The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust confirmed today that, under newly adopted US Sailing Safety Equipment Requirement (SER) 3.9, AIS transponders will be required for the upcoming 2026 Race.
The 116th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust reminded competitors that no two “Mac Races” are ever the same, delivering the kind of dynamic challenge that has made it one of the world’s most iconic offshore races and a fixture on every sailor’s bucket list.
In the early morning hours, the sleek fleet of Great Lakes 52s sailed under the Mackinac Bridge and past the iconic Round Island Lighthouse to finish at Mackinac Island, completing their 333-mile journey in the 116th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust.
MACKINAC ISLAND, MICH., July 20, 2025 – A slow-motion thriller is shaping up in the 333-mile Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust, with multiple section leaders within shouting distance of each other on Lake Michigan, swapping tacks and trading leads as they claw their way through the Manitou Passage and up into the Mackinac Straits.
MACKINAC ISLAND, MICH., July 20, 2025 – Whitehawk, the beautiful wooden 104-foot ketch owned by Peter Thornton, is the first boat to finish the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust, finishing Sunday at 12:51 p.m. ET / 11:51 a.m. CT for an elapsed time of 1 day, 20 hours, 31 minutes.
Welcome to the Chicago Yacht Club where the 112th Race to Mackinac began yesterday and the day before for both the racing and the cruising sections. Meet the commodore, the title sponsor, check out the scene at the Navy Pier for the grand send off and the starts of almost 240 boats and over 2,000 sailors as they say goodbye to the sight of shore for at least 24 hours.
The Race to Mackinac Chairman Martin Sandoval and the entire Chicago Yacht Club would like to take a moment to recognize and thank our incredible Race Committee volunteers who will be running the 112th Race to Mackinac. This event would not be possible without your dedication, professionalism, and commitment to on the water safety. Thank you for all you do, see you on the water!
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®.
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.
Racers,
2021 holds much promise for us as we plan for the 112th running of the greatest freshwater distance race in the world, the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac™ presented by Wintrust. As we take a pragmatic approach to our committee’s planning efforts, I look forward to racing with you in July!
Like you, we are looking forward to a great racing season this summer and the organizing authority has been busy planning for the 112th running of the CYCRTM in July 2021. As you prepare, we will be sharing opportunities to refine your skills and learn more about our transition to the ORC Rating Rule this summer.
CHICAGO - The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Committee and Bayview Yacht Club Mackinac Race Authority announced today that each has adopted the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) rating, or handicap, rule to correct the elapsed time difference of competing boats and put them on the same level. The new rating rule will go into effect for the 112th running of the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, which will start on July 16 & 17, 2021 and the 97th running of the Bayview Mackinac Race, which will start on July 24, 2021.
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