Chicago Tri-State Race Preview

(Chicago, IL)- The Tri-State is a 3-leg offshore race held over Labor Day Weekend on the southern parts of Lake Michigan. Chicago to St. Joseph, MI is the first leg of the race. More than 100 boats depart on the 50.5 NM journey across the lake on Friday night. Saturday is a day of rest in St. Joseph with the Annual Beach Volleyball Tournament and live entertainment at the St. Joseph River Yacht Club. On Sunday morning, racers choose to continue to Michigan City, IN as part of the traditional Tri-State or head back to Chicago for the Bi-State.

In the fleet of 104 boats, 24 of them are J/teams (about 23% of all entries).  The J/105s are racing as a one-design class, with eight crews ready for the sprint across the lake.  Several top crews are in the mix, including Vanessa Gates’ STRIKING, Gyt Petkus’ VYTIS, and Clark Pellet’s SEALARK.

In the tough seventeen-boat PHRF 4 class are a quartet of J/88’s, including Andy Graff’s EXILE, Rich Stearns’ HOKEY SMOKE, Ben Wilson’s RAMBLER and Boyd Jarrell’s SLOT MACHINE.  Joining in on the fun will be John Madey’s J/92 CYCLONE.

The sixteen-boat PHRF 3 class is shaping up to be yet another battle of 35-footers.  Three J/109s vs. two J/35s vs a bunch of other 35-somethings.  The J/109 ringleader must certainly be the Chicago Mackinac Race winner, Bob Evans’ GOAT RODEO, up against his colleagues Elwood Hansmann’s BLOODLINE and Jim Caesar’s LIQUID LOUNGE II.  The J/35’s are Mitch Weisman’s FLYING SPHAGETTI MONSTER and Rick Reed’s OB LA DI!

With eighteen boats, the PHRF 2 class is the largest in the event and will have a lot of stiff competition.  A trio of J/111’s with extensive offshore experience should be contenders, such as Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi’s MOMENTUS, John Kalanik’s PURA VIDA, and Tom Dickson’s WARLOCK.  They will have to contend with Frank Giampoli’s J/120 JAHAZI and Jim Gignac’s J/130 SALSA.

Finally, in PHRF 1 class, carrying the J/banner all alone will be Tom Papoutsis’ J/133 RENEGADE in a class with an eclectic mixture of much larger offshore racing machines- like an Andrews 77 and a TP52!  For more Tri-State Race sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.


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