The 104th annual Race to Mackinac was feted in a mighty splashy(ha! see what I did there) way thanks to presenting sponsor Veuve Clicquot and the Chicago Yacht Club. The festivities started on Thursday at the Captains of the Industry party at ROOF at the Wit which I unfortunately did not attend, it was one of those longs days and I just couldn’t muster any energy to leave my bed. The party rolled on Friday night though at the Chicago Yacht Club where sailors did last minute checks, guests walked the decks to check out the boats, sipped on a flute or two of Veuve. During the VIP reception, 104th and 105th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Chairman Lou Sandoval along with the RTM committee presented Veuve Clicquot, represented by Tim Norris and Anna Kimball, with a CYC flag as well as sponsor Lexus. 
They also presented a large flag that was signed by all participants of the 2012 RTM to the US Coast Guard and thanked them for their hard work.
The VIP reception featured lots of Veuve Champagne and Belvedere, A large size Jenga game and chance for the sailors, family and friends to kick back before the upcoming journey. 
J.P Anderson, Joanna Krupa, Sharon and Dan Uslan
On Saturday July 21, Michigan Avenue Magazine and The Chicago Yacht Club along with Veuve Clicquot, Belvedere, Lexus and other major sponsors presented the official Race to Mackinac parade of boats viewing party. Although there some guests were schviting from the hot sun, the heat did not spoil the fun. Guests sipped, ate and danced to the beats spun by DJ Megan Taylor. Food inside the BMO Harris tent was provided by Mariano’s. The cooling towels being passed around definitely helped as temps began to soar and the sun was beaming down hard.
New Michigan Avenue Magazine EIC J.P. Anderson wins the prize for coolest attire, literally. It was so hot out everyone was shvitzing but he did not even break one drop of sweat and he had on a suit, I was impressed. Guests attending Ashore Thing included: Model Joanna Krupa, Stefan Holt and Alicia Roman of NBC Chicago, Chicago Bear’s Israel Idonije, Les Coney, Margaret O’Connor, Teddy Venable and Meghan Goulette of Rockit Ranch, Niche Media’s Kelli Marucka, Thomas McElroy II and Felcia Barnes, Tim Norris, Anna Kimball, Morocco Assouline, P.J McGuire, Carly Cristman, Mary Chung, Bianca Benavides Anderson, Brook Jay, Grace Napoliatno, Amanda Latifi of UnicornStylings and so many many more at the pier. Check out the gallery below for pictures of all the fun. Be sure to like the Facebook page for more pictures.
