Light winds prevail for Chicago Mackinac

After starts on July 18 and 19, the 116th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac will be remembered by unpredictable wind conditions, with many boats taking longer than usual to reach the finish. On average, it took cruising division competitors approximately 68 hours to complete and the racing division 57 hours.

Of the 283 starters, 254 teams finished the 2025 race, with elapsed and overall winner – Robert Hughes’s GL 52 Heartbreaker – completing the 289nm course in 37 hours. In contrast, the 2024 race was one for the record books as Maverick broke the 22-year-old monohull record (22:24:23).

There were 28 class winners across the Mackinac Cup, which this year was awarded to the larger boats, and the Mackinac Trophy (smaller boats), Doublehanded Division, and Cruising Division (Whitehawk Trophy), and the Mark H. Baxter Trophy, awarded to a first-time boat. Full results are HERE.

Top trophy finishers:
• Royono Trophy (first racing monohull to finish): Heartbreaker, GL 52, Robert Hughes
• First Cruising Boat to Finish: Whitehawk, Bruce King 104 Ketch, Peter Thornton
• Mackinac Cup (larger boats): Heartbreaker, GL 52, Robert Hughes
• Mackinac Trophy (smaller boats): Providence, Ericson 35 MK II, Jerry, Greg Miarecki
• Whitehawk Trophy (Cruising Division overall): Kutty’s Ark, Pierson 36, Michael Lynch
• Doublehanded Division: Exile, J88, Andrew Graff
• Multihull: Trinity, Corsair F-27 Formula, Joel Rosinbum
• Mark H. Baxter Trophy (awarded to first timers):
► Accord, Kiwi Boats, Michael Smith (Mackinac Trophy)
► Shamrock, J111, Jeffrey Davis (Mackinac Cup)
► Vagabond, Beneteau 393, Jeff Harris (Cruising)
► Trinity, Corsair F-27, Joel Rosinbum (Multihull)

Event information – Race details – Results

Source: CYC