Crazy Chicago Mac Race

[Jumpstart]

Once you’ve done a Mac race it kind of gets in your blood. I’ve done 20 between Chicago and Bayview. Due to unusual circumstances I got a call from my cousin to do this years ChiMac on Thursday night before Friday’s 3:00 pm start. I had to get to Chicago (325miles) and get registered by 11:00 am. They needed me to meet the 5 crew minimum or they couldn’t race. All worked out and I got the required personal AIS device registered with the RC. The boat was a 70 - Coronado 34. Nice lines and Tripp design at only 10,500 lbs. The slowest rated boat in the cruising class by far. This was replacement for another boat that was unavailable at the last minute. The crew was experienced and talented . Sizing up our competition we were painfully under equipped. There were a lot of carbon sails and short spirits. Our Dacron sails and sunbrella leech cover looked a bit out of place. No matching outfits either. We nailed the downwind start and proceeded up the course to weather of our 12 boat section. We were keeping pace with our Genoa and held our position after launching our cruising spinnaker. The fleet faded west of the rhumb line as we kept our 7 knot boat speed up east of the rhumb. We were heartened when the 102 ft Whitehawk blew by us doing about 12-14 knots on our heading. We were a couple of miles to weather of our fleet waiting for the forecasted big shift. 3 hours into the race we were in 3rd place. 8 hours in after the shift we were in first place. 11 hours in at 2:30am we were still in first place as the wind softened with an approaching storm. We delayed putting the spinnaker back up. The storm hit with 20 knots which quickly escalated to 60knot. Let the Genoa sheets run as the boat accelerated to 11 knots. Lasted 20 minutes. When we recovered we noticed the port upper shroud on the windward side was dangling. The wood spreader had totally broken off 8” from the tip. We tried lashing a whisker pole to the mast and pushing out the shroud. It didn’t work so we retired and motored 42 miles to Milwaukee in 20 knots of wind and 5 foot breaking seas on the nose. The end of what could have been an epic race. Bummer

 

[Jumpstart]

We were first at 3:15 then it went awry. Bummer

 

[danstanford]

Great story Jump! Thanks

 

[jon hansen]

nice read thanks for sharing

 

[jssailem]

Good story. Sorry the outcome was not what was desired. Boats have a way of doing that. Sounds like the crew was up to the adventure. Thanks for sharing.

 

[shemandr]

Good story - thanks for posting!
Is there ever a Chi - Mac without a thunder storm dust up!

 

[Jumpstart]

About 10 years ago I did one where we put the chute up at the start and took it down at the bridge. Shorts and t-shirt the whole race. Every other one I’ve done has had either storms or lots of upwind work and cold.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Several weeks before the 1987 race, I was invited to train and crew on a friend-of-a-friends boat for the race and I declined ... always wished I hadn't turned it down (I was stretched pretty thin in those days). Turns out, it was an historic year, similar to what @Jumpstart describes above. Reading this article, I see the name of a high school classmate winning the IMS fleet on a Tartan 10.

TRADER OVERALL WINNER IN FASTEST MAC

The 80th Chicago to Mackinac Island Yacht race will go down in the record books as the fastest in its long and storied history. Ten boats–not including overall winner Trader–broke the r…

www.chicagotribune.com

 

[jssailem]

Scott. There is always next year. That could be your year for the race.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Scott. There is always next year. That could be your year for the race.

No, I think that time may have passed!

I have to correct myself ... I did just notice that Rich Stearns the elder passed this year at the age of 94. It was him that won that IMS fleet on his T-10 in 1987. His son, Rich (my classmate) was actually on Pied Piper that race ... first to finish breaking the historic 1911 elapsed time record. Very interesting life of a sailor!

Eight Bells: Richard (Dick) Stearns

Richard (Dick) Stearns, champion sailor and marine industry innovator, died peacefully with family members at his side on January 25, 2022 at home in

www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

 

[Steve L22188]

I'd say this was a win-win win. You had fun (maybe not the 20 on the nose!)...you led the race for hours...and you have a great story to tell in the bar. What's not to like about all that?

 

[jon hansen]

Several weeks before the 1987 race, I was invited to train and crew on a friend-of-a-friends boat for the race and I declined ... always wished I hadn't turned it down (I was stretched pretty thin in those days). Turns out, it was an historic year, similar to what @Jumpstart describes above. Reading this article, I see the name of a high school classmate winning the IMS fleet on a Tartan 10.

TRADER OVERALL WINNER IN FASTEST MAC

The 80th Chicago to Mackinac Island Yacht race will go down in the record books as the fastest in its long and storied history. Ten boats–not including overall winner Trader–broke the r…

www.chicagotribune.com

read the article. trader, the winner, was owned by a friend that i went to high school with and bill emery, off bacchante, was a friend of mine.
from many moons ago

 

[shemandr]

Rich Sterns was behind the LS-10, I think. That was the Tartan 10 redux. I don't know if it was the father or son. A friend on the North Fork of LI bought one. He did pretty well with it. Took it to Key West Race Week Block Island Race Week and numerous other local venues. The lake sailers love their Tartan 10's!

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Yes, Rich, the son was behind that effort. He also has an impressive racing resume, which can be seen on his website for Stearns Boating in Chicago. He's participated in maybe 50 Chicago-Mac races? I never knew him as a sailor in high school. I knew him as one of the best high school swimmers in the state. Later, it surprised me to learn that he skied as well (verboten for swim team). I quit the diving team to pursue skiing.