Aug 7th Regatta - McKinsey & Watson Wyatt Worldwide group

Today we hosted the 'McKinsey & Watson Wyatt Worldwide' group for a team building experience. As with most of our regattas everyone had a blast and lived to sail another day.

Here you see the result of unclear communication between captain and crew. If you look closely you will see that the J22 has fouled against the race mark and as a result is dragging it in the water. This has pretty much finished their chances of winning the race and has introduced a whole new level of challenges. They now have to figure out how to untangle the buoy from the keel.... this typically involves one lucky soul getting into the water.



In this second shot you can see our race committee boat has arrived to offer assistance. They had an extra willing body to brave the 70 degree water to untangle the buoy from the keel. Seems there was no shortage of offers to get into the water... at 70 degrees its perfect for swimming.



Bumblebee was also out today for a small group sail. If you look closely at the shot you will see that she is sailing under the jib alone.

As a racing thoroughbred it doesn't take much wind to get her gliding through the water making for a fun and relaxing sail.

August 6th activities

This afternoon Bumblebee was out for a beautiful evening sunset sail. We had a group of about 20 individuals from some of the major advertising agencies in Chicagoland. One of their common clients took them all out for a sail and party.

They were fortunate enough to get a really nice evening for a sail and also to be witness to a lovely sunset from the vantage point of the lake.

Here is Captain Matt who was onboard with Ronan and sailing Bumblebee. Matt joined Chicago Sailing this year and has been having a great time working as one of our charter captains.









Tonight and every Wednesday evening the 'Beer Can' races take place outside the harbor. There are two sets of races the Belmont Harbor Beer Cans and also the Montrose Beers cans. Here is a shot taken from Bumblebee as we sailed past the Montrose group. If you are interested in Wednesday night racing we often send out our J30 'Traveler' to compete in these races. They are a fun filled laid back introduction into the joys of racing. If you would like to learn more about Wednesday night racing please click here. No prior racing experience is required.

Family Fun

Here we have a shot of Chicago Sailing's President and company owner - Alan Veenstra. Alan and his family were out for a pleasure sail on Bumblebee.

Here Alan and his son Jack have just returned to the dock and are getting Bumblebee secured to the dock.

Jack like his Dad loves to sail and has been on the water long before he even knew that he was. He is continuing a long Veenstra tradition and is sure to be a great sailor.

Choppy and fun sailing for everyone

Here you see a shot of one of our J22's' as she departs the harbor entrance this morning. As the wind was out of the east there was a nice little chop so it is important to have full power through the correctly hoisted mainsail and also the engine so as to enable the boat to easily get through the chop and out to the lake.

Notice the small boat to port of our J22. This boat is part of the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing program. This is a 2.4 meter boat that is used for more racing sailors and are used in world disabled championships, such as the Paralympics. Today there was a regatta for Adaptive sailors and you can see this little boat making her way out to the racecourse. It is part of the annual national disabled double and single-handed sailing championship, the Independence Cup that was taking place this weekend.

The Judd Goldman is a wonderful program that helps the physically disabled get out on the water. For more information on this great program click here.

Getting away from it all

People often ask us why we love sailing so much and what is it that attracts us to it??

Its often difficult to explain but what the majority of sailors in Chicago say is how easy it is to get away from the city and the city pace of life.

Jump on a boat and get out to the lake and this is what you will see, you get away from everything and find that place of calm and complete contentment. So while this shot may not show much of anything it is also telling a story..... imagine yourself out on the water, the wind across your deck and the water lapping against your hull..... yup! That's what attracts us to sailing.

New Website online today

Today we have launched our updated website. While it is nearly finished we are still tweaking it a little and have to add some additional features and functionality. We plan on having a crew meeting section where you can post your information enabling you to meet crew or to find a spot on a boat.
We will also be adding a photo gallery where you can upload your own photos and see our archive of shots. And updating 'Our Team' with all relevant information and photos.

If you have any suggestions or comments we would love to hear from you. Please email Ronan@chicagosailing.

Thank you.

Would you like to post to our Blog??

We are always looking to hear of your experiences at Chicago Sailing. Maybe you have some good photos or videos from your time on the water or an experience that you would like to share with everyone.
Please feel free to drop a line to Ronan@chicgosailing.com and we would be happy to post on your behalf.

Thank you.