2022 Chicago Mac Aboard Skye

Videos taken on board Skye (section 3) during the 2022 Chicago to Mackinac sailing race.
Race Summary written by Christina O'Rourke:
The 2022 Chicago Race to Mackinac was an unrelenting adventure. The forecast was shifting by the minute as we rigged the boat at the Columbia Dock. But one thing remained consistent across all models - a long line of strong thunderstorms Saturday evening. We crossed the start line with a reefed main and began our 333 nautical mile journey up Lake Michigan. Within a few hours, the crew’s initial cheery chatter quieted as the storm front ahead grew larger and more menacing. A couple of us threw up a quick prayer as lighting strikes surrounded us and we moved into the cell.
A careful eye spotted our wind meter climbing rapidly and shouted, “Get the jib down now!” I ran up on the bow and it took three of us to wrestle the sail down and strap it to the deck in over 35kts. In the chaos, I felt a crewmate grab on to the back of my harness to make sure I wouldn’t fall overboard. We all hugged and slapped each other’s backs after we secured everything and jumped back up on the rail. “Holy shit! Nice work, team!”
Horizontal rain stung our faces and the constant flash of lighting created a dizzying strobe effect all around us. We huddled close together on the rail to stay warm. The squall continued for nearly 13 hours.
The air warmed with the sunrise, and as the boat flattened out we laid our sopping wet clothes on the deck to dry. Skye looked like a sailor’s yard sale. Moderate downwind breeze on Sunday gently pushed us up the lake. I did my off watches on deck, dozing when I could on the high side. The mood once again became jovial as the “Sunday sillies” set in. The latest forecast confirmed that the worst of the race was behind us. It was wrong.
An invisible squall had completely evaded detection by every forecast we had available to us. Our skipper pointed into the distance and calmly said, “That’s a storm front.” He tossed me my foul weather gear, and we prepared for round two. Only this time the wind was coming out of the north, which meant that it quickly kicked up a sea state of waves over 12ft. What followed was a series of heroics by each of the members of the Skye crew. Headsail down. Main reefed. “Headcount!” “Is everyone ok?” “Hold on tight!”
There are a few moments from that storm that I know will be seared into my memory, many of which were subjects of spirited discussion once we got to the island. I am grateful to my fellow crew and our skippers. Somehow we all got through the worst storm most of us had ever weathered, with no major injuries and no damage to the boat.
We crossed the finish line at 6:30 on Monday. The smiling, cheering shore crew who greeted us was a stark contrast to the weary sailors on Skye who had just battled through 23 sail changes. I squeezed Matt extra tight and he handed me the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had. Even though we were delusional with exhaustion, we somehow found the energy to enjoy quite a bit of champagne on the dock as we toasted two of our crew who had just completed their 25th Mac.
Soon a particular kind of joie de vivre filled the atmosphere as boat after boat of our fellow sailors arrived, ready to exchange harrowing tales over rum. Highlights of our time on the island include shenanigans at the Pink Pony, the longest dinner ever complete with a tomahawk steak bone that could have served as our spare rudder, a stunning bike ride around the shore, and high tea at the Grand Hotel.
I hear there is a way to get to Mackinac Island that doesn’t involve a detour through hell. But as with all things in life, a smooth sea doesn’t make a skilled sailor. And a skilled sailor is fuckin’ miserable on a ferry.
Background Music:
Get Happy by Rebecca Ferguson
Jaws Theme
Thunderstorm by Sabaton
Running on Empty by Jackson Browne
Stayin' Alive by The Bee Gees
00:00 Intro
00:20 Start of the Race
02:23 Into the Saturday Night Storm
03:09 Saturday Night Lightning
06:16 Sunday Evening Sailing
08:17 Finish of the Race

[@barbm7412]

Thanks for posting! I knew it was a bad storm as watching from my house n looking at the tracker n heard.

[@drpamelatomcruise4517]

Haha look like fun ohh screammmm

[@nick318is]

Great video capturing the weather from the race. What is your setup for capturing the video, gopro and a head mount? If so, what is the head mount you used?

[@DanGardiner]

Thanks! I was using two older GoPros (both Hero4 Silver - I need to upgrade), one on a fixed mount on the back (only used a handful of times) and the other on a very generic head strap mount.