Chicago Yacht Club Weather Challenge

In the wake of a successful weather Zoom presentation, Chicago Yacht Club members Matt Gallagher and Winn Soldani teamed up with CYC’s On-the-Water Director Skip Dieball and hatched a plan to create a weather forecasting contest.

“After Matt and Winn set up the simple website, invitations to participate were sent to club members and friends around the country, and through social media,” noted Dieball. “Inquiries from all over the world came in.”

The concept is simple – submit your predicted forecast for tomorrow’s weather and get scored based on its accuracy. High/Low Temps, Wind Speed/Direction, and Precipitation. The closer you are, the lower your score.

All sailors fancy themselves weather experts, and as Gallagher, Soldani, and other weather experts provide support and education via the contest’s site and a private Facebook group, this is a chance for people to prove themselves while waiting to get back on the water.

The current contest is free of charge and open to all. This week’s forecast is for Chicago, IL; next week is Providence, RI; and the week of June 1 is Miami, FL. New forecasters can join any time, and champions will be crowned for all three cities individually along with an overall champion. Suitable swag and bragging rights will be awarded to the winner.

For more info and to enter: www.cycwxchallenge.com