July 30, 2025

by Maggie Shea and Annie Thompson

From July 7–11, the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation hosted 19 Chicagobility interns––teens ages 14 and 15 participating in the City of Chicago’s One Summer Chicago program––for a weeklong introduction to maritime careers and on-the-water safety training.

July 30, 2025

by Megan McNichols Mahon

The 14 teenagers from Girls Inc. of Chicago were quiet as they walked down the Monroe Station dock on a sunny Monday morning in late June, eyeing the two J/100 sailboats with uncertainty. For these young women, stepping aboard was venturing into unfamiliar territory—but exactly the kind of brave step that embodies Girls Inc.ʼs mission to empower girls to be strong, smart, and bold.

June 27, 2025

by Diane Foote

The CYC Foundation partners with local nonprofits that share our commitment to enriching the lives of Chicago youth. In 2025, 17 community partners will work with us to share the joys and benefits of boating with their service populations. 

June 27, 2025

by Annie Thompson

Wintrust Week, a brand-new collaboration between the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation and Wintrust Financial Corporation, welcomed more than 180 young people from communities across Chicago to Lake Michigan for hands-on boating and STEM learning.

May 30, 2025

by Diane Foote

2025 welcomes the new J/100 sailboat Charlotte Ann, joining her sister vessel Whaat’s Up in Monroe Harbor and doubling the CYC Foundation’s ability to introduce sailing to Chicagoland youth. Whaat’s Up, generously donated in 2024 by Paul and Susan Herer, was the Foundation’s inaugural boat.

May 30, 2025

by Annie Thompson

The Chicago Yacht Club Foundation Board of Directors exemplifies what’s possible when passion meets purpose. This extraordinary group of volunteer leaders shares a love of Lake Michigan and an unwavering commitment to creating opportunities for youth through the joys and lifelong benefits of boating.

April 24, 2025

by Megan McNichols Mahon

Imagine the quiet confidence gained when a child steers a sailboat on Lake Michigan for the first time. Picture the sense of accomplishment in learning to float independently in a pool or the shared laughter during an exciting Seadog ride along Chicago’s shoreline.

April 24, 2025

by Diane Foote

The CYC Foundation seeks to achieve our mission through four levels of engagement: Introduction, Induction, Development, and Inspiration. The Foundation's Competition Fund is one way we implement programming at the "Inspiration" level, by awarding grants to support applicants’ training for and participation in prestigious national and international sailing competitions.

April 25, 2025

by Caroline O’Malley

This season, the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation will welcome thousands of young sailors from across the city to Lake Michigan—many for the very first time. As we expand our afterschool programs into the late spring and fall, we’re asking the CYC community to help us outfit these sailors with the gear they need to stay safe, warm, and comfortable on J/100’s, Sonars, and 420s.

March 25, 2025

by Megan McNichols Mahon

In a bustling classroom on Chicago’s Near West Side, a group of middle school students huddle around their handcrafted anemometers, eyes wide with excitement as they record measurements and compare results––learning firsthand about the wind patterns that sailors navigate on Lake Michigan.

March 25, 2025

by Maggie Shea

As we look ahead to this summer, we are most excited by the traction we see among participants in our programs. We have dozens of youth returning this summer across multiple programs from all over the city, with many young boaters transitioning from our fun-based camp programs, like Adventure Boating at Belmont, into more structured sailing school classes to develop their skills.

February 27, 2025

by Lindsey Duda

Last summer, the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation (CYCF) partnered with Youth for a Better Future (YBF) to provide swimming lessons, Adventure Boating Camps and sailing classes to local kids ages 6-18, and are excited to see nearly 50% of their participants are returning this summer to take classes at CYC Belmont’s sailing school. 

February 27, 2025

Picture the Commodore as an eight-year-old. While his father and mother were on their vintage 36’ wooden Chris Craft, he was out in the dinghy exploring the Kankakee and DesPlaines Rivers. He has never abandoned his enjoyment of boating adventures.

January 24, 2025

…take nearly 300 kids from across the city on six introductory Lake Michigan cruises.

…introduce sailing and Great Lakes ecology to 175 students on nine science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) cruises aboard the tall ship Inland Seas.

January 24, 2025

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated to our 2024 Annual Appeal! You helped us surpass our ambitious goal to raise $400,000, with more than $440,000 raised to support our 2025 programs!

CHICAGO, Dec. 6, 2024 – The Chicago Yacht Club Foundation has announced its first executive director, two-time Olympic sailor and Chicago native Margaret “Maggie” Shea.

November 25, 2024

by Nick Camino

The CYC Foundation is in the thick of our 2024 Annual Appeal! We have an ambitious goal, to raise $400,000 to fund an equally ambitious suite of programs in 2025. We're off to a strong start, but we can't do it without our dedicated supporters––YOU!

November 25, 2024

Incoming CYC Foundation Executive Director Maggie Shea is no stranger to boating, to hard work, or to success. She is an Olympian, having represented the United States in sailing in the Tokyo and Paris games; a two-time Pan American Games medalist; and an overall winner of the 2011 Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, which she raced aboard her family’s boat, Windancer.

October 25, 2024

by Megan McNichols Mahon

Getting more kids from underrepresented communities on the water this summer was the goal of a new collaboration between the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation and Columbia Yacht Club’s Chester Kuttner Foundation.

September 27, 2024

by Danyell Shin

This summer, the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation (CYCF) partnered with BUILD Chicago Inc. to offer an exciting week-long Adventure Boating Camp, designed to inspire hope and provide new opportunities for youth in some of Chicago’s most challenging neighborhoods.