Beer Can Results 2017

It was an a interesting summer for the Beer Can racers this year. While in general the weather was really nice this summer, it seemed storms rolled though Chicagoland almost every Wednesday, making for a number of cancellations and "hugely" varied sailing conditions. None the less, a number of J105's came out to play and did very well as they proved that the J-105 is indeed the best boat on lake Michigan.

Congratulations to the winners:
                                                        1st  Peregrine  (4th overall out 28 boats in Spin 2)
                                                        2nd  Esprit d'Ecosse (They did over 60 races this year!)
                                                        3rd  Valhalla

Fall Party - Weather Mark Tavern

This years's Fleet 5 Fall Party will be held Saturday
Nov. 11th at:

        Weather Mark Tavern
         1503 S. Michigan Ave. 
         Chicago, IL 60605
         Tel. No. 312 588-0230

Festivities begin at 7:00  PM

Owner's gathering

Time to put away the boat for the winter. Don't do what this unfortunate soul did, but do join your fellow J105 skippers for a wonderful evening. No awards or speeches, just a good time. Spouses and significant others are welcomed, earn some points for all those days you spent sailing. Our hosts Clark Pellett (Sealark) & Jon Weglarz (The Asylum) have been kind enough to arrange the event at the Chicago Yacht Club, on Monroe St.
A contribution towards the costs would be appreciated and please do RSVP.

Please contact us if you did not receive an Evite, all J105 owners welcomed!

                      fleet5chicago@gmail.com

2017 Verve Cup Offshore

This year's Verve Cup was a spectacular event, great weather, super parties, and the racing was incredibly tight. The entire fleet jockeyed for position with tight crossings, crowds at every mark, and a number of classic duels up & downwind. Every boat brought their best, the constant changes in the finish orders for each race only hint at how tight the racing was. Every boat was competitive. A great time was had by all!

In the end Vytis took first, but is was a nail bitter to the end. Special thanks must go out to the crew of Vytis for their demonstration of superior sportsmanship throwing the Pig a backup spinnaker after we tour ours doing what seemed like an easy windward drop in the first race (be sure to take a look at your prefeeder on the headstay!). They were rethinking that decision as we chased them down in race four.

The Asylum took second place in what was their first regatta for the season after having to undergo some big repairs to the hull that was damaged on the delivery back from Key West this past winter. Job well done. Losing the tie breaker, that is how close the racing was, and taking third was Sealark. The owner Clark was out of town, so the crew took the boat out and did a super job, the steadiest performance of all the boats (as always).

There were some great downwind duels with the boats well under control, but really close. Positions changing with every puff as the boats surged forward. Other than the terrible fouls committed by B36.'s at the widward mark on the last day (we all saw it), it was a incredibly clean regatta. Ok we won't tell Clark about the guys jamming it in there on port and hitting the mark (they did their turn and so did Vytis).  

A special mention has to go out to Peter and the crew of Phantom, this was their first major W/L regatta and they were in it in every race. They are the boat to watch out for.  Also have to add Valhalla was incredible going upwind. They seemed to have jets at times.The finishes don't tell the story of just how close the entire fleet was. There where many times when the boats where shoulder to shoulder, there was no telling who was ahead.

This regatta proved just how good the J105 is and how great One Design racing can be. Be sure to check out the CYC Facebook page , there are some nice pictures there.

Also have to congratulate Teddy on Southbound, he was in charge of the Verve Cup this year and it was a great event. The party on the "veranda" was special. Thank you to CYC and all the sponsors for putting on a great regatta and to you for all your hard work. A great time was had by all. You definitely qualify to hand out this year's Fleet 5 awards this fall.

Please click here to see all the photos from the 2017 NOODS regatta!

“America’s Emerald Isle” Welcomes you to the first BEAVER ISLAND MAC PARTY!

Sail from Mac to Beaver Island this year for this epic new event on July 19. Hosted by the Beaver Island Music Festival, Happy Paddle, and Beaver Island’s own Whiskey Point Brewery. Join us for a beer sampling party at the Beaver Island Marina and live music hosted just for you.

Book a slip in advance at the Beaver Island Municipal Marina in the Paradise Bay Harbor. If the docks are full, you can drop a hook and tender service to pick you up and drop you off.  h=p://www.stjamestwp.org/government_departments/municipal_dock.php 1-231-448-2252

Free transportation will be provided to the Circle-M Restaurant where the party will continue with live music from The Matchsellers. Great food, drinks, and music coming from this duo’s excellent musicianship, tight vocal harmonies, and wacky world view, that ranges from waltzes

to stolen crackers.

The party doesn’t stop after the Circle M bash. You can continue the celebrations with a pub crawl to many of Beaver Island’s Irish pubs: Donegal Danny’s Pub, Shamrock, Beachcomber, and finishing up with The Lodge. Services are available for transportation or grab a room. beaverisland.org

Don’t be in a rush to get home! Your weekend can continue with a lot more adventure. During the days check out a rental from Happy Paddle and get out on the water or tour around town or the island. Discounted Tickets will be offered for Mac Racers that stay for the Beaver Island Music Festival. Shuttles will take you to and from the site. An elite list of artists from County, Blue Grass, Rock, American, and many other genres perform for “Music in the Woods” an island tradition since 2003. 

Beaver Island is a great launching pad for the delivery home.  If it’s blowing like stink out of the Southwest, you can head over to the UP/Wisconsin lee shore or enjoy waiting it out on

America’s Emerald Isle.

2017 Sailing Season

Fleet 5 members reviewed and approved the schedule for the upcoming sailing season;

                                              PDF 2016 Schedule

The Spring Social meeting will be held Sunday, April 23rd at Chicago's Corinthian Yacht Club. Evite's are going out today. If you don't receive an email please contact the Fleet we will be glad to add you to our mailing list.