Chicago Site Visit
During the FGG annual meeting, GLORY had an opportunity to visit Belmont Harbour, the site of the Regatta during the Gay Games.

As the season has ended, there were few boats out on the water and none of the J22s we will be using but the harbour is in a beutiful location and easy to reach from the city centre and from "boystown" the gay area of Chicago.

We also managed to secure the services of a Certified Principal Race Officer, Chuck Goes, and the facilities of the Belmont Yacht Club who have a 54ft barge moored next to where the J22s are moored. The barge has seating for 40 ,toilets and an office as well as a covered outside deck which can hold over 100 people.

The Belmont Yacht Club was formed in 1973 has a history of tolerance and equal opportunities, being formed to provide equal sailing opportunities for men and women as well as sponsoring the first African American to sail around the world alone.

Amongst other race experience, Chuck is PRO for the Chicago to Mackinac race which takes place on July 22nd, one of the major yachting events of Lake Michigan - (which should have a gay entry this year! - see below).

Site Visit Feedback

Accommodation
Accommodation near Belmont Harbor is very scarce and there aren't many hotels in the area. All teams need to sort out their accommodation NOW to avoid a long commute or high rates. There are hotels in the Chicago area with capacity but they are filling fast. I suggest trying to get somewhere near the lake so that you can make use of the regular bus services (using your free travel pass) which will drop you off at the entrance to the harbor.

GLORY Welcome Party/Fundraiser
GLORY plans to host a welcome party on the pre-regatta evening (Sunday 16th July) to which all LGBT sailors in the Chicago area will be invited, even if they are not in the Gay Games regatta.

In addition to raising funds for GLORY, we also want to encourage the formation of a gay sailing group in Chicago and in other locations where there is no such group now. As we know there are many sailors participating in the games in other sports as they couldn't get an entry in the regatta.

Regatta Organization
We also spoke to the sailing lead at Chicago Games Inc (CGI) as well as the sports program coordinator about the regatta and has sent a long list of questions to them which we will post to the site as soon as we receive a reply.

Chicago-Mackinac Race
This annual event starts on 22nd of July which is also the day of the closing ceremony of the Gay Games. However, it would be great to have an openly gay entry in this event which is essentially a handicap race for yachts. The course is nearly the entire length of Lake Michigan and takes around 2-3 days to complete - depending on the wind. If you are interested in forming a team, email info@glorysailing.org with your sailing background.