Please select your home edition
Edition
X-Yachts X4.3

CMRC concludes eighth season of Match Racing in the Windy City

by Chicago Match Race on 19 Oct 2016
CMRC / CYC Autumn Invitational 2016 Chicago Match Race Center
The weekend before last, sailors enjoyed classic Chicago fall sailing conditions during the Autumn Invitational. Peter Holz and the Windy City Match Racing Team, with fellow Chicago Yacht Club (CYC) members Meg Six and Mike Whitford onboard, triumphed over the field of eight teams.

Holz narrowly defeated his longtime, local rival, Steve Lowery and his Shadow Racing Team, which included CYC member Andrew Page and Jacob Bruce. While this event may have marked the conclusion of CMRC's eighth season, it also solidified the beginning of a successful partnership, 'CMRC @ CYC.'

Chicago Yacht Club began 2016 with only a handful of experienced match racers, and will end this year with nearly a dozen skippers ranked in the World Sailing Match Racing Rankings. A handful of local and international guest coaches ran drills and hosted chalk talks in weekly practices at CYC. CYC's Sonars proved to be an ideal platform for match racing, especially for new match racers of all ages and experience levels. Participation was so strong, that by mid-season the weeknight practices were over-subscribed.

At the end of the season, eight teams of mostly new, Chicago-based match racers competed in the two-part Gosling's CMRC @ CYC Grade five Series, and six of those teams sailed in the Chicago Autumn Invitational Grade three. Such strong local participation at the last event of the season is testament to the program's success, and promises solid potential for the future of match racing on Lake Michigan.

Chicago Match Race Center's decision to bifurcate its operations this year proved to be a good one. On the one hand, The 'CMRC @ CYC' program was dedicated to developing new local match racers and spreading the love of the game, and on the other, CMRC continued to deliver world-class sailing to Lake Michigan through its integral role in hosting the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Chicago. CMRC also provided training opportunities in M32 catamarans out of 31st Street Harbor and co-hosted a fleet of M32's during the Chicago Yacht Club Verve Cup in August.

CMRC and CYC co-hosted three international match race regattas throughout the season. 'Running these events requires a ton of manpower. At times the team of Race Committee members, umpires and volunteers outnumbers the sailors. It was so cool to see CYC step-up and deliver high quality racing,' commented Maggie Shea, CMRC Sailing Director.

Chicago Yacht Club's leadership took a leap and believed in the potential of the match racing program. The core Belmont Staff, led by Jay Kehoe, Chuck Nevel, Libbi Dust, Martin Heft, Ross Adams and Sarah Collogne, put in long hours to equalize the fleet of Sonars and organize the events on top of their already busy racing schedule. CYC's Race Committee, led by Darcy Cook, Dick Schweers, Olof Andersson and Alina Dix, also received high honors for their hard work when, during the awards ceremony of the Chicago Grand Slam, Harry Price, the overall winner from Sydney, Australia, thanked CYC for 'some of the best on-water race management' his team had ever seen.



Chicago Summer Invitational, Grade 3 - June 24-26, 2016

1. Don Wilson, Keith Swinton, Tod Reynolds
2. Steve Lowery, Rory Lewis, Maurin Lovera
3. Nicole Breault, Molly Carapiet, Karen Loutzenheiser, and Nolan Van Dine
4. Marc Hollerbach, Nathan Hollerbach and Nico Marcolini
5. Peter Holz, Mike Whitford and Tim Siemers
6. Connor Miller, Ray Groble and Eileen O'Neill
7. David Storrs, Matt Clark and Will Holz
8. Matt Hughes, Alex Burrow and Christopher Weis
9. Landon Gardner, Brandon Townsend, Alex Byczko
10. Mark Davies, Will Davies and Ray Groble

Chicago Grand Slam, Grade 2 - August 19-21, 2016

1. Harry Price, Ben Robinson and Murray Jones - Down Under Racing (AUS)
2. Steve Lowery, Rory Lewis and Maurin Lovera - Shadow Racing (USA)
3. Peter Holz, Will Holz and Michael Whitford - Windy City Match Race (USA)
4. David Storrs, Chris Steele and Shane Diviney - Pequot Racing (USA)
5. Jeremy Koo, Graeme Sutherland and Mohd Salfullah Mond Esa - Sime Derby Foundation, Koo Racing Team (MAS)
6. Connor Miller, Mark Davies and Isaac Clark - Rascal Racing (GBR)
7. Hector Guzman, Hector Guzman SR. and Aisling Sullivan (MEX)
8. James Wagner, David Wagner and Spencer Keenan (USA)

Autumn Invitational Grade 3 - October 8-9, 2016

1. Peter Holz, Meg Six, and Mikey Whitford
2. Steve Lowery, Andrew Page, Jacob Bruce
3. Andy Camarda, Rod Salazar, Andy Graf
4. Mark Johnson, Bob Turner, Ian Walter
5. James Wagner, David Wagner, Travis Cottle
6. Mark Croll, Aimee Smith, Tony Koenigsknecht, John Croll
7. Ray Groble, Marcin Koziarski, Jolanta Smaciarz
8. Jovan Brankov, Kevin Foote, Eric Crowley

B&G Zeus SR AUSNorth Sails Loft 57 PodcastRooster 2025

Related Articles

Entry open for trio of Brisbane Finn events
For three weeks in February 2026 the Finn world will descend on the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Entry has opened for the main Finn events in 2026. For three weeks in February 2026 the Finn world will descend on the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, in Brisbane, Australia, for three back-to-back major regattas.
Posted today at 8:02 am
XR 41 ready for racing debut at MaiOR
All eyes on Kiel-Schilksee as the offshore racing season starts in northern Europe Every spring, the sailing world turns its eyes to Kiel-Schilksee, where the Mai Offshore Regatta (MaiOR) launches the offshore racing season in northern Europe.
Posted today at 7:20 am
60th Anniversary Congressional Day 1
Strong start for defending champion USA's Chris Poole, defending champion of the Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup leads the first day of the 60th Anniversary event with six straight wins in the opening round-robin stage.
Posted today at 5:18 am
Joker X2's Long Game in the Melbourne Osaka Cup
A quiet sense of achievement after thirty-six days and 5,500 nautical miles After thirty-six days and 5,500 nautical miles, the double-handed crew of Joker X2 crossed the Osaka finish line with a quiet sense of achievement.
Posted today at 1:46 am
New footage of the Nautitech 44 Open & Bavaria C46
Have a look at the latest from Ensign Yachts, plus the J/40 wins under ORC at Pasquavela in Italy In this edition, we highlight a new Yacht Charter service in the Mediterranean, showcase new footage of our award-winning Bavaria C46, and highlight a walkthrough of the Nautitech 44 Open. Plus the J/40 wins under ORC at the Pasquavela in Italy!
Posted on 30 Apr
McIntyre Mini Globe Race fleet battles Pacific
In historic 4,300-mile test of endurance Solo Sailors Face Doldrums, Equipment Failures and Avian Invaders in Unprecedented Small Boat Challenge - week five of leg 2
Posted on 30 Apr
Don't Risk Your Keys on the Water!
Keep them safe and dry in a Vaikobi Car Key Lock Box Don't risk taking your keys on the water... keep them safe and dry in a Vaikobi Car Key Lock Box.
Posted on 30 Apr
21st Sandberg PalmaVela kicks off tomorrow
With the spectacle of the Maxis in Palma Over one hundred teams representing 19 nationalities will gather in the Bay of Palma for the first major multi-class event of the season: the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela. The impressive Maxis will be the first to take the stage.
Posted on 30 Apr
52 SUPER SERIES Saint-Tropez Cup Day 1
Light winds prove insufficient to start racing Although the 11 boat fleet went afloat until mid-afternoon, crews filled with hope and anticipation, the wind refused to build enough for racing to take place on the first day of the new 52 SUPER SERIES season at the 52 SUPER SERIES Saint-Tropez Cup.
Posted on 30 Apr
Transat Paprec Day 11
The Battle of the Leaders Now past the halfway point and sailing through the heart of the Atlantic, the competitors in the Transat Paprec are still locked in an intense battle. A windless zone expected later this week is drawing everyone's attention and forcing tough decisions.
Posted on 30 Apr