Whitehawk crossed the finish line in light conditions for cruising division line-honors; the 111th CYC Race to Mackinac. (47 hours, 1 minute, 14 seconds. Corrected time)

“Congratulations to owner Peter Thornton and his crew, from all of us at ClassicSailboats for winning the Ile Aux Galets Cup.”

The 104 foot ketch, owned by businessman Peter Thornton, was the highlight of the cruising division. Styled after the famous Herreshoff racing vessel Ticonderoga, Whitehawk was designed by renowned Maine yacht designer Bruce King and commissioned in 1978.

The 111th edition began at Chicago’s Navy Pier, with sailboats in the graceful cruising division getting underway. This year, 270 boats and 2,300 sailors from around the world competed. The boats sail 333 miles up Lake Michigan before hanging a big right turn into the Straits of Mackinac, gliding under the Mackinac Bridge before crossing the finish line near the island. It’s the world’s oldest freshwater distance race.

In 2018, Thornton’s sleek Volvo 70 racer, Il Mostro, won first-to-finish honors. But he’s since retired that speed monster, donating it to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Sailing Foundation.

This year, Thornton, 79, took a slower – and more luxurious sail up the spine of the big lake. The massive Whitehawk features staterooms, a propane fireplace and a teak bathtub, according to the Associated Press. Thornton sailed with his sons and grandsons as part of the crew.

“I’m closing in on becoming an octogenarian in a few months and, after last year’s Mac race, I decided that I’ve had enough of the competitive racing and I wanted to try something different,” Thornton said in a phone interview with the AP. “I found Whitehawk was available. It really excited me when I saw the boat and what it represented and thought, ‘This is something I’ve got to try.”

CYC Race to Mackinac

The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac is the longest annual fresh water race in the world. “The Mac” starts at the Chicago Lighthouse, just off Navy Pier and ends after a 333-mile dash to Mackinac Island. More than 350 boats leave Chicago every July for the race which has become a bucket-list event for America’s Cup winners, Transpac and Volvo Ocean sailors. More than 2,700 people attend the race annually and in 2016, participants traveled to Chicago from 621 different cities, 38 states and 12 countries.

More about Whitehawk, visit: https://classicsailboats.org/?portfolio=suspendisse-arcu
More about the 2019 CYC race to Mackinac Island: mlive.com/news/2019/07/chicago-yacht-club-race-to-mackinac-kicks-off-how-to-track-the-big-money-boats.html