A History of the Chicago to Mackinac Race
By Gretchen Croll
There are many long distance races in the Olympiad of offshore racing, but there is nothing quite like the Mac. Compared to the many offshore oceanic races, the Mac seems short; only 333 statute miles or 289.4 nautical miles, but the longest annual freshwater sailing race in the world and has attracted many world class offshore ocean racers. The Chicago Mac remains a mostly amateur event however, giving many young and upcoming sailors in the Midwest as well as many others the chance to test themselves against some of the best sailors in the world.
The race was first run in 1898 as a challenge between two sloops, Vanenna and Siren, sailing from Chicago to Mackinac Island was a unique racing challenge for the boats and would settle the nagging question once and for all; which boat was faster. The first race featured a mere five boats, the two sloops as well as three schooners. Mackinac Island was a favored destination spot for many of the Chicago sailing community, though no one had ever raced directly up to the island before, instead favoring a multi-port route up the coast of Michigan until reaching the Island in the Straits between Lakes Michigan and Huron. In addition, the Chicago Yacht Club felt that sponsoring a long distance race would help to attract larger vessels to Chicago and renew the declining sport of sailing in the city. This decline in the sailing community was a result of the loss of the Fisher Cup to the Canada’s Atlanta in 1883. As of 1897, there were only six members and two boats representing the Chicago Yacht Club, and seeing the success of a similar venture done by the New York Yacht Club, the Mac was officially begun. After a little more than 52 hours, Vanenna became the first winner of the Chicago to Mackinac race and a great freshwater sailing tradition was born.
After the first race in 1898 there was not another running of the race until 1904, though there were considerably more entries. By 1906, the race had developed a great deal of interest and the original Mackinac Trophy was purchased. There were other interruptions in the running of the Mac, most notably during the years of the First World War, which strained the resources of the entire country and put many yachtsman and boats out of commission. Since 1921 the race has been run each July, and the year 2008 marked the 100th running of the race, and the 110th anniversary of the first Chicago to Mackinac race. This year will be the 105th consecutive running of the Mac and as it does every year, the race has attracted hundreds of crews who will test their sailing knowledge against Mother Nature.
The Chicago to Mackinac race is governed, like all other distance races in the sport of sailing, but the Offshore Racing Rules (ORR) and maintains strict safety guidelines. Though the sailing may seem to be easier, being on a lake rather than the open ocean, the fickle weather of Lake Michigan and the Midwest provides a unique experience every year. In fact, after the sustained gale force winds in 1911 which blew out most of the fleet, race organizers shortened the race to Harbor Springs, MI in an effort to make it safer. This only stuck around for two years and the finish line was given back to Mackinac Island in 1914.
Participants are invited each year by the Chicago Yacht Club and are attend in the hundreds. The race is an amateur event, which means there are no cash prizes awarded; instead, the winners of each section get bragging rights, a plaque and flag as well as an inscribed bottle of Veuve Clicquot commemorating their win. The overall winners get their names engraved on a trophy on permanent display at the Chicago Yacht Club as well. The race begins at the Chicago Lighthouse and ends between the race committee tent on Mackinac Island and the abandoned Round Island lighthouse. One of the many thrills of the Mac for all participants remains to be the sailing under the Mackinac Bridge, not to mention the breathtaking views along the way of the Michigan coastline, especially the Manitou Islands and the view of the Grand Hotel, which once boasted the longest patio in the world when approaching the Island after you pass under the bridge.
South Manitou Island
What began as a Chicago sailing tradition has entered into worldwide fame and recognition and will only continue to grow. As long as Lake Michigan has wind and water, the Chicago to Mackinac Race will continue to be held and sailors will continue to test themselves on it.
Mackinac Island Grand Hotel
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