CHICAGO – Sailors from 15 different U.S. states as well as Ontario, Switzerland, and as far off as Hong Kong, are preparing for the race of a lifetime – the 333 mile  Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, presented by Veuve Clicquot.

The Mac, as it is affectionately known, kicks off July 24th, 2010 with 3,000 sailors competing in this world-class sporting event.  Although The Mac remains primarily an amateur event, this race has a proven track record of attracting some of the finest sailing talent in the sport.

Joining the fleet this year from the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is Karl Kwok sailing the new Reichel-Pugh designed sloop “Beau Geste.” Kwok and his talented crew, including Americas Cup sailor Gavin Brady, have added the Chicago Mac to their impressive 2010 campaign of regattas, including the Transatlantic Challenge , Caribbean 600 in Antigua, the Newport Bermuda Race, and last weekend was the first to finish in the Port Huron to Mackinac Race.

“The Chicago to Mackinac is a world class event, there are so many boats that support and we’re excited to enjoy it all,” said owner Karl Kwok. 

In 2005 Kwok sailed the Race to Mackinac on a TP52 also named “Beau Geste,” where he came in second. Back for redemption, sailing the new 80-footer bearing a distinctive red dragon’s head on the bow, Kwok and crew will go head to head with other Turbo’s like the Max-Z86 “Windquest” owned by Dick and Doug DeVos (Macatawa, Mich.) and two TP 52s, “Natalie J.” owned by Philip O’Neil (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) and “Imedi” owned by Mark Hauf (Chicago, Ill.). 

The Turbo section is one of 21 different sections making up this year’s 360+ boat fleet, including a new 12-boat “Sportboat” section made up of everything from Flying Tigers to an Antrim 27 – one of the smallest boats in this year’s fleet. Other sections include 14 boats crewing doublehanded, 37 cruising boats and 11 multihulls, which makes this race a diverse showcase of yachts from every make and model.

You can follow “Beau Geste” and all of the other boats in this year’s Mac, as every boat is tracked by GPS transponder. This technology enables friends, families, and millions of spectators on shore to follow the race as it unfolds on the web at http://www.cycracetomackinac.com. Chicago Yacht Club is proud to host this world-famous event in sailing, and we welcome you to follow all of the action this week.