News: Press Releases

CHICAGO and MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich., July 25, 2023 – Another successful Race to Mackinac is in the books, with today’s award ceremony taking place on the great lawn of Mission Point Resort. The race known as ‘America’s Offshore Challenge,’ delivered a spectacular race yet again with its mix of squalls, calms and most of all, new memories for the 240 teams competing.

For the Mackinac Cup, awarded this year to the large racing boats overall winner, first-timer Final Final won Section 2 and the Cup. Owner Jon Desmond of Cohasset, Mass., admitted they had more than a few moments of angst when early on in the race they made a tactical decision to split from the fleet. 

“We had this moment where it was like, ‘you realize we have just separated from the teams that have how many Macs under their belt’?” he said. The decision paid off, and the East-coast based Mills 41 is already planning its return to defend the victory. 

CHICAGO and MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich., July 24, 2023 – The dreaded “light and variable” wind forecast has descended upon the boats still racing in the 114th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust, stalling the fleet in northern Lake Michigan. 

As of 3 pm EDT, there are 155 of 240 boats still on the race course, reporting boat speeds of 0.00 to five knots according to the YB Tracker. Just two of the 103 boats in the Chicago-Mackinac Trophy section (boats under 40 feet) have been able to finish, and with a bleak forecast for the afternoon, this year’s edition is quickly turning into a test of patience, and potential food and water rationing. 

CHICAGO and MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich., July 23, 2023 – Racing into the Mackinac Straits, the majestic 104-foot ketch Whitehawk had every sail raised and every trick out of the bag to overtake Eagle One, the sleek 65-foot cruising boat that had led the entire fleet since the start. Trailing Eagle One for 288 nautical miles, it took until the final mile for Peter Thornton’s Whitehawk to overtake and clinch line honors of the 114th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust.

Eagle One, owned by Tim Lariviere of Grosse Pointe, Mich. and his crew of predominantly Bayview Yacht Club past commodores, credited Thornton for a well-sailed race and earned victory. This is Thornton’s second consecutive line honors with Whitehawk.

This year's Mac Race is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in years. Read on to find out why. 

CHICAGO, March 1, 2022 – Despite the ice blanketing Lake Michigan’s shoreline, sailors eye a sure sign of summer ahead: the 2022 Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac® (CYCRTM) presented by Wintrust registration is now open.

Already, more than 150 boats have registered for the 113th edition of this premier event that begins July 23 (July 22 for cruising division). The race, known as America’s Offshore Challenge™ begins in front of Chicago’s magnificent skyline and finishes 289 nautical miles north on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, at Michigan’s iconic Mackinac Island.

Chicago Yacht Club has appointed Sam Veilleux to be the chairman of the 113th and 114th Races to Mackinac taking place in 2022 and 2023. The announcement was made at the Race to Mackinac Awards Banquet held on November 6th at Monroe Station. More than 300 competitors, members of the sailing community and honored guests were in attendance. 

Chicago, Ill. (July 21, 2021) – The Chicago Yacht Club’s 112th Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust was a slow race along its 289.4 nautical mile course from Chicago to Mackinac Island, with primarily upwind wind angles that saw the breeze going from decent at the starts to completely dead at some points near the Manitou Islands, offering windless holes that stranded some of the fleet’s 231 boats longer than others.

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.)

As part of an ongoing partnership with the Chicago Yacht Club, Wintrust returns as presenting sponsor of the globally-recognized offshore race, the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac®.

The 112th edition of the Race known as America’s Offshore Challenge™ brings together 240 boats and 2,100 sailors from around the world to compete in the 333-mile course up Lake Michigan. This year’s Race begins Friday, July 16th, for the Cruising Division, and Saturday, July 17, for the Racing Divisions.

Wintrust has been CYCRTM’s presenting sponsor for the past five years and plays a key role in many of the Race’s major events including the kick-off Warning Gun Party in Chicago and the Sailors’ Celebration on Mackinac Island.

Chicago, Ill. (May 25, 2021) – The Chicago Yacht Club has officially announced that its ever-popular Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust (CYCRTM) will return this summer after taking a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Started in 1898, the race annually hosts over 3,000 sailors and covers 333 statute miles, starting from Chicago’s Navy Pier on Lake Michigan and finishing at Mackinac Island, Mich. on Lake Huron. The 112th edition starts Friday, July 16 for cruising sailboats and Saturday, July 17 for performance sailboats.