CHICAGO and MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich., July 23, 2023 – Racing into the Mackinac Straits, the majestic 104-foot ketch Whitehawk had every sail raised and every trick out of the bag to overtake Eagle One, the sleek 65-foot cruising boat that had led the entire fleet since the start. Trailing Eagle One for 288 nautical miles, it took until the final mile for Peter Thornton’s Whitehawk to overtake and clinch line honors of the 114th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust.

It’s been a full day of boat preparations for the 230 sailboats competing in the 114th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust. Now, registration is complete, the skippers meeting attended, and for the Cruising Division – the race to Mackinac Island has already begun.

We are looking forward to welcoming over 250 boats to Chicago this July. As many of you are readying your boats, celebrating the warmer weather and the opening of the Harbors - I wanted to remind you that a few key deadlines are fast approaching for the 114th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust. 

The Whitehawk Trophy 

The Chicago Yacht Club and the Race to Mackinac are excited to announce a major new trophy for the Race.   Chicago Yacht Club members Marijane and Peter Thornton have generously donated the Whitehawk Trophy, which will be presented to the overall corrected-time winner for the Cruising Division.  The impressive trophy was built in 1877 by Stephen Smith for Smith & Son, London in 1877 and will provide the Cruising Division—the fastest-growing Division in the race—with a prize on par with the other major trophies awarded to our Racing Divisions.  The trophy is named for Whitehawk, the Thorntons’ 105 foot yacht that competes regularly in the Race’s Cruising Division. The trophy will be placed in a permanent location, along with Chicago Yacht Club’s collection, in the Monroe station foyer. 

As of March 1st we’ve received over 215 entries to the 114th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust. The committee is continually reviewing and processing new requests for invitations, so we do expect this number to grow. If you know of anyone who is interested in racing, and has not yet submitted their request or accepted their invitation, please encourage them to do so early. 

This is a friendly reminder that registration will open this Wednesday, February 1st on the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac (CYCRTM) website. Race documents, including the Notice of Race (NOR) and the official Chicago-Mackinac Safety Requirements will also be posted on the CYCRTM website on this date.

We are nearly halfway to the start of the 114th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust and the committee has been working hard to ensure that this year’s race will be another for the record books.While most of the fleet is tucked away, warm and cozy in the shed, now is a great time to begin preparations for this year’s event.  

In a race that will be remembered as “one for the books,” the 113th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust finished today with the Sailors Celebration, hosted for the first time on the great lawn of Mission Point Resort. 

In one punch after another, storm cells rocked the racing and cruising divisions throughout Saturday night. The predicted storms not only came to fruition, but they also continued throughout the night in rapid succession. 

Racers, 

It’s official. We have less than one week to go until the 113th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust.