Congrats to DogDayz (cruising class) and Windquest (racing class), the winners of the 101st Chicago-to-Mackinac race!
The world’s longest annual freshwater distance race kicked off this weekend in Chicago with 260 sailboats participating in this year's event. The race, run by the Chicago Yacht Club, kicks off at the mouth of the Chicago River, crosses Lake Michigan, enters Lake Huron for a short time, and finishes in the Round Island Channel, off of Mackinac Island, Michigan - accounting for a whopping 333 miles.
Here are some fun facts about "Mac:"
- Steve Fossett set the overall race record, 18 hours, 50 minutes, in 1998 with the yacht, Stars and Stripes.
- Roy E. Disney set the monohull record, 23 hours, 30 minutes, in 2002.
- The Chicago to Mackinac Race is often confused with the Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race. Until 1939, they were held on the same weekend. Now the races are held a week apart.
- The first race was run in 1898, with the boat Vanenna winning against four others.
- Sailors who have completed 25 of these annual races are called "Island Goats."
Want to know more? Check out this video for the what's, why's and how's of Chicago's most popular sailing tradition.
Congrats to all of this year's participants!