Registration for the Milwaukegan, port-to-port race from Waukegan to Milwaukee is now open! Save $100 by signing up before August 1. The Race will include Cruising, Shorthanded and PHRF sections.
The Milwaukegan races from Waukegan to Milwaukee
The starting line will be hosted by the Waukegan Yacht Club and will feature multiple early morning starts for cruising, shorthanded and PHRF sections. WYC is planning pre-race festivities including food & drink, live music and other fun activities. Ample free docking on the club’s dock wall is available providing easy access to the club and all the fun.
Pre-race festivities are being planned by Waukegan Yacht Club for August 13.
On August 14, Waukegan Yacht Club and Milwaukee Yacht Club will be hosting a new port-to-port race called the Milwaukegan. The race will start in Waukegan and race to Milwaukee. In subsequent years, the finish line will swap destinations. We’re hoping to make this race the next great race on the Great Lakes!
We are calling for designs for T-shirts that will be sold and given away at the race. All entries should be submitted in PDF format and sent to sail @waukeganyachtclub.com. Designs should be no more than 12″ x 12″ and be in no more than 2 colors. If you are designing for a specific color shirt please specify that in your submission. If want your design to print on a black or dark color material, one color in your design must be white. Designs used for the last 3 Chicago-Waukegan races are shown above for reference and inspiration.
The winning Design will become the property of the Milwaukegan Race and no monetary compensation will be made. The designer will receive public recognition and one free T-shirt in any size. Be part of WYC history, submit your design ASAP! Deadline for all submissions is July 12.
Don’t miss Waukegan Yacht Club’s Independence Day Celebration. This year, our July 4 schedule in Waukegan Harbor is packed with events and family friendly activities. Bring your chairs, yard games, and sunscreen for a full day of fun and then stay to watch the Fireworks from the best seat in Waukegan!
JuniorSAIL FIRECRACKER Regatta
AdventureSAIL, Race, KinderSAIL, Instructor & Alumni Divisions FREE to all Students & Alumni Judges take “bribes” from all others (aka 501(c)(3) Donations) (Sponsored by WYCYF Junior Sail) 12:30—4:00 PM (Check-in at 12:00)
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Koops’ Freedom KUP RC Regatta
DF-65 Radio Controlled Sail Racing Regatta $20 Entry Fee (Sponsored by Koops’ Mustard) 4:30—6:00 PM (4:00 Practice Race)
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Give RC a Try!
Kids! You know you want to try driving those awesome RC boats…here’s your first chance. Ask lots of questions, take turns, and give it a try! 6:00 PM—until everyone gets a turn
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WYC BBQ Dinner
WYC Members and Guests enjoy Premium BBQ from Waukegan’s own Big Eds! WYCYF Junior Sail Families are all Guests of WYC on July 4! 6:30—9:00 PM (Reservations Required)
The Waukegan Yacht Club burgee is well known around the world and is available for purchase through the WYC Club store. Founded in 1927, WYC is one of the oldest yacht clubs on the Great Lakes. In March, the WYC board voted to return to the traditional burgee. We ordered a set of burgees and they are now in stock.
Order yours today and fly it proudly from your yardarm.
For years, the Waukegan Yacht Club has displayed photos of members boats on the walls of the bar inside the club. Unfortunately, many of the photos hanging on the walls today are of boats of members that are no longer part of the club. The WYC Sail Committee has decided that the photo wall should be updated with photos of the boats of current members.
All members in good standing are invited to submit a framed 8″ X 10″ photo of their boat to be hung within the club for 2021. We will have one wall dedicated to members who participate in our weekly races and the photos will be displayed each week in the order of that week’s race results. Each week after the race on Wednesday we will have an impromptu ceremony at the club to honor that week’s winners and set their photos in the proper order. All racers are encouraged to attend and participate.
Submit a photo of your boat to hang on the wall of Waukegan Yacht Club
Another wall will display photos of all other members’ boats. Photos can be of sail or power boats and may include your skipper and crew. Photos may include name plaques identifying the boat or skipper’s name.
The first WYC race is scheduled for Wednesday, April 21. This will be a practice race and not count toward flags or awards. All racers are encouraged to participate to get their boats and crews into shape for the upcoming season. The club is also planning a Fish Fry for April 23. You may bring your photos on either dates or anytime afterward, whenever the club is open.
Frames should be plain black or brown and no more than 1″ in width on all four sides.
We hope that all members submit photos for our “Wall of Fame”! If your photo does not have a plaque identifying the boat or owner, please identify your photo in another way so we know who it belongs to.
Please make sure all frames are plain black or brown and no more than 1″ in width on all four sides. The maximum dimensions of any framed photo should be no more than 12″ x 13″. At this time we’d like to hang photo only in portrait mode.
The WYC Pig Roast is set for August 1 to celebrate the Second Annual Mayor’s Regatta. Waukegan’s newly elected Mayor, Ann Taylor, will be in attendance to recognize the winner of the regatta.
Members line up to partake of the Pig roast in 2019 celebrating the Mayor’s Regatta.
The tables will be bursting with wonderful food, including Pulled Pork, Barbecue Ribs, Baked Beans, Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Corn on the Cob and rolls.
The meat will be traditional pit barbecue cooked at the club in a smoker.
In 2019 we had 12 racks of ribs set up in the smoker for cooking.
We will need volunteers to help us set up the club and serve the food. Volunteers make this club work! Please consider lending a hand soon. There’s lots to do around the club and it can’t get done without you!
We still have commemorative t-shirts for the 2021 Chicago-Waukegan Race in stock. This year’s shirt features an original design that honors this historic sailboat race. Over 90 sailboats participated in this year’s race and the names of many of them are featured on the back of the shirt.
Order your shirt(s) today and pick them up at the club W-F. Only a limited numbers and sizes are still available. Don’t miss your chance to capture a bit of history.
Before the race, some boaters expressed concern over the weather reports. Everyone should be aware that most weather reports are formulated and based on the land and usually are not pertinent or accurate for Lake Michigan. The lake creates its own weather patterns and modifies any weather moving from the land to the water, sometimes dramatically.
Wall cloud in Waukegan in 2017.
In some cases, the weather happening on shore is the same as what’s happening over the water, but this is rare. Last night was a good example. Many boaters reported rain falling all over northern Illinois before they left home. From 3pm until well after the race little rain fell at all in the harbor or over the water by Waukegan.
Waukegan Yacht Club has and will cancel races whenever the weather conditions are dangerous or even potentially dangerous in any way. We will not jeopardize anyone’s health or safety for a sailboat race. The race committee arrives in the harbor at least one to two hours in advance of the race and monitors the local conditions. If conditions are not safe we will send out an email as soon as we can. If conditions are questionable, we will poll various skippers and go with the consensus.
Weather on Lake Michigan is unpredictable and can change quickly.
If conditions deteriorate closer to race time an announcement will be broadcast over VHF Radio, Channel 69. Please monitor this channel prior to leaving the harbor. If you do not hear a radio broadcast look for the committee boat on station by 5:45pm. If you don’t see the committee boat by 6:00pm, it’s likely the race has been cancelled.
The best practice is to plan to come to the harbor unless you receive an email from the club. We have two email lists for members and non-members. We ask that all skippers and crew sign up for the non-member list (if you are not a member) so that you receive these notices directly. If you think you are on the list and don’t receive regular emails, check your spam folder. Some recipients have unsubscribed from our emails, either intentionally or unintentionally and no longer receive our communication. If you unsubscribed we cannot add you back ourselves, you will have to opt back in.
Storms are often moderated once they move over the lake.
Basically, all this is to say that you should ignore the weather reports and local weather conditions near your home or office. If you have not received notice of a race cancellation, the race is on. Come to the harbor and be prepared to race until 5:30pm when any cancellation will be announced.
Thanks to all who joined us yesterday. Fair winds!
Ninety-eight racers participated in the 88th Annual Chicago-Waukegan Race in 2021. After being cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic it seemed that everyone was ready to get out and have a good time. The weather cooperated, too. The original forecast was for light winds from the north. That would have created a slow slog to the north over the 25.5 miles to Waukegan.
Fortunately, the wind did not read the forecast. Saturday morning the wind swung around to the west and built to 10-15 knots by start time at 0900. As the boats crossed the line the wind was gusting periodically over 20 knots. Boats were hitting hull speed and more with just jib and main. A few boats launched their asymmetrical spinnakers.
It looked like this year’s race could be a record breaker. By 1230 the first racers were crossing the finish line and headed into the north harbor to dock by the club.
Thanks you all for your generous donations. In less than 24 hours we raised enough money to purchase a new ice machine. We now have all of the equipment at the moment to make sure all of our future events are held with the level of service you would expect from us.
We have been working tirelessly to make sure the Chicago-Waukegan race is the type of event that you should expect from the club. All members and friends of WYC should come out and volunteer during the race.
We look forward to spending the summer with you all.
Open for Drinks and Dinner
As you’re aware we are open Wednesday,Thursday and Friday evenings. The new menu is getting excellent reviews and service is fast. Bring a friend or the entire family down, try it out.
We still need your help on the following items:
Come eat and drink at the club. We have the best view in Waukegan. The club looks fantastic.
We need more staff – do you know anyone – send them to Bo Haroer. Better yet, come volunteer on a couple nights
Look for our upcoming events
Save the dates and come join us for these upcoming events.
July 4th fireworks party and fundraiser for members and guests
June 19 the Chicago to Waukegan Race is back on.
August 14 the new Waukegan to Milwaukee race the Milwaukegan! Thanks to Rolf Wagner, Howard and Bill LaVanne for spearheading the planning.
Waukegan Yacht Club is back in business. The bar and kitchen will be open Wednesday. Thursday and Friday from 4pm-9:30pm. We ask all members to turn out to support the club.
Chicago Waukegan Race
Chicago-Waukegan Racers docked and rafted out from the club dock.
We need help for the Chicago Waukegan Race, June 19-20. This is WYC’s #1 fundraiser for the year. We need to make sure it goes successfully. We need people to sell tickets, serve food and help out throughout the club and dock. Please send your name and contact info to social @waukeganyachtclub.com and how you’d like to help.
Plans for the first 2021 WYC Cruise to Muskegon had to be modified due to the latest bout of inclement weather. Winds that swung around to the north on Wednesday, May 26, have not relented. At first the Cruise Committee targeted New Buffalo as an alternate destination, but the strength of the wind and wave conditions scrapped that idea too. The goal of the Cruise Committee is to have fun cruising. It’s one thing to get hit with bad wind and waves when you are already out in the lake, it’s another thing to run out willingly into it. So, the best option for this weekend is Montrose Harbor in Chicago.
The winds and waves are suppose to ease by noon Saturday. Boats are planning to leave Waukegan before that time. Winds are predicted to be around 20 knots. That seems like a lot except that the course to Montrose is due south, with the winds. WYC raced up to Racine last year in stronger winds and everyone had a great time.
Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club is open for dinner and cocktails.
Cruisers have already made reservations for the harbor using the service Dockwa. Rates are charged at $2.25 a foot. You can also obtain electrical connections and water. Toilet and showers are included in the price. The facilities in Montrose modern and up-to-date. Dining is available at Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club (CCYC) and nearby in the Uptown, Lake View and Edgewater neighborhoods of Chicago.
Saturday, May 22, Waukegan Yacht Club will hold Off Shore Race #2 from Waukegan to Zion. All racers are invited. You do not have to be a member to race.
Starting Line
WYC race starting line when no committee boat is on station.
The starting line for the Zion race will be a line between the Committee Boat and Waukegan Green Bell Buoy #3. First Warning is 1055. Starting time is 1100 for all boats.
No Committee Boat
On any race when no committee boat is present the racers will assign an official starter among themselves. The starter will establish and announce the official race time. That time will pertain to the start and finish times. Please adjust your timepieces accordingly to conform to the official time during the race.
When no committee boat is present, the starting line will be an imaginary line between the Green Waukegan Lighthouse and Green Bell Buoy #3. After the first warning,
Restrictions
Spinnakers are not permitted prior to the race start. If appropriate, you may launch spinnakers after crossing the starting line when it is safe to do so.
Course
Racers will proceed north to Zion to make the finish line in a safe and appropriate manner.
Finish Line
Waukegan-Zion Race finish line.
The Finish Line is a imaginary line 090º T extending no more than 600 feet east from the Zion intake marker. Boats finish when any part of the boat or sails cross this line. Mark your time and the names of the boats ahead and behind and report to Sail @waukeganyachtclub.com. Although there is no exclusionary zone at Zion any more, racers are asked to stay east of the Zion intake marker until after you finish. Once you finish you are free to operate in any manner as appropriate.
Zion Intake Marker
The Zion intake has been given a facelift with a completely new light and day markers. The intake marker is a steel pole and all boaters should stay well clear of it. Depths are charted between 10-12 feet west of the intake.
Section 3 First Warning: 1840, Start: 1845 Sections 1 & 2 First Warning: 1845, Start: 18:50
May be 2 marks for different sections
Off Shore Race #2 – Waukegan to Zion, Saturday, May 22nd
The WYC Off Shore Race #2 is scheduled for Saturday, May 22nd. The Race is from Waukegan Bell Buoy #3 to the Zion marker and starts at 1100. See the 2021 WYC Sailing Instructions linked below for more details.
Passing Zion marker during Winthrop race
Do you need crew? Do you want to crew? Send your contact info and interest to: Sail @ waukeganyachtclub.com We will connect crew with boats!
WYC Cruisers! it is getting close to our departure for Muskegon, MI and Muskegon Yacht Club (MYC). We will be calling them soon about transient slips and costs. If you are planning on joining us on this cruise send an email to cruise@waukeganyachtclub.com so we can make arrangements. Click here to see more Muskegon info.
Alternate Destination
We are watching the weather and hope the winds are in our favor for the trip. If weather is totally adverse to make Muskegon, we may change the destination port on short notice.
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