This year’s Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac proved to be one of the fastest on the books for just about every team that participated.  As always, Lake Michigan threw everything she had to offer at the fleet, from brief yet extreme squall lines to areas becalmed for hours on end.  We would like to congratulate everyone who participated in this record-setting race, and we thank Chicago Yacht Club for allowing us to sponsor such a prestigious and historical event.

One team in particular made the 115th Race to Mackinac one that will not be soon forgotten.  Maverick, an Andrews 80 owned by Bill Kinney and Sandy Curtis smashed Pyewacket’s race record by over an hour, setting the new record at a blistering 22 hours, 22 minutes, and 23 seconds,  But they didn’t stop there. The team continued on to Port Huron and took a full 10 hours out of the previous “Super Mac” record.  This amazing achievement was credited to a 19-member crew largely comprised of Corinthian sailors hailing from Ohio.

At Evolution Sails, we are proud to not only be the sailmaker for Maverick, but to have our team participate alongside their crew to achieve this spectacular result.  Evolution Sails founder Rodney Keenan was onboard and played a large role in designing and delivering a re-invented sail package that propelled them to their record result.  Andy Camarda, the local Evolution representative from Chicago, caught up with Rodney between regattas to get the inside scoop on Maverick’s race.