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The Race to Mackinac: WBEZ’s guide to the world’s longest freshwater sailing competition

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This weekend, 245 boats carrying 2,000 sailors set sail from the Chicago Lighthouse in the annual event’s 114th running.

The Race to Mackinac, the longest and oldest freshwater annual sailing competition in the world, is here. On Friday and Saturday, roughly 245 boats carrying more than 2,000 crew members will sail for Mackinac Island, the resort destination off the northern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

Here’s your primer.

Race basics

For 333 miles — or 289.4 nautical miles — 245 entrants, give or take last-minute dropouts, will traverse the route from Navy Pier to Mackinac Island in this year’s event, according to Sam Veilleux, chairman of the 2023 race committee. The first Mackinac race took place in 1898, with just five boats, and the second was in 1904. With the exception of several years during World War I and 2020 during the pandemic, the race, organized by the Chicago Yacht Club, has happened every year, marking its 114th running this year. Competitors may enter the race, classified as an amateur event, by invitation only.

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The majority of entrants travel to the race start via water — meaning they’re coming from harbors in or near Chicago or traveling from cities along connected lakes, mostly Michigan and Huron.

“Every year, we do have a few out-of-town boats that come from the coast, but it is quite an endeavor,” Veilleux said, noting that delivering a large yacht on a truck involves reassembling the boat in Chicago after shipment. Past races have included crews and boats from Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

As described by Veilleux, the route starts at the Chicago Lighthouse, near Navy Pier, and runs the entire length of Lake Michigan, passes through Grays Reef, enters Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinac, ducks under the Mackinac Bridge and finishes at Mackinac Island.

How a crew wins and what they get

First to the island wins, right? Not quite.

The Chicago Yacht Club describes the Race to Mackinac as “a unique race, where the boat equivalent of ‘family sedans’ compete against ‘Formula One cars.’ ” What this means in practical terms is that boats, which range widely in technical capability, must be assessed in advance in order to be properly grouped by similar ratings. An algorithm takes boat measurements — including weight, size, sizes of the sails and more — to produce the standardized ratings.

The entrants compete in two divisions: cruising and racing. Boats in the cruising division are, according to Veilleux, “generally more comfortable” equipped with cabins, galleys and full accommodations.

“Boats that you’d go on, for example, a family cruise around the Great Lakes or around the Caribbean,” he said. There are three sections within this division, each based on speed.

Yachts in the racing division are built for speed — lightweight carbon-fiber hulls, sparse interiors — and compete in two section types: one in which the boats have identical specs, and another in which boats are handicapped, as in golf, based on relative performance characteristics.

Roughly split in half into “faster” and “slower” groups, the racing division is then further divided into similarly rated sections — this year there are 18, each with around 12-15 boats. The winner is determined by calculating time against a boat’s rating.

Sailors compete for three main honors: the Mac Trophy and the Mac Cup for the racing division, and, new this year, the Whitehawk Trophy for the overall winner in the cruising division. Each year, the two groups in the racing division — one faster, one slower — alternate between competing for the Trophy and the Cup so crews could possibly have their names engraved on both if they raced in consecutive years. The first three places in every section also receive a brag flag to display on their boat.

To be invited to the exclusive Island Goats Sailing Society, racers must have competed in at least 25 Chicago-to-Mackinac races, for a total of about 8,325 miles. Founded in 1959 by Hobart “Red” Olson, the society was named after sailors’ “appearance, aroma and behavior upon reaching Mackinac Island,” according to the Chicago Yacht Club website.

When can we expect results?

Most of the fleet takes from 40 to 60 hours to finish the race. Cannons will fire to release the cruising sections at 3 p.m. Friday, and the rest of the sections start from 11 a.m. Saturday every 10 minutes until 3 p.m.

To race around the clock, the crews sail in shifts. The multihull record was set in 1998 at under 19 hours, and the monohull record was set in 2002 at under 24 hours. Ideally, racers finish on or before Monday so they have time to rest before the awards ceremony Tuesday. While there’s no publicly available record of the longest time a boat has taken to finish the race, Veilleux said the club has a system for sailors to submit their final times even after the finish line is taken down on Wednesday.

During last year’s race, Veilleux said wild storms battered the fleet for about 12 hours on Lake Michigan, causing 29 boats to drop out. Veilleux competed last year in the cruising division and, although only sailing on the edge of the storm, experienced wind in excess of 55 knots.

“That’s like sticking your head out of a car window at highway speed,” he said.

Chuck Nevel, the club’s on-the-water director, stays on the island to direct boats as they complete the race. Once the boats start streaming in, they don’t stop. Neither do their supporters.

“If it’s 2 a.m. or if it’s 10 a.m., there are people out there cheering their family members on, their friends on, especially if it’s their first Mac,” he said.

“Everyone stinks, hasn’t taken a shower, sweating in their weather gear,” Nevel notes of the state of the crews as they disembark. But he concedes the members of the race committee, who work through the day and night to make sure everyone arrives safely into port, aren’t the freshest smelling bunch either.

One word for the atmosphere of the awards ceremony? “Jubilation.”

How to watch the race

From 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Friday, the start of the race for the cruising division will be livestreamed on CBS .

On Saturday, you can watch the parade of boats in the racing division off the end of Navy Pier from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. An announcer will provide details of the vessels as they sail toward the start. Viewers should also be able to see the rigs from anywhere along the lakefront north of Navy Pier.

Race updates will be available on the Chicago Yacht Club’s Facebook , Instagram and Twitter feeds. But perhaps the best way to follow the race is to view each boat’s progress through the event’s race tracker website or via mobile app, which will become available on Thursday of race week. Download the YB Tracking app and “buy” the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac (it’s free).

Finally, why is it spelled “Mackinac” but pronounced “Mackinaw?”

Originally named Michinnimakinong by the Ojibwa tribe, the indigenous translation refers to the large crevice in the island: “mish” meaning great, “inni” meaning connecting sound, “maki” meaning fault and “nong” meaning land or place. The name was shortened to Mackinac by the French, and the British transcribed it phonetically as Mackinaw. Edgar Conkling, founder of Mackinaw City in 1857, was the one to spell it with a “w.”

Either way, the pronunciation is “ MACK-in-awe .”

Ysa Quiballo is the digital news intern at WBEZ. Courtney Kueppers contributed.

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113th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac registration now open

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Racers set sail as 99th Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race begins

Sailors ran supplies from shore to sailboat. They hugged and said goodbye to loved ones staying ashore, and celebrated with those joining them for several days of sailing.

The 99th Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race began in earnest Saturday. Though there was an occasional drizzle, the weather was mostly clear.

More than 200 teams will race to Mackinac Island, the largest number of participants since 2020.

It's Allison Krucki's second time participating in the Bayview Mackinac Race. For her second attempt she's hoping the weather will provide a better experience than her first, when the lack of wind forced sailors to pause.

"We did a lot of floating last time, so I'm hoping this year is more exciting," Krucki said.

Krucki, 20, has been racing sailboats since she was 11 years old. She joined when her father, Scott Krucki, got back back into sailing after a hiatus.

Scott had stopped racing to raise a family, but then a friend invited him to join the crew of the Alliance. Today he's the boat's captain, leading a crew of seven in the shore race.

Among the 113 competitors they'll be competing with in the shore race is the crew of the Courage.

Courage's crewmates vary greatly in their level of experience. Lacy Sonia said this is her third race.

"I just kind of got invited to do a race and I got really into it," Sonia said.

Spencer Channell, the captain of the Courage, said the boat had participated in about 11 races since the 2000s.

Their team consists not only of sailors, but their land crew, including Donna Malendowski, whose husband is also a member of the Courage's crew. While the team will sail on Lake Huron, she will drive to Mackinac Island to transport supplies and belongings that would have otherwise weighed the boat down.

Scott Babin, of Port Huron, was with family watching the racers prepare to set sail. He's raced sailboats in years prior, but chose to never participate in the race to Mackinac Island, citing the intensity and stress of committing to a race for several days.

"I actually prefer to sit back on my own boat and watch the others go by," Babin said.

Also watching the race were Dale and Bonnie Klos. They travelled to Port Huron from North Carolina to visit friends for their wedding anniversary, and decided to watch the race during the trip.

They were joined by John and Julie Lusk, set up under a tree just outside the Port Huron Yacht Club. The Lusks set up at the same spot for 15 years to watch the sailors prepare for the race.

"What I miss about this is back in the day they used to announce each of the boats and where they came from," John Lusk said.

The four of them quickly become six as another couple joined. Al Spencer said he was there to support friends in the race, and also to take in the excitement the race brings.

"It's one of the nicest days of the year in Port Huron," Spencer said.

The race is being tracked online at https://bycmack.com/ for those who want to keep track of the teams' progress.

Registration is already open for the 100th Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race, set to start July 20th, 2024.

Contact Johnathan Hogan at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @jr_Hogan1.

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The world’s longest freshwater sailing event and is recognized as one of the most prestigious sailing races in the world. Today, sailors from Maine to California make this race an invariable part of their summer. For more information please visit: www.cycracetomackinac.com

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Tense battle, finish line drama for Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac

• Updated: Jul. 23, 2023, 10:01 p.m. |
• Published: Jul. 23, 2023, 9:03 p.m.

Whitehawk passing Round Island Light House, claiming first-to-finish in the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. Photo courtesy of BlockIsland Steve and the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac.

• Tanda Gmiter | [email protected]

MACKINAC ISLAND, MI - When the Cruising Division boats took off from Chicago on Friday, Eagle One, a sleek 65-foot boat owned by Tim Lariviere of Grosse Pointe, shot out to an early lead in Lake Michigan for the 114th annual Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac.

When light winds on Friday and into Saturday made it clear it was going to be a tactical race, the vessel tracker showed Eagle One’s crew of mostly past commodores from the Bayview Yacht Club took the vessel across the big lake to hug the Michigan coastline. Eagle One led for nearly the entire 333-mile race - the longest annual freshwater sailing race in the world.

Until the last mile. That’s when the big 104-foot ketch Whitehawk, owned by Peter Thornton, sailed past Eagle One to take first-to-finish line honors.

“Racing into the Mackinac Straits, the majestic ... 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,” race communications staff said.

“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.”

Lariviere and his crew credited Thornton for a well-earned victory. It’s his second consecutive line-honors win with Whitehawk.

There are lot of boats still in the race among the different divisions, and some may not be arriving at Mackinac Island until Monday. The race starts near Chicago’s Navy Pier, heads up Lake Michigan, rounds the top of The Mitten and sails under the Mackinac Bridge before approaching the finish line near the Round Island Lighthouse alongside Mackinac Island.

While the Cruising Division began Friday with light winds, Saturday’s start for the sleek Racing Division was hit by a squall that pelted some of the boats with rain.

“Sunday afternoon and evening, the two fleets continue to make their way up Lake Michigan, sailing in moderate conditions along the Michigan shoreline. The faster boats competing in the Racing Division are expected to finish overnight, with the remaining teams crossing the finish line throughout the day Monday,” race officials said.

Want to track the boats? Each entry is equipped with a satellite tracker that sends information on speed, location and direction every 15 minutes. Race Tracker: https://yb.tl/chicagomac2023

Follow the Race on Social Media: #CYCRTM

Fun Facts about the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac

• This year’s race features 2,100 crew from 16 countries
• 45 U.S. states are represented
• There are 240 total entries
• Boats range from family cruisers to state-of-the-art carbon fiber racing vessels
• Boats range from 29 to 104 feet long
• Crew numbers range from 2 to 22 per boat

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Merritt, Scott Sellers come from 'dead last,' win 46.5-hour race from Chicago to Mackinac

Merritt Sellers, at 15, and the crew sailing on "nosurprise" won a 46.5-hour race from Chicago to Mackinac Island by fewer than 6 minutes on Monday.

The crew of eight sailors scrambled to overcome a mistake and seize victory. This was the second year in a row that the 36-foot sailboat owned by Scott Sellers of Larkspur, California, won its class in a race from Lake Michigan to the Straits of Mackinac. The boat is based at the Little Traverse Yacht Club in Harbor Springs, where Sellers has a summer house.

"We were over (the starting line) early, so had to go back and restart," Merritt Sellers told the Detroit Free Press while returning the transponder that tracks race boats to event organizers based at the Pink Pony in the Chippewa Hotel on Mackinac Island . "We were dead last for a while. We were a mile behind. The entire race, we were fighting back, taking boat by boat."

It wasn't until early Monday, she said, that nosurprise moved into first place.

"Then we lost it and then we got it back," Sellers said.

The sailors on the boat − from Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, Connecticut, Ohio and California − wanted to be right at the line to go full speed as soon as the gun fired. They didn't realize they were early until about 3 minutes into the race.

"They say it over the radio. They call your sail number," Sellers said. "It took us 7 minutes to get back" to the starting line.

The crew, which included Hadley Camp and Owen Beckley of Harbor Springs, finished in 46:27:06 hours, according to the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac results posted online .

"We didn't panic"

Hannah Sellers didn't sail after last year, despite winning.

"It was a pretty gnarly race — pouring rain and thunderstorms and lightning for hours. It was one of the most intense storms I've ever seen. It felt really exciting to race through that," 18-year-old Hannah Sellers told the Free Press at the time . "Then a tough finish for seven hours upwind with intense waves and a cold front. It was pretty chilly on the boat."

This year, the wind was "up and down and shifting directions. We had to shift a lot of gears and change a lot of sails," Scott Sellers, a private equity manager, told the Free Press after the race. "We didn't realize we were over early, and we had to go back. ... But we didn't panic. We knew it was a really long race. We were conservative in our tactics."

Winning, he said, "takes a combination of a lot of effort, skill and luck, and we had all three."

Scott Sellers grew up in Birmingham and began racing Mackinac at age 14 with his father — Bob Sellers, who owned the Pontiac Buick General Motors dealership in Farmington Hills before selling it, moving to Florida and retiring from racing as an "old goat." He earned that title, which carries honor in the sailing community and is sometimes tattooed on ankles of sailors, as someone who raced at least 25 times from Port Huron to Mackinac Island.

More: At 15, Merritt Sellers returns to Mackinac races and inspires young first-time sailors

The J/111 was viewed as highly competitive, as illustrated by the tight margins between the top finishers. Colin Caliban of Covert, Michigan, and his seven crew members placed second on No Quarter. The boat from South Haven Yacht Club finished in 46:32:07 hours. Bradley Faber of Holland, Michigan, and his four crew members finished third on Utah of Macatawa Bay Yacht Club in 46:50:06 hours.

Bayview Mackinac vs Chicago to Mackinac

Nearly 200 boats raced in the Bayview Mackinac race a week ago. More than 230 boats sailed from Chicago, according to the Chicago Yacht Club. Race officials said they didn't expect any changes to the nosurprise victory but said results are considered provisional initially in case of protest or another unexpected development.

Only Merritt and Scott Sellers sailed the 2022 Port Huron to Mackinac race together, with Merritt driving alone at night, and won their class . They did not make the podium this year in the Bayview Mackinac Race. But Merritt Sellers is c redited with inspiring other young sailors to race the long Mackinac course.

The sailboat that carried Merritt and Scott Sellers to victory had been owned by Dave Irish, a Great Lakes legend and past president of U.S. Sailing. He earned a reputation for offshore sailing skill and mentoring sailors who went on to compete in America's Cup. 

Scott Sellers, who sailed 20 Mackinac races with Irish, purchased the boat in 2020 with hopes of carrying on his legacy of introducing new sailors to the sport. Of the eight crew members finishing Monday, five were 25 or younger.

"One more thing that made this special was that it was a three-peat," Sellers said. "Winning the J/111 class three years in a row, every year since the prior boat owner and my sailing mentor, Dave Irish, passed."

More: Sailors overcome emergency at 2 a.m. in rough waters to win Bayview Mackinac race

More: Mackinac Island police seize e-bikes, issue tickets to visitors who break rules

More: Mackinac Island gets new restaurant on Main Street honoring old Michigan family

Editor's note: Phoebe Wall Howard, an autos reporter, also writes about sailing and Mackinac Island. She is a member of the Port Huron Yacht Club and part of a longtime sailing family that has visited Mackinac since her childhood.

Contact  Phoebe Wall Howard : 313-618-1034 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter  @phoebesaid .

Race History

About the race.

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Chicago Yacht Club's most famous event is the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, which is the longest annual freshwater sailing race in the world.

Starting in 1898 with a mere five boats, The Mac has evolved into a world-class sporting event. After the first race in 1898, the Race to Mackinac was not held for five years until the second race in 1904. By 1906, the race had developed a healthy following and, in that year, the original Mackinac trophy was purchased. The race has seen occasional sustained violent weather in the blows of 1911, 1937 and 1970. After gale force winds took down most of the fleet in the Mac of 1911, the finish in the 1912 and 1913 races was changed to Harbor Springs on Little Traverse Bay instead of Mackinac Island. Race organizers felt the shorter distance was safer. From 1914 until 1916 the Mac was back to its full distance until WWI. From 1917-1920 there were no Mac races due to the strains of the War, which took away yachtsmen and put many boats out of commission. Since 1921, the Race to Mackinac has run consecutively every year, remains the longest annual freshwater distance race, and is recognized as one of the most prestigious sailing races in the world.

Today, sailors from Maine to California make this race an invariable part of their summer. Moreover, each year the Mac hosts sailors from as far off as Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia. Although the Mac remains primarily an amateur event, this race has a proven track record of attracting some of the finest sailing talent in the sport. The monohull record of 23 hours, 30 minutes, and 34 seconds set by Roy Disney’s Pyewacket in 2002, and Steve Fossett on Stars and Stripes set the multihull record of 18 hours, 50 minutes, and 32 seconds in 1998. Both records still stand today. The unpredictable weather and fickle winds on Lake Michigan make the Race to Mackinac a supreme test, which many competitors feel rivals any ocean race. As one veteran sailor put it, "It’s fun, but it’s serious fun."

2008 marked the 110th anniversary of the first race, and the 100th time sailors raced 333 miles from Chicago to Mackinac Island. Although there have been changes to the race over the years, the basic elements of this venerable contest have remained unchanged for over 100 years. Stripped down to its essence, The Mac, like all sailboat racing, is still primarily a test of strength, endurance, strategy and willpower. And let’s not forget the dearest friend (and most menacing foe) of all sailors-- the wind. 

The First Mac 

Although the races began in 1896, the race outcomes were not conclusive. The first race to Michigan City was disputed when Vanenna claimed the race and Siren protested because she had old sails that were inadequate for the race. To this day, the second race to Milwaukee is still in dispute, for the fog caused both sloops to sail off course and thus started the question, "did the race ever finish?"

A couple of years passed until the 1898 announcement for a series of three races sponsored by the Chicago Yacht Club. Owners George Peate of Siren and W.R. Crawford of Vanenna set out to make the record straight. They agreed to a three day regatta on June 4th, 11th and 18th. Both owners engaged in much boosting and betting, and they were prepared to spend whatever it took to be ready.

Behind this backdrop was the hangover from the loss of the Fisher Cup of 1883 between Chicago's Cora and the Canada's Atlanta. This loss began a declining effect on memberships to the Chicago yachting community for close to 15 years. By 1897, there were only six members and two yachts representing the Chicago Yacht Club. A strong drive for membership in 1898 increased this number rapidly to sixty members and sixteen yachts, thus laying the groundwork for creating new excitement and an era of racing at the Chicago Yacht Club.

After three races in June of 1898, Vanenna remained undefeated and the discussion emerged to have a very unique and challenging race. In 1897, the New York Yacht Club sponsored a long distance race attracting vessels of larger sizes. The Chicago Yacht Club saw an opportunity to create its own attraction for larger vessels and renew the sport of sailing for the Chicago sailing community. Mackinac Island was a destination that was favored by many sailors by taking a multi-port route up Lake Michigan. Many Chicago Yacht Club members throughout history had houses or stayed on the island for vacations. These members conceived of a race that would challenge every sailor to the weather, winds, storms, and seas, as well as the big question: What course do you take on a 333 mile race?

And so began the first Mac Race with two sloops, Siren and Vanenna and three schooners, Hawthorne, Toxteth and Nomad. The excitement was immediate and the wagers and posturing began. Once again, Siren and Vanenna would dance with each other on the Great Lakes.

After 52 hours 17 minutes and 50 seconds - Vanenna claimed her place in history as the first winner of the Race to Mackinac Island. Siren placed second, 37 minutes and 20 seconds behind her nemesis, but beat the schooner Hawthorne by 45 minutes. 

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Mackinac Island Sailboat Race 2024

Mackinac Island Sailboat Race 2024 . 100th edition starting on july 20, 2024 after celebrating all the winners at the 2023 bayview mackinac race awards last friday, it's a quick turnaround to open. Hotels on historic mackinac island are already filling up for an especially big week next july.

Hotels on historic mackinac island are already filling up for an especially big week next july. We know there are costs to get your boat “race ready” for the first time.

Chicago To Mackinac Race Bayview To Mackinac Race;

Bayview yacht club and chicago yacht club have agreed on future dates to celebrate the 100th running of the bayview.

2024 Bycmack Opening Of Registration.

March 4, 2022 · 5 min read.

After Celebrating All The Winners At The 2023 Bayview Mackinac Race Awards Last Friday, It’s A Quick Turnaround To Open.

Hotels on historic mackinac island are already filling up for an especially big week next july.

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The 99 th consecutive running of the race up lake huron to mackinac island will..

There has been long anticipation for the 100th race from many sailors near and far.

Read On For Recent Updates To The 2024 Race And Remember That Official Race Changes Will Be Made When The New Nor And Cmsr Documents Are Available On February 1, 2024,.

The byc mack is the longest consecutively run freshwater yacht race in the world.

Or Compete In A Race, And Enjoy The Adrenaline Rush.

Current or returning competitors can register their boat record at www.bycmack.com.