2026 Chicago Mac - The race across the lake
by Caroline Rochford 13 Jul 19:32 BST
A 333-mile trek across Lake Michigan is no small undertaking. It takes days of preparation and puts the physical skills and mental fortitude of every racer to the test. This year's race proved no different.
Starting just after noon on Saturday, 10 GL52s took to the start line overlooking the beautiful Chicago skyline. The fleet featured a mix of Corinthian and pro teams as well as racers ranging from 16 to over 70 years old.
Conditions were steady and *reportedly* unpleasant for the first twelve hours, with boats sailing upwind in 15-17 knots and lumpy conditions. Crews spent a lot of time battling to keep their boats from sinking from the amount of water, and made good use of any and all foul weather gear they had on board. Conditions improved overnight with the breeze lightening up and shifting to a reach.
Beginning mid-morning on Sunday as teams neared Traverse City, the wind piped back up and shifted so teams were sailing downwind. The breeze continued to build as squalls came through the course. Teams reported seeing 30+ knots for over two hours. Unfortunately, the storm cells caused equipment failures on multiple boats forching Usual Suspects, Legacy and Entourage3 to retire. While we are disappointed for the teams that were not able to finish, we are grateful to report that all teams are safe and reached land successfully.
Following the storms conditions lightened significantly to 8-12 knots and teams reached to the finish.
After a trying 32 hour and 333-mile race, Chris Duhon's Mockingbird finished first, capturing both the GL52 Fleet Title as well as the overall Mackinac Trophy (pending)! Huge congratulations to Chris and his entire team for their tremendous racing!
Finishing a little over an hour after Mockingbird was Phil and Sharon 0'Niel's Natalie J. Natalie J most recently won this year's Queen's Cup in mid-June, so they continue to have a highly successful offshore season. Multiple teams finished in close succession around midnight, Hooligan, Windquest and last year's winner Heartbreaker. Chicago-based team Grit finished in the wee hours followed by our final GL52 finisher, Fjord; they were greeted by a gorgeous sunrise as they crossed the finish line, a picturesque way to end their race.
Congratulations to our entire GL52 fleet for once again giving us some epic Great Lakes racing. Teams have a few days to recover before they are back-in-action in Harbor Springs, MI for the 2026 Ugotta Regatta.