The 118th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac returns July 16–17, 2027, with registration opening December 1. Race organizers also announced the new Whitehawk Division, honoring longtime competitor Peter Thornton as participation in the cruising fleet continues to grow.
This summer, PlanetSail founder and sailing journalist Matt Sheahan joined us in Chicago to experience the 2026 Race to Mackinac firsthand and share the story of the Mac Race with sailors around the world.
From the start off Chicago to 333 miles of offshore racing on Lake Michigan, the new film explores the scale, challenge, people and traditions that make the Race to Mackinac unlike any other offshore race.
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.
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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