There is a New “Longest Freshwater Sailing Race in the World” …

Dec 13, 2023

In the November 29 issue of Sailing in Canada, I wrote an article about Kevin Brown and team, a Farr 30 from Toronto, who won their section in the Chicago to Mackinac Race. The opening paragraph of that article read: “Chicago Yacht Club’s most famous event, is the 289-naughtical mile race from the Chicago Yacht Club at the bottom of Lake Michigan, to Mackinac Island, at the top of the Lake, which is the longest freshwater sailing race in the world.” As the article’s author, I made the mistake of going to the CYC’s site, and I ‘cut and pasted’ information describing the race.

The Chicago to Mackinac Race is not the longest freshwater race in the world. As many of you are aware, there is a race on Lake Ontario called the Lake Ontario 300. This around-the-Lake event has been run for some 34 years now. The organizers in 2014, introduced the LO600… go around twice! The LO300 is a much more strategic/tactical race than the Chicago/Mac, because the racecourse layout is not a straight line to the finish area like the C-M, is.

Personally, I’m surprised the prestigious Chicago Yacht Club would continue to boast about their race being the longest in the world, and not acknowledge the fact, both the LO300 and LO600, hosted by the Port Credit Yacht Club, two races from Lake Ontario, another Great Lake, are longer than 289 miles, and that PCYC own the bragging rights! It behoves me to ask them why they continue the charade? 

Perhaps it’s time the sailors of Port Credit Yacht Club, Toronto, Lake Ontario, should challenge those of the Chicago Yacht Club, Lake Michigan.

– Roger Renaud

Account of 2019 race here: canadianboating.ca/events/local-events/the-lake-ontario-300-always-a-challenge/

The Lake Ontario 300 – Always a ‘Challenge’