Saturday, April 26

Our sailing season here at Chicago Sailing has started out with some chilly temperatures, but sailing classes are still in full swing! Temperatures out on Lake Michigan tend to be about 10-15 degrees cooler than on the dock this time of year. Currently, we have almost our entire fleet in the water. We have 10 of our J22's, one J30, 3 Hunter 326's, and a new addition to our ever-expanding family: the Tartan 10. The T-10 is a sleek racing boat coming in at 33 feet.

First Weekend of Fun! 2008

Well the season started off with a bang!
The foggy air didn't put a damper on our spirits.


Here is Tim, Leo, Trish and Rick ready for their first lesson.



Bob is showing his eager students how to put on a jib.


Sanjay's class is safety conscious and on top of their game


Stephanie is hard at work with our new night watch owl.

Brian is teaching proper flaking to Karen.

We are really looking forward to a great season.

Chicago Sailing Dock protector

This morning when we arrived to the dock we had the pleasure of being greeted by some geese... they were more than happy to pose for a shot and no doubt will be around the docks and harbor for the next few weeks.
Watch out for them though as they can be quite vocal and often might take after you if they feel threatened.

First day of classes today

Here we have the first of our Basic 101 classes heading out to the lake for their maiden voyage. We are happy to report that all had a great class, learned lots and will be returning back tomorrow morning for the second class.

In this shot the class is about to raise the mainsail inside the harbor to ensure a safe passage out to the lake. Note that with the mainsail being raised inside the harbor the boat will have two forms of propulsion ensuring a safe passage even in the event of the engine failing.

Houseboat getting a makeover

Early this season we are working on getting our trusty houseboat/ office a good makeover. We are in the process of painting her and have also put new carpet down inside. Here we see Richie getting ready to paint the first of the coats of paint.

Welcome to Sailing ’08. We are as eager as you to put this winter behind us

The interesting thing about Chicago Weather is how dramatically it can change. We can go from cold and wet to hot and dry in an instant. Rarely do we experience a traditional spring with gradually increasing temperatures. So, it is with this in mind, that we start the season early. It gives sailors a chance to tune themselves up before the great weather dominates. This past weekend has given us a taste of what to expect. And while the weather has thwarted our efforts to have all boats ready for the season, we have plenty available.

Season beginning

Here we have the first shot of Belmont Harbor from our dock. As you can see here its still quite empty. As each day passes though we will see it fill up.