Chicago Yacht Club
Encyclopedia
The Chicago Yacht Club is located in Chicago, Illinois
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

. The Chicago Yacht Club
Yacht club
A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to sailing and yachting.-Description:Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations...

 is best known for organizing the Chicago to Mackinac Race each July. It also hosts dozens of other races and regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...

s throughout the season.

History

The Chicago Yacht Club was founded in 1875 to encourage and promote the sport of yachting. In 1898, the first Chicago to Mackinac Boat Race
Chicago to Mackinac Boat Race
The Chicago to Mackinac Sailboat Race is run by the Chicago Yacht Club. It is one of the longest fresh-water races in the world, with hundreds of boats entering the race each year. It starts off the mouth of the Chicago River in Chicago, crosses Lake Michigan, barely enters Lake Huron, and finishes...

 was held. In 1900, the club obtained its first clubhouse, the Argo clubhouse located at the Illinois Central Pier #3. In 1955, construction began of the current Monroe Harbor Station, one of two clubhouses maintained by the club. The other clubhouse is located in Belmont Harbor and is host to the club's One Design sailing fleet.

Among those who have sailed for the club is Robert Halperin
Robert Halperin
Robert Sherman "Bob" Halperin , nicknamed "Buck", was an American competitive Star class sailor, and Olympic bronze medalist and Pan American Games gold medalist....

, who won an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...

 in 1960 and a Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...

 gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

 in 1963 in yachting, and who was also a football player at Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and in the NFL, one of Chicago's most-decorated World War II heroes, and Chairman of Commercial Light Co.

Activities

Each July, the club hosts the Chicago to Mackinac Boat Race, one of the longest fresh-water sailing races in the world. In 2010,, the sold out 102nd running of the race will feature 350 boats departing from Chicago on July 23 and 24, 2010, for the 333 smi race ending at Mackinac Island.

In addition to the Mackinac race, the Club will host the National Offshore One Design
National Offshore One Design
National Offshore One-Design, or NOOD, is a 9 city sailboat racing circuit held in the U.S.. The series is organized by , and takes place in St. Petersburg, Florida, San Diego, California, Annapolis, Maryland, Detroit, Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, Seattle, Washington, Marblehead, Massachusetts,...

 (NOOD) Regatta June 11–13, 2010, the 505 North American Championship June 23–26, 2010, and many other competitive sailboat races.

Another premier event is the Club sponsored Verve Cup
Verve Cup
The Verve Cup Regatta was established in 1992 and is organized annually by the . In 2010, it became the largest offshore course race regatta in North America. The Verve provides is one-of-a-kind regatta that is a highlight of the sailing season in the Midwest U.S...

Regatta held each August.

The club also is a leader in teaching children and adults to sail, teaching sailing lessons for over 84 years.
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