Almost 90 members and guests came to Waukegan Yacht Club on Saturday, November 16, to celebrate the 2019 boating season, our racers and Commodore Jim Hellquist. The club opened at 6pm and our guests started to gather for cocktails and appetizers.
Cocktails at the Sail-A-Bration
Dinner was served at 7pm. The buffet of mandarin orange salad, roast beef, chicken piccata, grilled vegetable medley and mashed potatoes was generous and delicious.
Dinner was served at plentiful and delicious.
The sail awards were given out at 8pm. Among the winners were crews of Sirocco III, Spitfire, American Dream, Unplugged, FasTen, Elecktra and Lucille Marie. Click here to check out all the awards.
Sirocco III took home many honors at the Sail Awards.
After the awards were completed, the band Sons of Chicago kicked off the dancing. The dance floor was full of revelers most of the evening.
Starting Line: Between a staff displaying an orange flag on Waukegan Yacht Club committee boat and course Mark “W”*. See NOTE ‘A’ re: no committee boat on station.
WYC Offshore Startjng Line
Course Leave Course Mark “Z” to port*.
Distance 22.1 nm
Finish: A line 090ºT from and no more than 500 feet from the Red Breakwater Light #2
Racine Finish Line
Time Limit No time limit (Record your time, boat ahead and behind if possible when committee boat not on station.) Use GPS time.
Notes: Mark “W” is shoal (bell) buoy #3 FL G 2.5s (N 42.21.7 W 87.47.9) Mark “Z” is the day marker on the water intake for the former Zion Nuclear Power Plant (N 42.26.5 W 87.47.2) Mark “R” Reef West End Buoy #1 FL G 4s (N 42.43.5 W 87.46.0). Leave to starboard.
NOTE ‘A’ – For all races when the committee boat is not on station, take your own time and the boat ahead and behind. You must finish within 5 boat lengths of the designated finish mark (when possible) and fully cross any designated finish line. All finishes are between the mark and committee boat or a line perpendicular from the finish mark and the designated course. If no boat is on station, the finish mark will be left to port on all southbound races and to starboard on all northbound races (unless otherwise notified in the Notice of Race or Sailing Instructions). Racers are advised to follow all rules of the road and to observe safety precautions at all times.
Return to Waukegan
The return to Waukegan can start at any time at your discretion.
Offshore Race #10: Saturday 9/18/21 or Sunday 9/19/21
Warning: N/A
Start: At your discretion (Saturday or Sunday). Report start time to sail@waukeganyachtclub.com
Starting Line: A line 270º T and no more than 300 feet west of Mark “R”. Leave to port.
Course: Leave Course Mark “Z” to Starboard.
Distance: 22.1 nm
Finish: A line between Bell Buoy #3 and Waukegan Green Lighthouse.
Racine starting line
Time Limit: No time limit as long as you started Saturday or Sunday. (Record your time, boat ahead and behind if possible when committee boat not on station.) Use GPS time. Send cellphone photo and finish time to Sail@waukeganyachtclub.com
NOTE: Racers not staying overnight may leave Racine at any time and mark their starting time, section and finish time and report to Sail@waukeganyachtclub.com as described above.
The Waukegan Yacht Club hosted the annual Last Race Race the culmination of our racing season. This race has been held every year for many years since the club was founded. The race is sponsored in conjunction with the Kenosha Yacht Club who hosts the racers at their dock wall for drinks and dinner.
Fifteen boats participated this year, half coming from Wisconsin. Most arrived at the club around 0900. The club was opened and a bartender served the racers as they arrived. Many of the boats had to leave earlier from Kenosha to make it to Waukegan in time for the start.
Boats dock along the wall north of the Waukegan Yacht Club preparing for the race
The boats tied up along side the dock wall picking their spots carefully so they could get a good start at the proper time. The Last Race Race uses a Le Mans style race start. All skippers have to come inside the club and wait for their starting time, determined by a reverse PHRF calculation. The fastest boats are given starting times staggered to take into account their typical speed over distance.
Unplugged, a Waukegan boat, is readied for the start
The racers came in all sizes and the smallest was actually an 18-foot Buccaneer, which actually finished well up in the pack.
Racers came in all size, big and small, like this 18 ft Buccaneer.
The weather was cloudy with blustery winds coming from the southwest. Waves were one to two feet. Many boats launched their spinnakers after leaving Waukegan harbor or deployed spinnaker or whisker poles to sail wing on wing north.
The wind hit 15-20 knots at points in the race and running downwind the boats hit hull speed or better if flying their spinnakers. Many reported surfing on the fast moving waves. All the boats were moving quickly and promised to arrive in Kenosha in record time.
Final Results
The following results are final. We have received confirmation of finish times by several participants. One racer noticed that our original handicapped starting times were incorrect due to an incorrect distance used from Waukegan to Kenosha. After correcting the error we applied the resulting difference to all finish times to achieve the following standings. We apologize for the previous error. Congratulations to all the participants in this fun race! If you notice your corrected time is wrong please contact Sail@waukeganyachtclub.com and we will update the results as soon as possible. (Updated 9/28)
The Waukegan Yacht Club Cruisers completed a successful cruise to St Joseph, Michigan this Sunday. The weather was perfect and the lake provided no surprises.
Three boats had planned to cruise on Friday, but one had to drop out for personal reasons. The Cruisers departed from the fuel pier around 1100. The wind was fresh from the northwest and the boats were able to achieve hull speed for the first 20 miles. Unfortunately, the wind dropped to 3-4 knots and the cruisers resorted to their engines for the remainder of the journey.
Caramar pulls out toward the fuel pier to rendezvous with the other cruisers.
The boats covered the remaining 40 miles in good time and arrived just after midnight Eastern time at the entrance of St Joseph. The boats docked at the St Joseph River Yacht Club shortly afterward and watched in amazement as a huge lake freighter backed out into the channel. From the conversation heard on channel 72, the freighter had actually waited until the cruisers had passed safely out of the channel.
Dawn found the cruisers in good spirits and ready to explore the town. Some discovered a breakfast venue nearby and then crossed the drawbridge into downtown St Joe. The main street was alive with people shopping and dining at the local restaurants. A farmer’s market was still in full swing in a park overlooking the lake.
Cruisers assemble at dawn at St Joseph River Yacht Club after a late arrival.
A couple of WYC members flew over to St Joe and met the cruisers for dinner at the Yacht Club. Everyone had a wonderful meal and enjoyed the great company.
The Cruisers and some surprise guests met for dinner at the St Joe Yacht Club
Sunday morning came early and the cruisers were up and ready to go. The sun was bright and the sky partly cloudy. The wind was fresh again this time from the southwest. As soon as the boats passed the last lighthouse sails were up and they were off toward Waukegan at hull speed.
The view of the St Joe Lighthouses as the cruisers motor out of the harbor.
The wind held most of the day until the boats came within 10 miles of home. Engines were revived and the last short distance passed quickly.
Cruisers enjoying the sail back to Waukegan.
The first cruiser entered harbor around 6:00 pm. After the boats were tied up and closed down, the cruisers met for a celebratory dinner at Casa de Samuels on Belvidere in downtown Waukegan. A fitting end to a wonderful adventure.
You do not need to be a member of the Waukegan Yacht Club to cruise with us. All motor and sail boats are welcome. Come join the fun!
If you want more info, send an email to sail@waukeganjosephconrad.org.
On June 22, the Waukegan Yacht Club hosted the 88th Annual Chicago-Waukegan Race. Over 120 boats participated in this year’s race. Over 500 sailors descended on the club and the weather turned out nicely although rain threatened all day. Want to know who won? Check out the list of finishers here.
Chicago-Waukegan race start off Montrose Harbor
Over all the racers who participated in the race in 2019, many chose to dock and raft off at the club. The dock offered food and drink to the thirsty and hungry racers. Mount Gay flowed liberally.
Racers rafted off the dock by the club.
Dinner was served starting at 5:30pm and ending at 7:30pm. A live band played after dinner and well into the night and the dance floor was full.
Many volunteers turned out to help with the committee boat, ticket sales, dinner, and the party on Saturday night and for the breakfast on Sunday. Thanks to all those volunteers who came out to help. We could not have done it without you!
Chicago-Waukegan volunteers Joanna Tarnawski, Eleanor Vick and Erik Hellquist.
Want to get a piece of history? Buy our 2019 commemorative Chicago-Waukegan Race t-shirt. The 100% heavy-weight cotton t-shirts were very popular Saturday and Sunday, but we still have some shirts on hand for sale. Order one today and pick it up tat the club, or have it shipped right to your house. Don’t wait. we only have a few shirts left in each size!
The Fall Series of Waukegan Yacht Club kicked off Saturday, Sept 15 with light winds. Racers worked every gust and lift to make their way north. The first boat finished just after 2pm.
The lake was full of boaters coming out of every harbor.
Lanteen-rigged sailboat sails from Kenosha, Wisconsin.Lanteen-rigged sailboat sails from Kenosha, Wisconsin.
This lighthouse welcomes visitors to Racine Harbor
The Spitfire crew waits for their food order after finishing first
On June 16th the Waukegan | Joseph Conrad Yacht Club hosted the 87th annual Chicago-Waukegan sailboat race. Nearly 130 boats registered for the race and over 100 took part in the race.
Chicago-Waukegan race start off Montrose Harbor
This year the weather was unpredictable as usual. The wind started briskly coming from the south from 5-7 knots. Most boats immediately launched their spinnakers and the various sections started to battle it out for the lead.
Chicago-Waukegan race start off Montrose Harbor
A little over an hour after the last boat crossed the starting line the wind abruptly swung around to the northeast at over 10 knots. The shift caught many boats unprepared as their crews jumped into action to dose their chutes.
Now the race had shifted to a close hauled beat to windward. But, as they say, “if you don’t like the weather in Chicago, wait five minutes.” Less than another hour passed and the wind began to shift around to the east and not long afterward back to the south once more.
Chutes came out again and this to stay. At first, the wind was steady and strong, but ebbed over the next few hours. Fortunately, for most of the fleet they were able to stand to Waukegan and the finish line. By 2:00pm, the majority of racers had crossed the line and retired to the north harbor where they rafted off the club dock, or to berths they had rented in the south harbor. Waukegan racers simply went off to their own berths.
Boats finishing the 87th Chicago-Waukegan race
The weather in Waukegan was sunny and warm and perfect for a cookout. Grills were fired up and many racers grabbed a burger, brat or hot dog and a cold brew or rum and coke. The club and dockside was alive with members, racers and guests.
The dock was filled with members, racers and guests
Dinner was an Italian buffet and was served starting at 5:30pm. Food went fast and actually ran out by 8:00pm. Live music started by 7:30pm and rocked the club for a few hours before the awards were made. The party continued well into the night.
All parts of the club were humming with conversations, laughter and sea stories.
Sunday morning came early and many sailors and guests took advantage of Bo Harper’s Bloody Mary bar! Many took advantage of the hot breakfast provided by the club. By 8:00am, the Committee boat cast off to set up the starting line. The first section started at 9:05 and each following section went off in 5 minute increments. In less than an hour all 9 sections were gone.
In a blink of the eye the racers were gone, headed back to Chicago
The Board of Directors would like to thank the following volunteers who made this event a major success:
Claudia Aisenberg, Larry Beliant, Jeff Bernachi, Colin Classen, Richard Fee, Yvonne Fee, Mary Ellen Giffels, Jose Guzman, Bo Harper, Lynne Hellquist, Erik Hellquist, John Johnson, Barbara Klupiec, Chris Klupiec, Mark LeVan, Jim Maivald, Paul McEntee, Aaron Milks, Kim Nerheim, John Rouse, Viktoriya Rouse, Tom Sivia, Nikki Sullivan, and Al (Jeep) Trefts. Let us know if we missed your name.
Volunteers made this year’s event a tremendous success
Please join us in thanking the wonderful volunteers who helped to decorate the club on Sunday! We had great group of decorators.
The trees were trimmed with care.
We’d like to thank Howard Larson, Andy, Anna and Robert Kepinki, Dave and Kim Perrone, Denise Lapins, Jim, Lynne and Erik Hellquist, Jim and Susan Maivald for making the club look so festive.
Lynne Hellquist brought holiday cheer to the club.
The club is available to rent for private parties and corporate events. You can’t have a better venue for your holiday party! Call Jim Hellquist at 847-623-4188 for more information. There are still some gnomes available for adoption. For a minimum donation of $50 you can take one home this year! All proceeds help to support the club.
