Slow and steady in the 2025 Race to Mackinac
by Laura Muma 20 Jul 10:55 PDT
July 20, 2025
Overnight and into the morning, the 285 sailboats racing in the 116th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust are making steady progress up Lake Michigan.
As of 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT, the race tracker shows the boats tightly packed together, stretching from Muskegon north to Traverse City. The lone standout is Peter Thornton's 104-foot ketch Whitehawk (racing in the Cruising Division), which should finish imminently. The Cruising Division began on Friday afternoon from Chicago, to allow the typically slower boats additional time to complete the 333-mile race.
The next closest competitor trails 50 miles behind and if current conditions hold, likely will not finish before midnight. The majority of the fleet won't see Mackinac Island until late Monday and possibly into Tuesday.
In the race known as America's Offshore Challenge, the wind conditions are a stark contrast to last year's race, which saw record-breaking speeds and a new monohull course record of just over 22 hours. "That's the beauty of this race," said Soldani. "Competitors are challenged every time they sail the Mac Race - whether it's from high winds and storms, or light air and biting flies."
Race fans can check out Soldani's latest race analysis on Facebook that details the racers progress and upcoming weather forecast.
After a rainy start for the Racing Division in Chicago yesterday, the fleet encountered bands of rain overnight as they sailed across Lake Michigan to the Michigan shoreline, and reports from Team Morticia indicated it was a chilly, wet ride on board the 30-foot trimaran.
"We were all in drysuits, layered underneath with all the fleece we have; and it was still cold," said Chris Tuckfield, skipper/owner of Morticia. "It was probably blowing about 15kts max, but it was a very dark night under the clouds of the rain storm that came across from Milwaukee."
Some crews are making the best of the "all over the place" race conditions, said Gabe Kochmer, sailing on board Andare, a Grand Soleil 50 racing in the Cruising Division. Between the multiple sail changes required as the wind switched from a southerly to northerly direction, the Andare team has still managed to enjoy some gourmet fare from fresh sushi to homemade lasagna.
Find out more at www.cycracetomackinac.com