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.

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.