This yearWaukegan Yacht Club will separate the Sail Awards and the Commodore’s Ball for the first time in several years. Sail Awards will take place November 13th and the Commodore’s Ball on December 4th. Please save the dates and make plans to join us. We have lots of fun things planned.
More details and links to reserve your spot will be coming soon.
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 |
7
WYC open for dinner Watch Football |
8
WYC open for dinner Hamm It Up |
9
Fall Series Races |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13
WYC open for dinner |
14
WYC open for dinner Watch Football |
15
WYC open for dinner |
16
Club closed for |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20
WYC open for dinner |
21
WYC open for dinner Watch Football |
22
WYC open for dinner |
23
Black and Blues Dinner |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 |
November |
|||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Hamm It Up |
6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13
Frostbiting begins |
| 14
Celestial Nav Class 1 |
15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20
Movie Night |
| 21
Celestial Nav Class 2 |
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27
Movie Night |
| 28
Celestial Nav Class 3 |
29 | 30 |
December |
|||
| 1 | 2 | 3
Hamm It Up |
4 Commodore’s Ball |
|||
| 5
Celestial Nav Class 4 |
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
Movie Night |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18
Holiday Party |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31
New Year’s Eve Party |
|
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.
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.
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!
| 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 |
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Click Here to go the Milwaukegan Race Page
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.
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.
Dear WYC members and friends.
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.
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:
Save the dates and come join us for these upcoming events.
Let’s make 2021 a year to remember!
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.
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.
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.
Come join the fun! Cruise with WYC!
