Verve Cup Offshore Regatta at Chicago Yacht Club - Day 1

Winds pick up after postponement, allowing both circles to get in three races

The first day of racing got off to a slow start today in the Verve Cup Offshore Regatta held at the Chicago Yacht Club.

After a lengthy postponement due to light winds, the weather improved, bringing winds of about 5-8 knots that allowed both circles to get in three races.

Race Chair Martin Sandoval said the sailors made the most of the waiting game, swimming in Lake Michigan and having fun until Mother Nature did her thing.

"The competitors hung out, floated around, and had some fun. It started off looking like they wouldn't be able to get any racing in, so having three races work out was great," Sandoval said. "People getting in at 4:30, 5 o'clock, as long as they felt they got three good races in, they'll be smiling."

Lynn Lynch, a Race Officer on Circle B, said they changed course once on the first race, but aside from that the day went very smoothly. "The sailors were very aggressive, but other than that, it was a surprisingly good day. We didn't think we would get three races in. The wind wasn't a lot, but it was enough to have three solid races. It exceeded our expectations," Lynch said.

On Circle A wind shifts were moderate, with oscillations of seven to 10 minutes, according to Rick Lillie, a Race Officer on Circle A. Lillie said while today's headline was 'Thank goodness the weather forecast was wrong,' they are hoping tomorrow's wind forecast stays the course. "We're supposed to get a little more wind tomorrow, which would mean we can run some mid-length distance courses," he said.

According to Chris Bedford, Chief Meteorologist at Sailing Weather Service, LLC, tomorrow's weather should bring the wind the sailors are expecting, with a building NW gradient of four to eight knots in the early morning, increasing to 9-14 knots in the mid to late morning. Winds are expected to ease through the afternoon with thermal lake breeze influences of 7-11 knots.

There are 135 boats taking part in this year's Verve Cup Offshore Regatta. The event features a three-day offshore course race on Friday through Sunday, as well as a one-day distance race taking place on Saturday. As one of the largest course-racing regatta in North America, Verve Cup has developed as a world-class event, attracting national and international sailing competitors. During the regatta, Chicago Yacht Club will welcome over 1,800 racers, spouses and guests at their Monroe harbor clubhouse.

Competitors participate in multiple races, and boats sail either with a rating handicap or a one design so that boats of different size and character can compete against one another in one of the 18-plus racing sections. Overall prizes are awarded to the top finishers in each section, with one offshore boat winning the perpetual Verve Cup Trophy. The Verve Cup trophy dates from 1893 and is Chicago Yacht Club's oldest trophy. Overall prizes are awarded for each class of boat.

New to the Verve Cup Offshore this year is the J/109 North American Championship, which started yesterday (Thursday, August 8) and goes through Sunday.

Click here for the current standings and results.

Saturday's Verve Cup Offshore racing begins at 9:55 a.m. CST.

Thank you to our co-sponsors Audi and SLAM, as well as Boston Beer, Karma Yacht Sales, Mount Gay Rum, and West Marine.