News: 2018 Race

By now, you likely have seen the final report into the incident at the start of the 2018 Mac that resulted in the death of our fellow competitor, Jon Santarelli. If not, you should take the time right now to download it and read it - it’s available via https://www.cycracetomackinac.com/the-race/safety/. Jon’s death was tragic and his loss will be felt deeply by his family, friends, competitors and most of all, his shipmates, for years to come. My sympathies go out to all of them.

Today the Chicago Yacht Club (CYC) publicly released the report on the fatal crew overboard accident that took place during the July 2018 Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac (CYCRTM). The report analyzes what took place during the incident and includes important lessons learned, specifically highlighting auto-inflate personal flotation devices (PFD). The report’s goal is to further enhance safety within the boating community and is available here.

The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Committee invites you to the 2018 Chicago Yacht Club Awards Celebration on November 3 at Chicago Yacht Club's Monroe Station. Join us to toast the teams, trophies and traditions of the 110th Race to Mackinac. Advanced ticket purchase required and are on a first-come,  first-served basis. Contact the Front Desk at frontdesk@chicagoyachtclub.org or call (312) 861-7777. 

Over the past two months, the Chicago Yacht Club (CYC) has investigated the death of Jon Santarelli, one of the crew members aboard Imedi, a TP52 sailboat racing in the 2018 Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac.

Sadly, this evening the Chicago Yacht Club is able to confirm that the body of Jon Santarelli, a sailor competing in Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, has been recovered after falling overboard last Saturday. Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire Santarelli family, and his sailing community. We ask that media respect their privacy as they mourn in this very difficult time.

From tragedy and big seas to flat calm and floating, the 110th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac (CYCRTM) presented by Wintrust, was truly a race of extremes. Our sailing community suffered a tragic loss when Jon Santarelli, a crew member aboard Imedi, fell overboard and was not recovered.

Nearly seven years ago, Peter Thornton brought one of the most powerful racing machines to the Great Lakes. She’s the sinister-looking Il Mostro, an all carbon-fiber veteran of the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race, and she’s designed for the kind of boisterous ocean-racing conditions faced by the fleets in the 110th running of America’s Offshore Challenge™.

In our efforts to continue to bring you the most comprehensive coverage of the race, here is an aggregated set of tweets from those racing equipped with "Tweeting Trackers". Please keep in mind while reading that while some have responded to the sad news yesterday, the majority of competitors have not heard the news of the incident onboard "Imedi" yet when composing these messages. Check back soon for more updates!

The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac fleet began its 110th annual 333-statute mile trek up Lake Michigan Saturday afternoon, fighting against the predicted strong northerly winds and steep, 6-8 foot waves that presented significant challenges for the 288 boats that officially began the race.

If the Cruising Division’s start is any indication of what’s to come, the 2500 sailors competing in the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac® (CYCRTM) presented by Wintrust are in for a heck of a ride. A series of squalls rolled through the three sections during their 3pm start, causing knockdowns and ripped spinnakers underneath an impressive shelf cloud.