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.

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.