Why the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac remains one of the most legendary sailing competitions

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By Alyssa Haduck
Medill Reports

The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac is anything but normal.

After 112 years, July’s competition remains the longest freshwater yacht race in the world, with participants covering 333 miles, or 289.4 nautical miles, from Chicago’s Navy Pier to Mackinac Island, Michigan. . But this is where the consistency stops.

“You go to the same place,” sailor Sam Veilleux said, “but something different happens every time.”

As Lake Michigan’s ever-changing atmosphere makes the race impossible to predict, race organizers and sailing crews are currently doing what they can to prepare. Veilleux, who also serves as race president, leads a team of 20 volunteers — along with Chicago Yacht Club staff — to identify officials, organize incoming entries and finalize event contracts.

The race typically attracts more than 300 boats with a crew of more than 3,000 participants ranging from serious sailors to yachtsmen, but this year’s race is already on track to become one of the largest in recent history, said Vigilant. He suspects the pandemic has sparked increased interest in the event, which was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The fastest time in the contest is just under 24 hours, but it can take crews of all skill levels up to three days to complete the race — an experience Veilleux knows all too well. .

“There are challenges, there are storms, but probably more frustrating than that is sitting with no wind, swatting flies and eating hot sandwiches,” he said. “It’s not just a physical challenge, it’s a mental challenge.”

Despite these struggles, contestants keep coming back for more.

“I’ve done this race six times, but I’m on the lower end of the spectrum,” he said. “Some of the guys I’ve raced with have done it 40 times.”

One such sailor is Angela Graham, who has competed in 33 Mackinac races. She began competing in an era before today’s technology, remembering when racers lined up at a payphone after days on the lake to call home and report their results.

But Graham’s vast experience has earned him a place in Race to Mackinac’s hall of fame: the Island Goat Sailing Society. In fact, Graham is commodore, or president, of the club that serves to celebrate those who have competed in at least 25 Mackinac races.

While the moniker may suggest that the island’s goats are so named for their status as the greatest of all time, the label actually recalls the scent-like similarity of early sailors to these animals.

The organization was founded by three sailors in 1959 and has over 350 active and 500 all-time members. While these race participants have each encountered their fair share of weather issues, Graham said competitors have endured particularly brutal conditions in recent years.

“There’s almost always a time when you’d rather be somewhere else,” she said.

Few people understand Lake Michigan’s climate better than Chris Bedford, who has studied the lake’s weather for decades as a meteorologist specializing in competitive sailing. Bedford has been Race to Mackinac’s weather coach for nearly 20 years, providing generic forecasts to all teams and personalized recommendations for clients who need to become their own weather forecasters once in the unpredictable waters of Lake Michigan.

“The interesting thing about this race, in my opinion, is that it has elements of both a local inshore race and an offshore ocean race,” Bedford said, referring to the unique size and shape of Lake Michigan. “These are two different issues from a weather forecast perspective, but in this case they are both happening at the same time.”

Even with its chaos, the lake hosts some of the race’s most awe-inspiring moments, connecting competitors to the elements like few others can. These memories keep sailors like Graham coming back year after year.

“Being in the middle of the lake and seeing the stars at night, or getting closer to the island and smelling the pines, there’s something about it,” she said.

And while Veilleux still faces weeks of coordination, both as race chairman and crew member, he spends his hours ashore eagerly awaiting the promise of peace on the lake.

“You see the sun come up in the morning, the smell of brewed coffee – it’s great to get away from it all,” he said.

Alyssa Haduck is a graduate student in sports media at Medill. You can follow her on Twitter at @Alyssa_Haduck.

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