Chicago’s Verve Cup this Weekend

Chicago, IL (August 11, 2016) – Chicago Yacht Club’s 24th Annual Verve Cup Offshore Regatta takes place this weekend, starting Friday, August 12. As one of the Lake Michigan’s premier regattas, 118 boats have registered for three days of racing across two circles and one distance race.

The Verve Cup is the third major event of Chicago’s racing season traditionally held the second weekend of August. Regatta Chair Robin Finlay said, “The trophy itself is a part of racing history, it’s Chicago Yacht Club’s oldest piece of silver.”

The newest addition to the Verve will be the M32 section co-hosted by the Chicago Match Race Center. Chicago will be the third stop on the M32 North America Series which includes the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta, Harbor Springs Ugotta Regatta and St. Francis Rolex Big Boat Series. The high performance catamarans were last seen in Harbor Springs, MI at the Ugotta Regatta.

Don Wilson’s Convexity dominated the Harbor Springs event the fleet finishing 10 points ahead of Rick DeVos’ Citrus Blast in a combination of distance alongside the monohull fleets and America’s Cup-style short course racing. Six M32s will be competing featuring a few first time catamaran racers including C&C30 North American Champion Dan Cheresh of Extreme2, Chicago Yacht Club members Don Wilson, Jen Wilson and John Heaton along with two youth teams.

“We are extremely excited that the Chicago Yacht Club has welcomed the M32 catamaran class to compete in this year’s Verve Cup. Building on the excitement of the America’s Cup, the M32 is a high performance catamaran that is for everyone from amateur teams to those competing on the World Match Racing Tour,” said CMRC’s Program Director Tod Reynolds. “The M32 fleet on Lake Michigan is starting to grow and we hope that this will be the first of many M32 events here in Chicago.”

While racing in the Verve Cup, nine boats will also be competing in the Beneteau 40.7 North American Championship. Ron Buzil’s Vayu and Tom Weber’s La Tempete have been neck-and-neck at the front of the North American fleet for the better part of four years. However, Dave Hardy’s Turning Point may give them a run for their money. Turning Point has placed first in the major 2016 buoy races including the COLORS Regatta and Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta.

“We hope to make a run at the Verve too. It’s not just La Tempete and Vayu we have to worry about, though,” said Hardy. “Sociable is always tough, Mojo has speed, Wired’s been going high and fast, Rhumb Runner crosses us regularly, Spanker’s always right there, and we were duking it out with Koko during the Mac. It makes for some great racing, and nothing is certain.”

While a majority of the boats participate in the buoy racing, 22 boats will be going the distance on Saturday for a 9-30NM race dependent on conditions. The distance race was first introduced as a standalone course in 2010 in the hopes of reaching a broader range of sailors. Finlay explained that the distance race has become so popular because it provides a variety of options and increases the number of boats on the water.

Racing begins daily at 10:55 A.M., and will take place on two courses 4-5 miles off of Monroe Harbor.

Event Website

Report by Event Media