Welcome to 2022! I hope you had the opportunity to spend time with your friends and family this holiday season. This past year was the year of “return to racing” with the 112th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust and many other events taking place. We look to build on that success this year with the 113th CYCRTM, and I have a lot of exciting news to share about the race.
First, we will be launching a new race registration website on February 1. We have modernized the user experience, adding new features to help racers manage their information and for our volunteers and staff to manage the event. We have also rewritten the race documents to adhere to the new World Sailing format that you have started to see at other events.
We are working diligently with numerous stakeholders to allow for more dockage & rafting in the Mackinac Island State Harbor. We will continue to use St. Ignace and Straits Harbors for overflow if required, and will keep all of you updated on this progress. Docking assignments will be prioritized based on the date a yacht completes its entry and pays its entry fee, so be sure to register early.
As mentioned in my last letter, we have made some changes to the Chicago Mackinac Safety Regulations and will now require personal AIS MOB devices for each crew member and AIS reception capability, at minimum, for all yachts. These devices are an important leap forward in safety and the committee has been recommending them for several years.
Finally, in conjunction with our Nautical Education Committee, we will be presenting two events in January. On January 15th we are hosting two sessions: So You Want to Do The Race to Mackinac and ORC for the Race to Mackinac featuring Dobbs Davis. And on January 22nd, What's New in Safety for the Mac Race will cover changes to the Chicago Mackinac Safety Requirements for the 113th CYCRTM and a Life Jacket Clinic & Gear Expo with Phil Pollard. These events will be hybrid, with in-person attendance at Chicago Yacht Club Monroe Station and a Zoom for remote attendees. Please note that the City of Chicago does require proof of vaccination for all in-person attendees.
And as a reminder, those of you who have competed in 25 or more Chicago to Mackinac Races are invited to apply for membership in the Island Goats Sailing Society. To apply please visit IslandGoats.org.
We look forward to seeing all of you out on the race course next summer, and hopefully sooner than that. In the meantime, if you have any race-related questions, please email regattamanager@cycracetomackinac.com.
Sam Veilleux
CYCRTM Race Chair