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Board Elections
It's time to vote for new members of our Board of Directors. This is your opportunity to make your voice heard and to select the people who will lead the community we all care so much about.
Voting is open to all current members. Ballots will open by noon on Thursday, October 15, and will remain open through the end of the Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 22. Each member will be emailed a link to their ballot at the address listed in the member directory. If you need to update your email address, please contact membership@sailchicago.org.
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Maintenance Update
Fall is upon us, and Sail Chicago's boats have begun to leave the harbor. This past weekend, volunteers unstepped the masts of four boats (Albatross, Rubato, Naked Dance, and Poco Veliero), which are headed to Canal Street Marina this week. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen.
The tentative schedule for moving the remaining boats is:
- Solstice (our Ideal 18): October 9
- Priorities (cruiser): October 17
- The three Rhodes: October 20
- Calypso (cruiser): October 31
The remaining three Colgates will stay in the water for member use and racing until the week of October 26.
Our first small boat winterization day is planned for October 17. Anyone who needs volunteer hours is welcome to help clean boats, inspect sails, add antifreeze to the bilges, and prepare the boats for winter storage. A second winterization day will follow in November, after the remaining boats have arrived at the marina.
Keep an eye on the Sail Chicago general Slack channel for sign-ups to help move the boats and prepare them for winter.
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New Skippers: Keep Sailing
Congratulations to everyone who recently completed a Sail Chicago skipper program! The next step toward becoming a full-fledged skipper is completing three private sails.
Why three? It's not a hurdle. It's a chance to build confidence while you're fully in charge. You're the skipper of record, with a qualified skipper along as your first mate, and you handle everything from planning and crew briefing to weather, go/no-go decisions, safety, and radio procedures.
Haven't finished your private sails yet? There's plenty of time. If you completed a course this year, use your tiller time early next season to shake off the rust, then start working on them.
Over the winter, revisit the books, watch a few videos, and think through the lessons from this season. Before you know it, we'll be back on the water!
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Amy Johnson Joins Board
This summer, a board seat opened up with a term ending in Fall 2027. With much work to be done, the board voted at its August meeting to appoint Amy Johnson to fill the seat. Many of you have gotten to know Amy through her role as Pre-Sail Orientation Coordinator, where she is often one of the first people a new member meets. She also brings considerable experience managing volunteers to the board.
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 Social News
You're Invited: End of Season Dinner & Silent Auction
Join Sail Chicago members and guests at Columbia Yacht Club as we close out another wonderful season together. The evening includes our 2026 Annual Meeting, a festive dinner with open bar, and the 9th Annual Silent Auction benefiting our Scholarship Program.
Silent Auction Sneak Peek:
- A private pizza and magic show for up to 10 guests, hosted by Magic by the Slice, who will also be performing strolling table magic during the dinner
- Admission and a tour of the Chicago Maritime Museum for 4
When: Thursday, Oct 22, 5:30–9:00 PM
Where: Columbia Yacht Club
Cost: $30 per person, open to members plus up to two guests (registration closes 11pm, October 20).
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Congratulations to September’s photo contest winners!
Shoutout to Sanjeev Maddila (top photo) for winning this month's contest alongside runner-ups Kristina Morgan (left photo) and Nina Wheeler (right photo)! Don't forget to submit picture to for a chance to win the next one!
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Rubato Aids Jet Skiers
On the evening of July 14, Adi Menayang was hosting a Tiller Time aboard Rubato with students Zachary Zygmunt, Dylan Bellisle, Isabel Flores, and Nayanthika Ramakrishnan when two jet skis approached asking for help. Two of their companions had jumped into the lake for a swim about 10 minutes prior. The people in the water had drifted away from their jet skis and were unable to be located. They were wearing life jackets but couldn't swim, and had no phone or radio.
Adi radioed the Coast Guard on Channel 16 and gave their location using an iPhone's Compass app. Rubato stayed with the jet skiers until the Coast Guard arrived and took over.
This is an excellent example of helping fellow mariners in need. The crew used their radio to bring assistance from the Coast Guard when they themselves could not directly help. We owe it to ourselves and other mariners to be available to render assistance should the need arise. It also serves as a reminder not to swim off a vessel without proper precautions. Swimming off a Sail Chicago boat is strictly prohibited.
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Racing is Still Going Strong
For the first time ever, Sail Chicago will take part in a team racing regatta on Saturday and Sunday, October 24-25. A team racing clinic led by a former Olympian will be held the day before, on October 23. For those not familiar with team racing, it pits two teams of two to four boats against each other, which differs from our usual fleet racing, where every boat races for itself.
Many thanks to our maintenance team for their flexibility in letting Sail Chicago’s racers keep three Colgates in the water almost a month later than originally planned. If you find a gorgeous day to take a Colgate out in these waning days of October, be thankful for team racing regattas.
We continue to actively cultivate sailors of all levels in our racing program. This year, that meant regular racing tiller times. Next year, we hope to offer formal instruction on the finer points of sail trim and spinnaker work through a class one step beyond Skipper Prep. Stay tuned!
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New BKI and PSI Instructors
Congratulations to our newest certified instructors! Shawn Joseph and Ben Carls completed US Sailing's Performance Sailing Instructor course at Columbia Yacht Club on September 25-27, training to teach topics like sail trim and spinnaker use. This past weekend, Tom Hafner, James McLaughlin, and Xinbo Liu completed the Basic Keelboat Instructor course, demonstrating both teaching and sailing skills, including single-handing Colgate 26s.
A special thank you to Melchior Dikkers and Andrew Rostad, who coached candidates preparing for the PSI and BKI, respectively. Thanks also to Shawn Joseph for helping organize both courses, and to Chad Husko, Tom Hafner, James McLaughlin, Monte Lewis, and our broader instruction and racing leadership for supporting the PSI candidates.
This BKI shows how Sail Chicago can lead and support fellow local sailing organizations. We brought together candidates from Sail Chicago, Columbia Yacht Club, the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation, and other local organizations, using Sail Chicago resources including our Colgate 26s and RIB.
A special thank you to Rich Costello for helping acquire the RIB; Janet Hansen, president of Jackson Park Sailing School's youth program, for granting access to their 31st Street Harbor houseboat; 31st Street Harbor master Gina Rodriguez; and the members who helped with round-trip boat deliveries and logistics. Thanks also to our maintenance teams and to James Wyeth and Ben Tucker for their leadership.
Finally, a shout-out to Cappy Capper, a longtime US Sailing coach celebrating his 40th year of coaching. Cappy has been a tremendous resource to Sail Chicago, and we were fortunate to have him lead both the BKI and PSI courses. It was great to see Sail Chicago benefit from these programs and give back to the broader Chicago sailing community.
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In Memory
Long-time member of Sail Chicago, Robert "Bob" Tepper  passed away this past April. Bob served the club as a skilled instructor, racing skipper and cruise outing skipper. He skippered on every boat the club has had, and was a strong ambassador for Sail Chicago. His passion for sailing touched countless lives, and his legacy endures through the sailors he inspired.
You are welcome to share memories and messages with Bob’s wife, Marian, who many of our members also know from the cruise outings she regularly joined Bob on at the link below.
Memories of Bob
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Looking to Report Volunteer Hours?
Twice a month member volunteer dashboards are emailed to each member. Be sure to keep this email handy for future use.
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Merch for Sale
Check out our cool line up of Sail Chicago merch. T-shirts, polos, jackets, fleece, and hats from top quality vendors are all embroidered with our burgee logo. Take pride in Sail Chicago! Gift cards are available in increments of $25.00.
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