CROSSING the line
‘Island goats’ look forward to the Mac race after last year’s cancellation
An
encouraging sign that Chicago’s popular lakefront is getting back to normal is the return of one of the city’s most prestigious summer events — the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac.
The 112th running of the “Mac,” as it’s known — the oldest annual freshwater distance race in the world — gets underway Friday, July 16. COVID forced the race to be cancelled last year — the first time in almost 100 years that it wasn’t held. The race did not take place from 1917 to 1920 due to shortages of boats and crew members related to World War I.
The inaugural Mac was held in 1898 with five boats. Today, over 300 sailboats, not yachts, with anywhere between two and 15 crew members on each boat begin their 333-mile voyage across Lake Michigan starting at the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse just off Navy Pier. It usually takes two days to reach the finish line: Round Island Channel off Mackinac Island, Michigan.
There are two divisions in which boats compete. The vast majority of boats are in the Racing Division. Boats in this division are built for speed and use more sails. The remainder are in the Cruising
Division; their boats are generally slower and use fewer sails. Since Cruising
Division boats take longer to complete the race, they start on Friday, while the
Racing Division boats set sail the next day.
No matter which division the crews and their boats happen to compete in, the boats are further divided into sections. Each section has around 15 boats; the boats in each section start at the same time.
Trophies are given to first- second- and third-place winners in each section, as well as to the overall firstsecondand third-place winners in the Racing and Cruising divisions. No monetary prizes are awarded.
Shawn O’Neill and Angela Graham, two veterans of the Chicago-to-Mackinac race, are ready to sail again after being idle last year. O’Neill, who competes in the Racing Division, will be participating in his 42nd race this year, while this will be Graham’s 33rd voyage to Mackinac Island. Graham had been competing in the Racing Division, but now is a member of a crew that in recent years has been part of the Cruising Division.
Getting started
Graham developed a love for sailing and racing after her father one day took her out on a 50-foot sailboat owned by one of her father’s friends. He sold the boat to a group that eventually entered the Chicago-to-Mackinac race. She became part of their crew and raced with them for 15 years.
“I’ve always loved the water and I loved the feeling of gliding through the water, but I love racing because of the teamwork,” says Graham, who has been with her current team for three years. The squad finished first overall in the Cruising Division in Graham’s first year with them, 2018.
Women had been part of racing crews prior to Graham competing in her first race in 1988. Graham never had to shatter any glass ceiling, so to speak, but says she worked hard to make sure she was a valuable member of the crew.
“I was very fortunate,” she says. “I did whatever needed to be done (on the boat) but that’s my personality. You have to do what the guys do; you have to pull your weight. I’ve never had any trouble finding a boat to sail on.”
O’Neill’s first excursion to Mackinac Island occurred in 1979. Back then, crews never had GPS tracking units or other means of modern technology to determine their location on Lake Michigan. They had to use paper charts, landmarks on shore and radio signal direction finders.
“These are skills that most people (on crews) don’t have anymore,” says O’Neill, whose crew includes his 83-year-old father Jerry — this will be his 49th race — and his 23-year-old son Conor.
Mapping out a plan
As race day approaches, crews are constantly monitoring weather forecasts and wind conditions. Taking into account these factors, crews then map out an overall strategy — a game plan, if you will — for the race.
But as we all know, weather conditions can change on a dime; thus, crews must