The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac® presented by Wintrust

Posted Jul 13, 2021

Chicago, Ill. (July 13, 2021) – With 240 entrants, the Chicago Yacht Club’s Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust (CYCRTM) promises once again to be a spectacle worth taking in, as it returns to Lake Michigan and Lake Huron this week. Cruising and Performance Racing Divisions start the race at Chicago’s Navy Pier on Friday (July 16) and Saturday (July 17), respectively, with organizers suggesting the window of 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday as the best public viewing opportunity. In 10-minute intervals, starting at 11 a.m. and ending around 2:40 p.m., seventeen “sections” for ORC, One-Design, Multihull and Doublehanded boats will start their 289 nautical mile journey to Mackinac Island – an annual trek that, over more than 11 decades, has become the stuff of legend in sailboat racing. (Friday’s starts for three sections of cruising boats will run from 3-3:30 p.m.)

“Every year you start in the same place and finish in the same place, and you see familiar things at both ends, but everything along the way is different in the sense that Mother Nature will decide what you experience,” said Race Chair Martin Sandoval.

Sandoval, who has completed 19 Chicago Macs, has entered his Beneteau 36.7 Karma in this year’s race with his brother Lou listed as co-skipper and a team that includes 19-year-old daughter Caroline, a first timer, plus 5 other crewmembers.  ”It’s hard to be involved with all the work that goes into organizing this race and then sit on the sidelines,” said Sandoval, who served as Event Chair last year, as well, when the race ultimately had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clockwise from upper left: Spectators can cheer on their favorite boats from Navy Pier on Saturday at the Parade of Boats; Chicago Mac race boats against the Chicago skyline; Chicago Yacht Club’s Race Committee in 2019; Race Chair Martin Sandoval, who will also compete in the event. (photos provided by Chicago Yacht Club)

Sandoval added that sailors in this race run the gamut from world champions to America’s Cup and Olympic sailors to local racing enthusiasts. There are pros and amateurs alike from across the country and around the planet. “I continue to hear from the sailors that, like me, they are looking forward not only to the race but also to the camaraderie…being with whatever teams they’ve chosen to join.”

For renowned sailor Dawn Riley, team and boat preparation is the key to success in this race, and this week’s training with her crew aboard the 86-foot OC86 – which is representing the Oakcliff Sailing organization she runs in Oyster Bay, N.Y. – has taken precedence over all else, even her taking time to reflect on last week’s announcement that she is to be inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame

“OC86 (a MAX Z86 formerly known as Windquest), is a massive boat that the DeVos family has bestowed upon us, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many of our sailors,” said Riley, explaining that her Oakcliff charges are possible future pro sailors trained in all aspects of big boat management, preparation, operation and racing. “We’re sailing with 22 crew: four coaches including myself, seven supporters and 11 trainees who are in large part the reason why our average crew weight is 162 lbs. compared to the normal 190 lbs. We will be rotating grinders a lot!”

Clockwise from upper left: The Beneteau 37 Endeavour, which will have one of the youngest participants aboard, 13-year-old Charlie Gallagher (photo supplied by Gallagher family); crew of Endeavour including Charlie Gallagher (front middle), father Matt Gallagher (far right) and his mother Emily Gallagher (to right of Charlie) (Photo credit Jeff Pelch); National Sailing Hall of Fame Inductee Dawn Riley (turquoise shirt) aboard the MAX Z86 OC86; young Oakcliff sailors practicing aboard OC86. (Both photos supplied by Oakcliff Sailing)

Riley said she hasn’t kept track of how many Chicago Macs she has done but was 16 when she started. It’s true all ages get involved. This year’s oldest competitor is 93-year-old Gene McCarthy, who will be sailing on the Tartan 10 Island Goat Express, and one of this year’s youngest is 13-year-old Charlie Gallagher who will sail with his father Matt Gallagher and mother Emily Gallagher aboard the family’s Beneteau 37 Endeavour.

“It will be a pleasure to do it again since we didn’t sail it last year,” said the younger Gallagher, who counts this as his third race with his family. “This year I feel like I can be of more use on the boat than in the past, because I’m bigger, stronger and more mentally developed.”

The young Gallagher first sailed when he was two days old, and first sailed on his own when he was four. He recently started a sailing team at DePaul College Prep, which he will attend in the Fall. The team will use the Chicago Yacht Club’s fleet of 420s.

Gallagher’s favorite thing about the race is going past the two Manitou Islands, about 229 miles into the race. “I think, ‘I made it this far, I can do the rest of it.’” His least favorite thing is the encounter with flies when the wind dies.

“It’s a serious offshore race,” said father Matt. “There will be wind, there will be drifting, there will be sun, rain and flies. Relative to an ocean race where weather systems tend to last a little bit longer, when you get to the middle of this continent you get everything in rapid succession, which is part of what’s fun and not fun about the race. You get everything Mother Nature has to throw at you over the course of two or three days.”

For more information, www.cycracetomackinac.com or contact regattamanager@cycracetomackinac.com.
Follow us on Social Media:  @racetomackinac   @CYCRTM

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About the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac®: "America’s Offshore Challenge™"

The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac® presented by Wintrust is one of the world’s largest annual offshore races, drawing top-notch sailing talent from around America and the world.  Known as ‘The Mac’ to everyone in the region, the ultimate test of Great Lakes navigation starts each July just off Chicago’s Navy Pier. Passing through some of the most beautiful coastal waters in the world on the 333-statute mile (289nm) race route, the fleet faces the storms, reefs, calms and competition that truly make it "America’s Offshore Challenge™."

From Friday’s Cruising and Saturday’s Racing starting cannons to the finish line just on the other side of the iconic Mackinac Bridge, fans can follow every racer via the live Race Tracker, while keeping tabs on their favorites on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Learn more at www.cycracetomackinac.com.

About Chicago Yacht Club:

Founded in 1875, the Chicago Yacht Club is one of the oldest and most respected yacht clubs in the world. Its mission is to encourage, promote, and develop knowledge, participation, and enjoyment of all aspects of yachting. To that end, the Club hosts many world class competitions and Predicted-Log events, including its signature Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac and numerous North American and World Championships. The Club is also recognized as a leader in sailing education, with one of the largest junior sailing programs in the United States. The Club is home to nearly 1500 members, including winning America’s Cup skippers, Olympic medalists and hopefuls, and outstanding boaters of all types, from ages 4 to 104. The Club offers an array of spectacular off-the-water amenities, including fine dining, full-service catering and year-round activities for its diverse membership at two locations on the city’s shoreline, at Monroe and Belmont Harbors. Learn more at www.chicagoyachtclub.org.

About Wintrust:

Wintrust is a financial holding company with assets of over $32 billion whose common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. Built on the "HAVE IT ALL" model, Wintrust offers sophisticated technology and resources of a large bank while focusing on providing service-based community banking to each and every customer. Wintrust operates fifteen community bank subsidiaries, with over 170 banking locations located in the greater Chicago and southern Wisconsin market areas. Additionally, Wintrust operates various non-bank business units including business units which provide commercial and life insurance premium financing in the United States, a premium finance company operating in Canada, a company providing short-term accounts receivable financing and value-added out-sourced administrative services to the temporary staffing services industry, a business unit engaging primarily in the origination and purchase of residential mortgages for sale into the secondary market throughout the United States, and companies providing wealth management services and qualified intermediary services for tax-deferred exchanges. Learn more at www.wintrust.com.

About BMW:

The Chicagoland BMW Centers are excited to be joining The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac as the exclusive automotive sponsor. Throughout the week, BMW will partner with the Chicago Yacht Club to offer an intimate look at what makes BMW the Ultimate Driving Machine – featuring a spectacular line-up of vehicles and entertainment such as a one-of-a-kind watercolor portrait artist.

“Your local BMW Centers are honored to be a part of unforgettable moments, such as this prestigious sailing event, that is a huge step forward in bringing back some of our favorite Chicagoland activities!” said Kirk Cordill, Chicagoland BMW Center Chairman.

For more information on the partnership between your local Chicagoland BMW Center and The Race to Mackinac, contact your local BMW Center by visiting here: www.chicagolandbmw.com

About OMEGA:

Founded in 1848, OMEGA is a watch brand synonymous with excellence, innovation, and precision. For almost 200 years, the company has been defined by its pioneering spirit, demonstrated by revolutionary watchmaking as well as conquests of the oceans and space. Most famously - the OMEGA Speedmaster has been a part of every piloted NASA mission since 1965, including all six moon landings.

As well as this, no brand is more actively involved in sports timekeeping. In addition to partnerships in golf, sailing, athletics and swimming, OMEGA has served as Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games 29 times since 1932, including its most recent duties at Tokyo 2020.

In watchmaking, OMEGA offers four iconic collections: Speedmaster, Seamaster, Constellation and De Ville. Each linked by a tradition of excellence. This legacy was highlighted in 1999 with the launch of the revolutionary Co-Axial escapement and, in 2015, with the world’s first Master Chronometer. Approved by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS), today’s Master Chronometer certification represents the Swiss industry’s highest standard of precision, magnetic resistance, and chronometric performance.

OMEGA is also committed to its social causes, including a partnership with Orbis International, whose Flying Eye Hospital takes high-quality eye care to some of the world's most remote regions.

Perhaps the most famous name to choose OMEGA is James Bond. Since 1995, the spy and his Seamaster have been inseparable, and the partnership is one of OMEGA’s most recognised around the world.

The brand’s real-life roster of ambassadors includes screen stars George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, Liu Shishi, Eddie Redmayne, Zhou Dongyu and Daniel Craig.

Models Cindy Crawford, Kaia Gerber and Alessandra Ambrosio. Sports stars Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Collin Morikawa, Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos and Michelle Wie and space legends Buzz Aldrin, Charlie Duke and Thomas Stafford.