For the first time, JAGM participated in the Vintage Car and Boat Festival at the Bay Harbor Resort from June 23 thru 26, 2022.
We fielded a total of 18 Jaguars, one Corvette, and a 1940 Chris-Craft 22’ Sportsman Sedan. With invited guests, there were 41 of us participating in the weekend events.
On Thursday, we gathered at our host hotel, the Apple Tree Inn, for a cocktail party on the deck overlooking Lake Michigan. The weather was superb and the employees of the hotel were very accommodating to our large group.
Friday morning brought another day of cloudless skies and bright sunshine. We gathered at the Bay Harbor Resort and then caravanned to a beautiful private classic car collection in Harbor Springs. Refreshments were served and the collection included many unique cars and motorcycles. From there, we drove through the tunnel of trees along M-119 to Good Hart and had a catered lunch at the Crow’s Nest restaurant. The sauteed fresh lake perch and all the trimmings were enjoyed by all.
After lunch, a few of us took the return drive to Harbor Springs “at speed.” On Friday evening, we were invited to a cocktail party at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club that included perhaps the best view of Little Traverse Bay I have ever experienced. We then caravanned back over to Bay Harbor for dinner at The Vernales Restaurant, which lived up to its advertisement as the No.1 Steakhouse in Michigan.
Saturday was another picture-perfect day and we made the most of it. We took the field by 9:00 AM, joining about 75 other classic cars and about 25 antique wooden boats. But there was no doubt which marque was the best represented on the field, Jaguar by a wide margin, from a 1956 XK 140 to a couple of 2017 F-Types, and everything in between!
After three beautiful days in the sun in northern Michigan, we concluded our festivities on Saturday evening with a lovely dinner at the Douglas Lake Bar & Grill. There were 16 of us present and a good time was had by all. I suspect JAGM will be returning to Bay Harbor in the future when the rest of our club members find out what a wonderful time we had that weekend.
Gary Cunningham
