2023 GREAT LAKES INTERCOLLEGIATE OFFSHORE Regatta: Purdue and Brown for the Win!
Chicago, IL – The 2023 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (GLIOR) was hosted this past week, September 22nd through 24th 2022 at the Columbia Yacht Club (ColYC) in Chicago, IL. The event was co-hosted by the Storm Trysail Club and Columbia Yacht Club with support from the Chicago Tartan 10 Fleet and the Chicago J105 Fleet. This year 18 teams participated in the competition alongside owners, coaches, and organizing staff. The event saw over 150 sailors involved!
On Friday, 9/22 teams were invited to register and practice. Conditions were light, E winds of 4-6 knots were recorded and provided for excellent practicing conditions. Temperatures were a balmy 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. It was partly to mostly cloudy throughout the afternoon.
On Saturday, 9/24 competitors were greeted in the morning with winds out of the S/SSE and variable clouds, the winds were variable, we saw winds velocity as low as 3 knots and as high as 10 knots. Swell and wave action were varied, by the end of the day the winds were directly out of the E. The PRO team was busy on Saturday, that’s for sure! The skipper's meeting occurred at 0830 on schedule and the harbor start occurred at 0900 right on time. The PRO (Fields Gunsett) was able to run 5 races on Saturday, the race committee was presented with challenging winds all day and a number of course adjustments were made including some in-race. Post racing teams were invited to a banquet on the dock and enjoyed an incredible evening on the Chicago lakefront.
On Sunday, 9/25 competitors awoke to heavier winds from the ENE. Throughout the sleeping hours, winds were recorded higher resulting in lumpy conditions. Winds throughout the day hovered between 8 and 15 knots of speed. Temperatures remained stable in the low-70s with cloud cover present, occasional rain storms were present and caused some variability in direction and speed of winds. The PRO was able to kick off 3 races before the 1400 no racing time set by the notice of race (NOR). At the end of the day Purdue University continued their streak and was able to secure first place in the Tartan 10 fleet, Brown University tied with the University of Charleston, resulting in Brown winning due to tie breaking rules. Protests resulted in the awards being delayed, unfortunately a few teams needed to leave, include Brown, as a result some missing awards photos are present.
Collegiate teams in attendance this weekend where: Purdue University, Michigan Technological University, Grand Valley State University, Queen’s University, University of Miami (Ohio), Indiana University, University of Wisconsin Women’s, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Marquette University, Northwestern University, Brown University, College of Charleston, United State Naval Academy, University of Wisconsin, United States Coast Guard Academy, University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago.
Thank you to our sponsors for making this event possible: Columbia Yacht Club, Storm Trysail Club, Skyway Yacht Words, Buddig, Helly Hansen, Dimension Polyant, North Sales and United Engravers.
Key Links:
GLIOR Website: https://stormtrysail.org/races/glior/
GLIOR Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/CHIGLIOR
GLIOR YouTube (check out this year’s highlights): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW08Reqn8YmnzjOjav2Szag
GLIOR 2023 Yacht Scoring: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=15965
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About the GLIOR Regatta: The GLIOR is an annual fall regatta that provides an opportunity for collegiate sailors to experience the excitement of offshore keel-boat racing. Participating teams come from college sailing programs in the Midwest and beyond. In the past, Chicago T10 & Chicago J105 fleet members provide the sailboats and are on-board during racing as a safety precaution; the collegiate sailors drive, crew the boat and manage strategy and tactics; Chicago-area yacht clubs provide facilities and the fleets provide financial support, participant gifts and awards.
The regatta consists of windward/leeward buoy races on Lake Michigan offshore of Chicago. Teams arrive on Friday and have the opportunity to practice on their assigned boats that afternoon. Race committee attempts as many races as possible all-day Saturday and on Sunday morning. Award ceremonies are Sunday during lunch and teams have the afternoon for travel back to campus.
Past participating college teams - Michigan, Michigan State, Miami of Ohio, Hope College, Western Michigan, Wisconsin, Grand Valley State, Toledo, Northwestern, St. Mary's College of Md., Michigan Tech, Minnesota, Ohio State, South Florida, Miami, Baldwin Wallace, Indiana University, Marquette, Cleveland State University, United States Naval Academy, United States Coast Guard Academy, Queens University, University of South Carolina, Notre Dame, Illinois-Chicago and more.
Past participating T10 boats - Glider, Lightning, Cheap Thrill, Terminal Velocity, Mutiny, Skidmarks, Amateur II, Ka-Mikaze, Waterworks, Jing Bang, Ratty, M*A*S*H*, Retention, Hot Sauce and more.
Past participating J105 boats - The Asylum, Sealark, Vytis, Flying Pig, Gangbusters, Kinship and more.
Pictured above: first place winners in the T10 fleet, Purdue University. From left to right: Nick Zomer (GLIOR Chairman), Purdue Sailors, Columbia Yacht Club Commodore Joseph Marciniak.
Pictured above: Coast Guard Academy onboard J105 Peregrine, high fiving their coach at the end of the day on Sunday.
Pictured above: Tartan 10s and their respective college teams docking after practice on Friday.
Pictured above: a J105 (Peregrine) and a T10 (Thunderbolt) heading down the course with Navy Pier (Chicago Landmark) in the distance.
Pictured Above: student onboard a T10 (Thunderbolt) with Columbia Yacht Club in the background.