Latest news with #ChicagoYachtClub
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
Valor, Catapult, Fuzzylogic among boats sailing in 2025 Race to Mackinac
Hundreds of boats set sail from Chicago on Friday for the annual Race to Mackinac. But if you've ever stopped to look at the names of some of the boats, you may have wondered about the meaning behind the words. "Every year there's a time where I love it. Every year, there's a time that I ask myself why I'm doing this. A race on open water can be relentless. "You really have to have the patience for it." It takes valor to sail from Chicago all the way to Mackinac Island. "The challenge of getting, you know, 333 miles up the lake in one piece." But the journey can catapult sailors to greatness. "It's just experiencing the lake in a whole different way, so that's really cool." Every crew has a boat. Every boat has a name, like "Shmokin Joe," and some names only a skipper could spell—including "Scheherazade." But behind every boat name is a story, and it's not always the story you'd expect. "I think a lot of people assume that we partake, and we do not. It's just a fun name, that's it." Some names just seem to fit in a fuzzylogical sort of way. "It really applies to sailboat racing. There's some serious fuzzylogic that goes on with sailboat racing." In the 116th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, there are nearly 2,500 sailors from 49 states, 14 countries, and perhaps more than one planet. "This is our mascot, Zorp." They range in age from 14 to 88. They all set sail from Chicago to Michigan's Mackinac Island for different reasons. "For us, it's a family thing. My son is on board. This will be his third Mackinac race. This will be my 27th. My dad did 47 Macks before he passed away, so you know, it's been in my family forever." Victors will be crowned, but every voyager sails with a story. "I believe every single boat has a good story, and if not, there's a good story in the future."
CBS News
4 days ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Watch Live: 116th Race to Mackinac Island sets sail for 2025
The 116th Race to Mackinac sets sail on Friday afternoon. Nearly 300 boats will race more than 330 miles from Chicago to Mackinac Island in Michigan. The 2,500 sailors are coming to compete from 49 states and 14 countries. The race is hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club, which is also celebrating its 150th anniversary. CBS News Chicago is streaming the start of the race live on Pluto TV, the CBS News app, and on Paramount+ starting at 2:30 p.m. The Cruising Division starts at 3 p.m.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Sport
- CBS News
How to watch the 116th Race to Mackinac on CBS News Chicago
The 116th Race to Mackinac sets sail on Friday afternoon. Nearly 300 boats will race more than 330 miles from Chicago to Mackinac Island in Michigan. The 2,500 sailors are coming to compete from 49 states and 14 countries. The race is hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club, which is also celebrating its 150th anniversary. CBS News Chicago will be streaming the start of the race live on Pluto TV, the CBS News app, and on Paramount+ starting at 2:30 p.m. The Cruising Division starts at 3 p.m.
CBS News
5 days ago
- Sport
- CBS News
116th Race to Mackinac to set sail from Chicago this weekend
Get ready to set sail. The 116th Race to Mackinac begins on Friday. Nearly 300 boats and 2,500 sailors are joining the 333-mile race on Lake Michigan from Navy Pier to Mackinac Island, Michigan. It's hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club, which is also celebrating their 150th anniversary. The cruising division, which has a more leisurely pace, sets sail on Friday, and the racing division, featuring faster boats, sets sail Saturday. If you want to keep track of the boats throughout the week, the Chicago Yacht Club website has a live race tracker. The fastest boats can finish the race in around 20-22 hours. Most boats finish in 40 to 60 hours, according to the Chicago Yacht Club. CBS News Chicago will be streaming the start of the race on Friday on the CBS News app and website, Paramount Plus, and Pluto TV starting around 2:30 p.m.
CBS News
18-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Boater urges safety after rescuing father, sons on capsized jet ski in Lake Michigan
Father, son rescued by boaters after jet ski flips over on Lake Michigan Father, son rescued by boaters after jet ski flips over on Lake Michigan Father, son rescued by boaters after jet ski flips over on Lake Michigan Chicago's lakefront can be quite inviting this time of year, but those who venture out — whether on a boat or a jet ski — are advised they had best be prepared for the worst. On Father's Day, Lake Michigan took a dangerous turn for a father and his teenage sons out for a jet ski ride. Video showed a father and sons in the water after the jet ski flipped. Kevin Foote and his friends were heading back to Belmont Harbor on a boat on Sunday, when they spotted the jet skiers clearly in distress right at the mouth of the harbor. "It's a dangerous spot," said Foote. "It's the high-traffic spot where everybody's going in and out of the harbor — and as I mentioned before, you know, once that jet ski is flipped over and once a person is floating in the water, you're pretty darn low to the water." Such circumstances make it harder for those entering the mouth of the harbor to see other watercraft entering the mouth, Foote explained. So Foote and his friends decided to help out — and not by jumping in. "The only thing worse about having somebody in the water is having somebody else in the water," said Foote. Foote and his crew are members of the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac — so they're skillful. They blocked the jet skiers from other boaters who might have run into them, and then helped the jet skiers get onto their boat. "By the time they got out of the water, they were cold," said Foote, "and you know, flipping one of those things and being in the water is a lot of effort." While the yacht club members helped the father and sons, Foote points out the jet skiers were prepared. They all wore life vests. "You've got to make sure it fits, that it's comfortable, that you'll actually wear it," Foote said. And as more people venture out to Lake Michigan, safety must remain a top priority. There were 51 drownings in Lake Michigan in 2024, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. There have been nine already this year. "I think it also is a great reminder of just what's in your control and what's not in your control," said Foote. Foote said the father and sons were shaken, but extremely grateful for the help. In this case, everyone walked away safely — but of course, that is not always the case.
