The 117th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust once again demonstrated the scale and competitive depth that have established it as the largest annual offshore race in the world. The 333-mile course–spanning the length of Lake Michigan–challenged 250 teams with nearly the full spectrum of offshore sailing conditions, from upwind and downwind racing to heavy air, tactical light winds and powerful overnight thunderstorms.

All competitors are safe following a strong line of thunderstorms that swept across the fleet in northern Lake Michigan overnight during the 117th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust.

Sailors reported winds exceeding 35 knots as the storm moved through, with winds causing several teams to experience moderate damage, including one report of a broken rudder and another of a mast failure.

Peter Thornton’s 104-foot ketch, Whitehawk, claimed line honors for the fourth year in a row, finishing the 117th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Presented by Wintrust at 3:31 p.m. ET / 2:31 p.m. CT  on Sunday with an elapsed time of 1 day, 23 hours, 11 minutes.

It marks the fourth consecutive year that Whitehawk has been the first boat to complete the 333-statute-mile race from Chicago to Mackinac Island.

The 117th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust is fully underway after 208 Racing Division boats started Saturday morning in ideal upwind conditions.

The “Skyline Sprint,” introduced last year in celebration of Chicago Yacht Club’s 150th anniversary, provided Chicagoans the opportunity to see the 208 Racing Division boats engaged in intense tacking battles along the shoreline towards the turning mark near Montrose Harbor.