Mac Racers already eyeing race record as southerly winds propel fleet north
by Chicago Yacht Club 14 Jul 2024 01:19 UTC
The 115th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust is shaping up to be one of the fastest races in years, and the 250 boats under way are enjoying a 'magic carpet ride' thanks to the southerly, downwind sailing conditions that will carry them to up Mackinac Island, Mich., over the next 24 - 48 hours.
Earlier today, 18 sections in the Racing Division ranging from the Doublehanded section to the faster performance boats like the TP52s and Santa Cruz 70s (and everything in between) began their trek up Lake Michigan with their colorful spinnakers flying against the iconic Chicago skyline. As predicted, the southerly winds continue to increase and many of the larger boats are averaging 10 - 15 knots as they make their way north.
The Race to Mackinac race record of 23 hours 30 minutes 34 seconds was set in 2002, and is currently held by Roy Disney's Pyewacket, a Reichel Pugh 75.
"Although early and as we know anything can - and usually does - happen on Lake Michigan, if this pace continues, we are currently on track for the 115th Race to Mackinac to be one of our fastest," said Winn Soldani, chair of the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust. "As of 6:30 p.m. CT, I see that some of our big boats in the Racing Division like Sagamore (Farr STP 68) and Maverick (Andrews 80), are on track to finish by midday tomorrow."
The sailors are no doubt watching the weather radar, which indicates a line of storms currently over central Wisconsin (as of 6:50 p.m. CT), which could produce strong winds and lightning, and is expected to impact the majority of the Racing Division competitors around midnight.
The 37-boat Cruising Division began racing yesterday afternoon, led by the 104-foot Whitehawk owned by Peter Thornton. Last year's Cruising winner Albatross, a Solaris One 42 owned by Fernando Assens of Miami, Fla., returns, as does Eagle One, which Albatross edged out by just three minutes on corrected time.
This year, the Race put a special emphasis on encouraging and attracting new boats and sailors. Across the 250-strong fleet, 26 new entries (10 percent) and more than 380 sailors (20 percent) are experiencing their first Mac. The Mac Race, known as America's Offshore Challenge™, begins in front of Chicago's magnificent skyline and finishes 289 nautical miles (333 statute miles) north on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, at Michigan's iconic Mackinac Island.