On May 1, 2024, the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust will be transitioning to the Nautical Cloud race management system. We’ll be halting access to the existing system at noon on April 25, with the new system coming online May 1. 

At noon (12:00 p.m. CST) on Thursday, February 1, automatic invitations for the 115th CYC Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust will be sent out and invited competitors will be able to register their entry. Remember that your docking preference for Mackinac Island, St. Ignace, or Straits State Harbor are honored as best as possible according to entry and payment order, so enter soon!

As we look forward to warmer temperatures and this year’s race, we plan to begin sharing a series of updates regarding changes to the competition we think you’d like to hear about. If you are new to the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, and interested in learning more about how to enter the race, please visit our new FAQ page. 

Read on for recent updates to the 2024 race and remember that official race changes will be made when the new NOR and CMSR documents are available on February 1, 2024, when registration opens at noon (12:00 pm CT). 

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.