The good news: in the official press release announcing the winners of the Chicago-Mac sailing race, the Hannah Frances was included along with the winners. The bad news was the way we got mentioned: "While 33 boats chose to retire, most citing reasons related to the slow conditions such as lack of provisions or crew…
Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays long-distance sailors from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. Chicago-Mac race sailors stand a pretty good chance of running into bad weather, so I picked up a set of foulies. Pictured here: bibs, just one part of the foul weather gear. Sailing in…
Since 1898, sailors have gathered at the Chicago Yacht Club each summer to race their sailboats up Lake Michigan to the Mackinac (pronounced mackinaw) Island. The 333 mile course from Navy Pier to the lighthouse makes it the longest annual freshwater sailing race in the world.
The sailboats race around the clock for days as the crew work in shifts, sailing for a few hours and then sleeping for a few. Night sailing, storms, and quiet windless calms make this a memorable experience.
