Put on your boat shoes and head to Navy Pier for excitement on the water! The Pier is the starting point for the 109th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, the longest annual freshwater sailing race in the world. The race starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 15.
You’ll be on the sidelines, watching hundreds of boats race to Mackinac. This high energy event is primarily a test of strength, endurance, strategy, and willpower. Racing yachtsmen also hope for a little sailors luck to win the trophy. You can even cheer them on to victory as they head to the finish line in Michigan.
At 333 miles (289.4 nautical miles), the Race to Mackinac is the oldest annual freshwater distance race in the world. ‘The Mac’ starts at the Chicago Lighthouse, just off Navy Pier and continues to Mackinac Island.