Paddling for change, from Mackinac Bridge to Lansing

Update: Chris Yahanda and William Wright’s film Troubled Water, about their 36-day, 425-mile standup paddleboard journey from Mackinac Island to Lansing, will premier on Friday, Feb. 15, at the City Opera House in Traverse City. Click here for tickets and information.

From staff reports

Childhood friends William Wright and Chris Yahanda wanted to do their part to protect the Great Lakes and, in particular, to urge Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to shut down the Line 5 oil pipelines under the Straits of Mackinac by terminating the easement of Canadian pipeline company Enbridge.

Environmental groups say the turbulent waters under the Mackinac Bridge, where Lakes Michigan and Huron meet, represent the most dangerous place in the Great Lakes for a catastrophic oil spill. Enbridge has a shoddy track record in Michigan. The company’s Line 6B rupture into the Kalamazoo River in 2010 caused one of the worst inland spills in U.S. history.

Advocates have long pressured Michigan state government to shut down Line 5. Whitmer announced on November 13, 2020, that she would revoke and terminate Enbridge’s pipeline easement, effective May 12, 2021. The pipeline company has fought the order in court.

“We thought, maybe we can tell a story through a paddle journey in the places that we love and show how we can protect them,” said Wright. “The Line 5 issue spurred our desire to take this journey.”

Wright and Yahanda are currently paddling 425 miles over approximately 45 days, from the Straits of Mackinac, down the west coast of Michigan, up the Grand River through Grand Rapids, and ultimately to the State Capitol in Lansing. Their friend Davis Huber, a filmmaker based in Los Angeles, is capturing their journey and plans to make a film about their effort.

On June 9 the paddleboarders left Mackinac Island where the Michigan governor has a guest mansion, and headed for the Bridge, itself. Sometime in late July, they will bookend their trip when they arrive at the governor’s office.

“We go in support of her effort to shut down Line 5,” said Wright.

For Yahanda, paddling under the Mackinac Bridge, where Lakes Michigan and Huron meet, inspired awe and respect for nature.

“I’ve been over the bridge many times, but to see it from underneath, to be so close to the water and really see the magnitude of the convergence of that water, it’s different,” he said. “You can definitely feel the energy of the transfer of water. Even the air feels different. How quickly it could turn on a dime. 

“We couldn’t help but think of how important that place is to protect and how disastrous it would be if millions of gallons of oil were poured into it.”

Paddling southwest toward the Leelanau peninsula, Wright and Yahanda encountered days with headwinds that prevented them from making much distance. But they also experienced calm days that allowed them to paddle for 20 miles or more at a time. On June 17 they paddled 28 miles, from Norwood, just south of Charlevoix, to Leland—their best day yet.

“We learned pretty quickly about the power of the water,” said Wright. “There have been times when we came out of a bay and had the wind direction change on a dime. The weather out there can really impact us on paddleboards since we’re small and catch wind pretty easily. We have learned firsthand the respect we need to have for mother nature.”

On June 20 they paddled down the Leelanau coast, past the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s majestic dunes, and spent the night at Point Betsie in Benzie County.

“We had a perfectly clear day with low wind while seeing the bluff and the sand come straight to the water,” said Wright. “That coastline is so beautiful, from Pyramid Point and down the coast of Sleeping Bear.”

Wright and Yahanda are collaborating with M22, the northern Michigan outdoor apparel brand, Mawby Sparkling Wine—which recently unveiled a “Shut Down Line 5” sparkline wine, and FLOW (For Love of Water), the Great Lakes law and policy center based in Traverse City.

Watch a video interview with Wright and Yahanda, as well as footage from their journey thus far.

“We are stoked to partner with FLOW. From the very beginning of our project, Liz Kirkwood, FLOW’s executive director, has helped us develop a deeper understanding of the water issues plaguing the Great Lakes,” said Wright. 

Learn more about, and support, Wright and Yahanda’s journey by visiting their website, www.TroubledWaterFilm.com or follow them on Instagram.