Last summer, the camp at 31st Street Harbor began as a three-day experiment for a single community partner. Now it's back for six weeks, serving five community partners. For many kids, the 31st Street location is more geographically convenient. Furthermore, access to a swimming pool allows campers to learn to swim and sail on the same day!

This summer, three new junior instructors step onto the dock at CYCF, each of them once a participant in the programs they'll now help lead. 

Tony Olvera

Tony first came to CYCF in the summer of 2024, when he was sixteen. He arrived with friends from his St. Paul's cohort, which he says helped settle his nerves. One memory still stands out: the day his group tacked a J/100 without an instructor at the helm. "It felt good to take what they taught us and apply it ourselves," he said. "It's become a memory that we still talk about to this day."

CYCF is raising $7,500 to fund Sailor Packs for youth participants this summer—150 packs at $50 each. Sailor Packs are gear kits distributed on the first day of camp: a swimsuit, water shoes, a hat, a quick-dry shirt, a towel, sunscreen, and sunglasses. Everything a participant needs to spend a full week comfortably on the water. CYCF covers meals and transportation too—so participants arrive ready to sail.

When Gale Force arrives at Monroe Station this week, she will bring more than another sailboat to the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation’s fleet. The J/100 is the latest gift from Captain Dave’s Foundation. Gale Force joins Charlotte Ann, a J/100, and M/V Intrigue, a coachboat, as the foundation's third vessel given to CYCF. It is extraordinary generosity, and CYCF is grateful. Robert Bied, president of Captain Dave’s Foundation and a member of CYCF’s board of directors, has led the acquisitions. Under his leadership, Captain Dave’s Foundation purchased Gale Force and Charlotte Ann, and commissioned M/V Intrigue, a custom inflatable 19-ft coachboat built specifically to support CYCF’s Monroe Community Sailing Initiative.

Kurt Anderson, Ian Burns, Lisa Scully, and Chris Whitford have joined the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation Board of Directors. Each brings a different set of experiences and perspectives to the Foundation, along with a shared commitment to expanding access to Lake Michigan for young people across Chicago. We are grateful to have them join the Board at an exciting time in the Foundation’s growth.

The Chicago Yacht Club Foundation has been awarded a generous grant to launch a new leadership development program for Chicago youth. For several years, the Foundation has run outreach sailing camps, taught STEM education workshops, and awarded scholarships, but this new program is the first to explicitly connect sailing to personal and professional growth. Funded by the Dr. Arthur J. Atkinson Family Foundation, this new program benefits Chicago youth by leveraging the unique strengths of the Chicago Yacht Club, especially its membership.

The Chicago Yacht Club Foundation is honored to receive US Sailing’s Jim Kilroy Outstanding Outreach & Inclusion Award, a national recognition of efforts to expand access to sailing and strengthen inclusion in the sport. This honor reflects the shared commitment of participants, community partners, instructors, donors, and staff who help make this work possible.

Thanks to your generous support and encouragement, I’m thrilled to share that the Annual Appeal was an extraordinary success—raising more than $890,000. This remarkable outcome reflects the strength of our community and our shared commitment to expanding access to boating. Together, we are creating meaningful opportunities for Chicago youth on Lake Michigan.

November 19, 2025

by Diane Foote

The 2025 Bilge Auction, held at CYC's Belmont Station on Saturday, November 15, raised a record amount to support Sea Scout Ship #5870 Privateer and the CYC Foundation: more than $37,000! This more than doubles the event's previous record.

November 19, 2025

by Greg Miarecki and Maggie Shea

Dear Friends,

Your generous support of the CYC Foundation helped change the lives of more than 3,000 youth this past year. Together, we are one step closer to a future where every young person in Chicago can experience the joys and benefits of boating, learn to swim, and feel connected to Lake Michigan. 

October 29, 2025

by Annie Thompson

Girls in the Game is a Chicago nonprofit that helps girls build confidence, health, and leadership skills through sports and mentorship. This year, the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation (CYCF) joined that mission––creating new opportunities for girls to learn, grow, and build confidence both on and off the water.

October 29, 2025

by Megan McNichols Mahon

A twelve-year-old grips the tiller for the first time, eyes wide as the sail catches wind and the boat responds to her touch. It’s a moment of pure discovery––one that happened hundreds of times this past summer, thanks to the generosity of CYC Foundation donors who believe every Chicagoland child deserves to experience the magic of Lake Michigan.

September 29, 2025

by Diane Foote

…nearly tripled the number of youth participating in Monroe Community Sailing programs, from 70 in 2024 to 194;

…more than doubled the number of youth participating in Adventure Boating Camp in Belmont Harbor from 45 in 2024 to 105, across seven week-long sessions;

September 29, 2025

by Annie Thompson

The Chicago Yacht Club Foundation is excited to welcome Paul Hansen on board as our new program manager. After spending the summer as a CYCF sailing instructor, Hansen now steps into this leadership role, bringing a rare mix of classroom teaching experience and years on the water—along with a clear passion for making sailing accessible to more young people across Chicago.

August 25, 2025

by Sherlyn Argueta

Sherlyn Argueta, an alumna of the CYC Foundation's Lead HER Ship program, served as the 2025 InSPIRE Intern this summer. This internship, supported by a bequest from Dr. Jean-Paul Spire, aims to provide CYC Foundation alumni/ae with postsecondary training, education, and work experience.

August 25, 2025

by Maggie Shea and Annie Thompson

During the last week of July, the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation hosted the inaugural Sailapalooza, a four-day sailing camp and evening cruise at the Chicago Yacht Club’s Monroe Station that welcomed more than 150 youth from neighborhoods across the city of Chicago.

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.