The Social Committee met recently and mapped out the WYC Social Calendar for the rest of the year. Below you will find a complete calendar for October, November and December. Social events can only happen at the club with the support of members.
Sun
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
October
1
2
Fall Series Races
3
4
5
6
WYC open for dinner (4:30-8:30pm)
7
WYC open for dinner (4:30-8:30pm)
Watch Football at the Club!
8
WYC open for dinner (4:30-9:30pm)
Hamm It Up Live Music (5-9:30pm)
9
Fall Series Races First warning 1000 Oktoberfest (3pm-8pm)
10
11
12
13
WYC open for dinner (4:30-8:30pm)
14
WYC open for dinner (4:30-8:30pm)
Watch Football at the Club!
15
WYC open for dinner (4:30-8:30pm)
16
Club closed for Private event
Fall Series Races Cookout on the pier (Last Race of 2021)
17
18
19
20
WYC open for dinner (4:30-8:30pm)
21
WYC open for dinner (4:30-8:30pm)
Watch Football at the Club!
22
WYC open for dinner (4:30-8:30pm)
23
Black and Blues Dinner Live Music (5:30-11:00pm)
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
November
1
2
3
4
5
Hamm It Up Drinks discounts. Live music (5-9:30pm)
The 2021 WYC Members meeting is scheduled for December 9th. All WYC members should plan to attend this meeting as we have several important issues to discuss and votes are required of the membership.
All members should familiarize themselves with the WYC bylaws which can be accessed at the following link: WYC Bylaws (amended).
Waukegan Yacht Club kicked off its Fall Racing series by combining fleets with Anchorage Yacht Club. Eight boats turned out for a reverse PHRF race to Zion and back. The winds started off light from the southwest and built to 10-15 knots from the southeast as the boats turned around the Zion intake marker.
The start of the Zion race was downwind.
After the race the club was open for lunch and drinks and many of the racers came in to celebrate the start of our combined Fall Racing series. The Fall series continues Oct 9th with two buoy races using a modified Olympic course (shown below). All racers are welcome to participate. You do not have to be a member of WYC or AYC to race. If you are not registered for the Fall Series you can submit your registration by downloading the registrations form by clicking here.
The Oct 9th combined fleet race will use a modified Olympic course.
Here are the results of Saturdays combined fleet race. It’s not too late to join the fun. Only two more weekends left in the Fall series!
Fall Series Race #1
10/02/2021
Place
Boat
PHRF
Reverse Start
Finish
1
MADCAP
-30
11:06:43
12:27:36
2
COUREGEOUS
69
10:49:53
12:34:04
3
CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC
87
10:46:49
12:42:00
4
NINE LIVES
102
10:44:16
12:44:35
5
SHAKA
126
10:40:12
12:52:05
6
MILLER TIME
180
10:31:01
13:00:45
7
SERENITY
156
10:35:06
13:10:40
8
LUCILLE MARIE
186
10:30:00
13:11:38
Oktoberfest at Waukegan Yacht Club
After the races on Oct 9th, Waukegan Yacht Club invites all racers to come to the club to buy a beer, a brat and hot pretzel to celebrating Oktoberfest at the club! Don’t miss the fun!
WYC is celebrating Oktoberfest at the club on Oct 9th!
On October 9, Waukegan Yacht Club will celebrate Oktoberfest with a fun selection of German food, cold beer and hot pretzels! Come grab a bratwurst, smoked sausage, and some sauerkraut and toast a great year at the club! WYC has doubled its membership in 2021!! Oompah band music will fill the air and people will be dancing polkas in the club again.
Oktoberfest dinner for kids
Check out our menu! The club will be open from 3pm-9pm Saturday, Oct 9th for Oktoberfest! Food service ends at 8pm so come in early!
The inaugural Milwaukegan Race went off beautifully over the weekend. We had 23 boats register and 20 boats started the race Saturday morning.
Waukegan Yacht Club hosted an amazing party Friday for the racers supplying all the racers with tasty food and cold beverages! A live DJ entertained the crowd and got people up and dancing. We even had a fun raffle of great prizes.
Milwaukegan welcome dinner.
Everything was set for the start of the race the next day. The start of the race was greeted with sunny cloudless sky and light winds from the northwest. It looked like the race would be a challenge for many of the boats. Light wind boats moved out nicely and soon were leading the pack. But by the time the fleet got to Kenosha the winds flipped around to the south and rose and fell the rest of the day but held steady from the south.
The 2021 Milwaukegan race was a spinnaker duel.
Boats with symmetrical spinnakers had the definite advantage over racers with asyms or none at all. With the winds dead from the south it was a run the whole way to Wind point. Many of the racers headed out northeast looking for more wind but that turned out to be fruitless for most.
By sunset, the fastest boats were starting to pull into Milwaukee and tying up at the Milwaukee Yacht Club (MYC). The first boat finished around 7:30pm and the last one came in around 9:30pm. The MYC kitchen stayed open late for the racers and the club treated everyone to free beer. It was satisfying ending to a wonderful day of racing.
Boats started arriving around sunset. The last around 9:30pm.
Since no one knew what time the racers would arrive in Milwaukee, the race committee decided on a morning award breakfast. On Sunday, the sun rose in a cloudless blue sky and the racers assembled in the MYC boat house for the awards ceremony. Waukegan provided nearly half of the racers for this years’ contest and we took home our share of flags.
American Dream took home 2nd place in the PHRF 2 section.
Thanks to all the planners, volunteers and racers for making this a new tradition on the Great Lakes! We could not have done this without you!
The Milwaukegan is a new port-to-port race organized by the Waukegan Yacht Club (WYC) and the Milwaukee Yacht Club (MYC) and took place Saturday, August 14. Waukegan was the starting point for the race this year and we hosted a killer welcome party for the racers and WYC members and guests on Friday, August 13! The club had a live DJ, an awesome dinner buffet, discounted drinks and even breakfast options for Saturday morning!
WYC dock wall hosted the Milwaukegan Racers!.
The race had 23 boats signed up in four sections. Registration was still open up to Thursday, August 12. The race encouraged NEW racers to sign up and several new racers took the challenge! WYC hosted a skipper’s meeting and New Racer orientation at the club Friday evening at 8pm.
Milwaukegan Buffet Dinner
The Buffet dinner provided a selection of tasty offerings.
WYC and MYC are planning to make the Milwaukegan a annual tradition on the Great Lakes like the Mac and Chicago Waukegan. Come join us next year!
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!
The Milwaukegan is a reality! We now have the minimum number registered to hold the race! This new port-to-port race from Waukegan to Milwaukee is now official. Register now for “The Milwaukegan” and be a plank owner for this race sponsored by Waukegan Yacht Club (WYC) and Milwaukee Yacht Club (MYC). The fee increase for Aug 1 was reversed. The low registration fee has been extended until further notice Don’t wait. Register now! This year’s race, featuring early morning starts in Waukegan with the finish in Milwaukee, will divide sections based upon PHRF brackets and more.
We’re looking for new racers!
Have you ever participated in a sailboat race before? The Milwaukegan is an ideal race for new racers. The course stays close to shore. Waukegan Yacht Club (WYC) will conduct pre-race seminars and training to make it easy for new racers. Come make the Milwaukegan your first port-to-port distance race?
Not a racer? Then, register for our cruising division.
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 DJ 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.
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.
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