Events on B Dock!

Tuesday Night BBQs Return to B Dock

This Tuesday, join Chicago Sailing for the kick-off of our 2010 Season BBQs. It will be just like old times - good friends, good food and sailing.

May 4th is close enough to Cinco de Mayo for us. Our theme this week is Mexican, so we're challenging our staff to come up with as many grilling recipes as possible. Empanadas anyone? Empanadas anyone?

Boats will leave B Dock at 5 pm for a 3-hour Club Sail. When you return to the dock, the grills will already have been hard at work getting food ready for you. Whether you were a Club Sail all-star last season or it's your first time out, you don't want to miss this Tuesday's Club Sail.

Call 773-871-7245 or fill out a reservation request to secure your slot today.

Mother's Day at Chicago Sailing

Join us Sunday, May 9th for a Mother's Day Sail. From 12 - 2 pm some of our male instructors will be treating all of the Mothers on the dock to manicures. We can't promise that they will want to keep their new polish job, but it will be a manicure to remember.

So gentlemen, your task is clear: Reserve a boat and go out sailing! Just make sure that you end your sail or are set to depart around the manicure window. Then make sure that the female passengers aboard don't have to lift a finger and damage their nails.

We're ready to help you go the extra mile. How about a surprise waiting on the boat? From a small bouquet of flowers to a catered meal with champagne, we can help you arrange a sail that your mother, wife, sister, aunt or special lady will never forget.

Call to reserve your boat and plan a Mother's Day to remember. 773-871-7245

We're Open!

Phew! What a run up to the season.

Every year, as soon as April hits, we orchestrate a semi-choreographed maneuver into the harbor.

At the end of a Chicago Sailing season, our phone lines get transferred to our warehouse and year-round office on Campbell. The computers, printers, office supplies and everything else needed to operate an office all go there as well. Our boats get scattered. The J/22's and 24's get shoved in, jigsaw puzzle like, into the warehouse. Bumblebee, the T-10 and 2 of our Hunters head up to Racine. Our other Hunters and J/30 make their way to Great Lakes naval base. The final piece of this giant puzzle is our houseboat/office which goes to Canal Street.

April hits and we un-do all of this work to become operational. The first step is getting the houseboat to B Dock. That occurred earlier this year than others, right after St. Patrick's Day.

Our J/22's started going back in the water, the Hunter's arrived from Racine and in the week prior to opening we switched our phone lines back. A quick load-in (sometimes not so quick) of the computers and office equipment was all that was needed to get us there.

And then we waited, to see what the weather would bring opening weekend. The short answer, many smiling faces!

In a dramatic turn from last year's season opener, we had sunny skies and many smiling faces on the dock. This Sunday, our first 11 students will complete their transformation from landlubber to skipper. We've also welcomed back a number of renters to B Dock.

That all means that this week has been a busy one for our fleet management staff. We have more J/22's in the water right now than we have ever had at the start of the season. They're getting ready for Club Sail tonight and another sunny weekend of activity on B Dock.

Here are some of the shots from last weekend. We hope to see you soon!

Gearing Up

We're in the final run up to the start of the sailing season. What a relief! Chicago's winter weather was a little much this year. Especially last Saturday's snow storm.

Prior to the snow, we took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to get some preseason work done. The houseboat was pulled out of the river, where it spent the winter, and had a fresh coat of paint put on the bottom. She'll get some more paint in the next few days when the weather cooperates.


AEL Catering made a surprise delivery for St. Patrick's Day. Chef Andy doesn't just do German food well. His corned beef, cabbage and potatoes were delicious. We also appreciated the beer that came along. The following day, when we departed Canal Street for Belmont Harbor we weren't as fortunate. In short, we had some provisioning issues which led to extreme measures.



Zach was successful and we enjoyed the view for the rest of our trip.

Where are you Spring?

With March just around the corner and current balmy 24 degrees outside, we felt it was time to go looking for some good news.

Good News # 1: Tom Skilling predicts 30's for the next week!

News We Already Knew About # 1: A quick perusal of the WGN weather blog led us to the nifty fact that this season's snowfall is almost double a regular season's. Yikes! No wonder we started researching the spring.

Good News # 2: El Nino is back! According to the National Weather Service, El Nino is expected to impact the Northern Hemisphere through the spring. For the Great Lakes region, the expected impact is below-average precipitation (woo-hoo) and above-average temperatures (double woo-hoo) this spring.

Turning to the pinnacle of long range weather forecasts, we consulted the Old Farmer's Almanac.

Good News # 2 again: The almanac concurs with the NWS, below-average precipitation and above-average temperatures for April and May. This is particularly good news for all those lucky people who are starting their lessons in April.

The prediction for summer is a little bit of the good with the bad. June - August temperatures are predicted to be below normal. If you like the hot weather, you're out of luck this year. However, we're also predicted to get slightly less precipitation than average. After last season's wet spring and summer, it's time to do a little dance. Or not, if you think that might bring some rain.

What's your 2010 weather prediction?

What America's Cup?

To-date we have failed to see any race action in the 33rd America's Cup. Some of our newer sailors may be wondering what it is we're speaking of, so we're taking some down time as we wait for the action to give a brief history lesson.

The America's Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport. It earned its name in 1857 when the schooner America won the Cup and brought it to the New York Yacht Club (NYYC). For the next 126 years, the NYYC held the cup and managed the America's Cup regatta. The competition is held in a series of match races between two yachts competing for the Cup. The Deed of Gift serves as the governing document for the conducting of the regatta. Read a full history of winners, challengers and other facts here.

The most prestigious race in sailing, the America's Cup has influenced plots at times on the silver screen. In 1992, Jennifer Grey starred in Wind. While the movie has a very simple storyline, the on-the-water action is fun to watch on a cold winter day! In 1967 Sail to Glory was released, chronicling the story of America's win. We're searching the internet for a copy or more information!

This week marks the start of the 33rd America's Cup, which has been mired in a legal confrontation for some time. The race features two of the most technically advanced sailboats in the world, sponsored by some very wealthy gentlemen. Ironically, these super designed sailboats are too fragile for the ocean conditions they are racing in leading to two days of canceled races. Bob Fisher, an America's Cup historian, has an excellent commentary on the lack of action today. Read it here.


Click here for the larger pdf.

As we wait for the action to begin, our wait for the Chicago sailing season draws nigh. You can bet our keelboats will be ready for the conditions on Lake Michigan for our opening April 10th. We hope you're ready to come out and play with us.

Strictly Sail Chicago

It's back. Next week Thursday - Sunday, Navy Pier will be taken over by the largest group of sailing enthusiasts in the mid-West. Nothing beats the winter doldrums like a little glimmer of sailing and connecting with other sailors.

Chicago Sailing will be in residence at Booth #149, just to the right of the center entrance. We'll have copies of our brand new, shiny brochures and Hershey kisses, as a preview of our 25th Anniversary celebrations.

There's a great line-up of free seminars for people attending the show. Scroll down to find the hourly seminars offered.

Throughout the show, we'll post highlight videos from our booth and checking out some of the other exhibitors. Don't be surprised if you see a few friendly faces. Some of our instructors and office staff will be on hand to help introduce people to Chicago Sailing.

This year you can purchase your tickets online or at the door on the day-of the show. Through the end of this week, use "facebook fan" to receive $3 off web ticket orders. This link will take you to a printable coupon for $2 off tickets at the door.

We can't wait to see everyone and start getting ready for our 25th Anniversary.

Staff Update

With the off season halfway through and Strictly Sail coming up, we thought it was time to let you know what our seasonal staff have been up to.

Instructor Scott Meyers has the biggest news to share. He is getting married to his fiancée Brittany in July and setting sail for an around the world adventure in September. They are spending this winter preparing their boat, Rasmus (a Halberg-Rassey 35’ keelboat) for the journey. Check in on their preparations and keep track of the journey on their blog, http://www.windtraveler.blogspot.com.

Brett Doudican is using the off-season to pursue getting his Captain’s license. We’re excited to add another captain to our roster, not to mention having Brett back as an instructor.


Natty Clapp and Mike Burlando celebrated the New Year with a return to Lake
Michigan. They plunged into the water on North Ave Beach with the Polar Bear Club.



Eric Hansen is enjoying the water in a much warmer locale, the British Virgin Islands. He and his brother are bareboating a Beneteau 34.6 for a week of R & R.



Ronan Adams is back in Ireland, just starting to sober up from his 3 month road trip in Canada. He is currently freezing his arse off in a banana republic that has no leadership with the capital city being closed down with less than half of an inch of snow. And, his feckin water pipes are frozen solid, since last Friday. All is good though, as he is off to Spain next week for a week of sun and surf. If anyone has a job for Ronan, he is available!


Magda Gaca has been traveling around Europe since her return to Poland, though she tells us there isn't much to report. We have investigated and know that she has visited Paris and Berlin in the last two months with her boyfriend Dawid.


Beth Ericksen is venturing to the west coast (Seattle) to visit Teryn Bergo and then they are both heading north to catch the Olympics. **Jealous!

Heather Smith is teaching a class on Chicago planning at DePaul. At her day job she is planning an annual conference on planning. This year's focus is the built environment, bicycling and public health. The big news for the concert is they have David Byrne confirmed to come to our conference. If anyone wants more info it is at cnu18.org.



As for your faithful blogger, I've spent my weekends and evenings away from the dock working on my piece of the American dream. After a complete gutting of the kitchen, down to studs and floor joists, and some serious educational opportunities, we get to start unpacking our kitchen this week!