didn't really matter that we were disqualified and couldn't claim our place in the standings.
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| John and Dave, lining up for the start |
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| Abraham ready at the starting line |
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| Royal Wave Pennants |
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| Ready to start |
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| Crowded field |
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| Moxie jockeying for position |
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| Moxie passing close to say hello |
We had a great time at the after party and awards ceremony. All the food and drinks were donated by local establishments. Many of the prizes and auction items were donated by locals and marina slip holders. I'm not sure how much was raised for Make a Wish this year but $47,000 was raised in 2025. The town of Menominee and the boaters at the marina and yacht club make this event successful! Now that we know what to expect, we may just enter Mystic in this race in 2027.
Joey Shepro was a talented young sailor who raced with the MMYC. His natural sailing ability made him a favorite on the circuit. At only 17, he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Club members helped him refurbish his boat, Flash. In addition, they joined in helping him have the best possible 1994 sailing season. The Make a Wish organization also assisted Joey during his illness. Although Joey never gave up during his health challenges, he succumbed to his illness in June of 1995.
MMYC had been holding a double handed race since the 1980's called The S&S Double Handed. This gentleman's race had rules that included collision avoidance, local handicapping, and good faith among the participants. It was open to everyone and it was Joey's favorite race. After his death, it was renamed The Joey Shepro Double Handed Race in his memory. We were honored to be a part of this event.
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