Goodbye Chicago!

September 09, 2018

On our last day in Chicago we were fortunate enough to meet a couple, Paul and Suzanne Murray, who are avid sailboat racers, own a power boat in Du Sable Marina where we were staying, want to do the Loop in a couple years, and are members of the Columbia Yacht Club. They first gave us a tour of their Kady Krogen and asked us if we wanted a tour of the yacht club. The answer to that question was absolutely YES. We had been admiring their yacht club because it is a ship. Had never seen that before. Just a tad different from HCYC.

This is the name plaque of the ship. The members just call her the Abby.

As we entered the Club, one of the first things you see is a row of Yacht Club burgees. On the top row look at the 6th burgee from the left, HCYC from Canyon Lake. We were so proud to know that a member of HCYC had visited and exchanged burgees.

This is the office below as you come aboard.

They have a huge youth sailing program and this is their indoor classroom.

The salon.

The bridge.

Views from the bridge.

Views from the top deck, port and starboard.

The plaque above commemorates the sailing of the ship from Nova Scotia (where it was purchased - it was a former auto and railcar ferry in the North Sea) to its current location on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago. The inscription describes the voyage and lists the names of every crewmember who participated. The ship was destined to be sold for scrap when the Club purchased her. The ship's crew were so happy that they volunteered to bring her to Chicago so she would have a new home.

Racing trophies in the case below (for the club's sailing program, not for the Abby).

Indoor dining room where they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Below is an image of the Abby when she was launched.

Below are models of former ships that also served as the Clubhouse for the Yacht Club. Remember, the Columbia Yacht Club dates back to 1892.

The bar.

Paul and Suzanne also treated us to a Mimosa.

The Chicago Yacht Club is the more hoity-toity club. We weren't invited in there.

We had had the Chicago style pizza and I guess we couldn't leave without getting a Chicago style hot dog! The hot dog stand had a great view and was right next to the Aquarium.

I like the quote from the menu above, " All prices include A LOT of taxes".

One last walk through part of downtown.

This is a 60 ft Choy Lee sailboat that was towed over to A dock early Saturday morning. It had been moored out for 3 weeks and the owners decided Friday night that it was way too windy and rolly so they got a hotel room.

During the night the boat broke 5 lines from the mooring ball and slammed into the concrete wall. It was leaking diesel fuel in addition to the large whole about midship, major scratches and missing wood down the port side. Needless to say the owners were distraught and it will be hauled out for repair which they estimate will take close to a year!! Those are the same winds that kept us in Chicago 3 extra days!!

Almost sunset.

Time to go.....we pulled out at 7am in an 8 boat parade headed through downtown and into the Illinois River.

We now get to do the Architectural Tour in our own boat and Brent took almost as many pictures.

That's a train passing above the street below while pedestrians walk to work.

Look at all of those people below walking across the bridge to work. It was a constant stream of them walking from the rail terminals into downtown.

Entering China Town below.

We are back to dancing with the barges!

Above is a picture of the lowest fixed bridge on the route through Chicago. If your boat can't fit beneath this boat then your Great Loop turns into the Great U-Turn.

When we passed through today the height was just over 18 feet as indicated on the marker board mounted beneath the bridge in the photo below. The charted clearance is 17.5 feet but the water level in the river is slightly lower currently. Second Wave is just under 16 feet tall when we lay back her anchor light (we can leave her mast upright and still be beneath 16).

Nice protected waters. I've been waiting a long time for these conditions!

You can take two routes from Lake Michigan into the river system and this next pic is where they merge together.

This arch in the photos below is where there is an electric fish barrier. It's distance is about half a mile and the purpose is to prevent the Asian Carp from reaching Lake Michigan. Apparently this area is over populated with them and this is an effort to control it. Many Loopers talk about the Asian Carp jumping on their boats and they are very thin skinned fish so when you try to get them off your boat they just bleed everywhere.