Sailing around Chicago
Chicago, the Windy City, is a wonderful place for sailing. Whether gliding on a fair wind or heeled over to the gunwales, you'll find your time on Lake Michigan rewarding, exciting and exhilarating. The sailing season begins at the end of spring and continues on through the end of October, with Octoberfest. Through the season, the sailing community is very active, with regattas of all kinds, and the world-famous Mackinac Race, run by the Chicago Yacht Club, which begins at the Chicago River and ends at Mackinac Island, some 330 miles away!
Lake Michigan is more a freshwater sea than a lake, with more places and things to see and do than time to take them all in! If your vessel's mast is easily stepped, you'll find a whole new dimension opens up to you, as you tour the city from within its rivers. Few get to experience the Downtown area from that unique perspective! You'll find docks at seafood places near Chinatown, for example, and plenty of pubs that serve grub. Repair facilities can also be found up the Chicago River near Chinatown.
The Chicago skyline is one of the most impressive in the nation. Adding to it, the office tenants sometimes make clever displays with the lights of the high-rise buildings. Holidays are another opportunity to spruce things up with lights in the Windy City. Summer nights are ideal for an evening cruise! The balmy winds, the skyline at a distance. The Navy Pier is another piece of the skyline you won't want to miss! Then there are the firework displays over the waters - a must see! Chicago is a broad and eclectic mix of cultures and cuisines. One would be hard-pressed to find a wider selection of ethnic foods anywhere else in the world! But it doesn't stop there. Chicago has its own local flavor as well! Many of the dishes and restaurants are influenced by the Italian and other ethnic neighborhoods... but if you prefer German cuisine, sail on up to Milwaukee at the end of the season and take in Octoberfest! Food, popular bands, and beer, of course, are the main fare, but you'll find quite a bit of diversity there as well!
Lake Michigan is an inland freshwater ocean -- one that eventually leads all the way out to the Atlantic Ocean! In times past, this shipping route was the mainstay for the Midwest. From Chicago, the goods would be put on a train, and eventually delivered all over the country. The history of the sailing ships throughout the Great Lakes is the stuff of legends. Modern sailing is far safer and more pleasurable, for the fair weather sailor. But it's not all that easy. The race from Chicago to Mackinac Island has been run nearly every year since 1898 -- over 100 times! What started with just five vessels is now a world-class event drawing sailors from all over the world. Sailing in Chicago can be as intense or laid back as you like. You can anchor offshore and enjoy the party atmosphere at the public areas long the northern coastal region of the city. All told, there are hundreds and hundreds of miles one could take in. What's sure is that you'll find exactly what you're hoping for when you take a sailing trip the Windy City.
