By Ellie Menezes

 

OC 68 Oakcliff crew prepares for the start of the Chicago-Mackinac Race

 

Thanks to the generosity of Laura and Tone Martin, Oakcliff is the proud owner of a Nelson Marek 68, previously named Sagamore. The donated boat, renamed OC 68, provides an amazing opportunity for Oakcliff sailors to delve into the world of offshore sailing. Oakcliff Sailing, a non-profit based in Oyster Bay, New York, focuses on building American leaders through sailing.

Just before I joined the boat, OC 68 was victorious in the Bayview Mackinac Race, finishing 4/17 in class and, despite being the smallest Great Lake 70 (GL 70), corrected over the rest of the GL 70s. Alongside my Oakcliff Chicago-Mackinac teammates, we eagerly anticipated what she could do on Lake Michigan. Our Chicago Mackinac Race crew had a wide range of experience and skill levels, with 25% of sailors brand new to offshore racing and 75% of the crew sailing the Chicago Mac for the first time. We looked forward to the challenge of racing some of the best sailors in the country.

 

Sunset on day one

 

Two days before the race, on Thursday morning the full crew arrived at the boat and immediately dove into boatwork. Dividing into small groups, we conquered the to-do list and most importantly fixed the head! After ensuring OC 68 was shipshape, we spent the evening exploring Chicago’s Navy Pier. Walking down the pier, we kept in our sailing mindset and started calling puffs, analyzing the rig tune of nearby boats, and checking AIS on Marine Traffic. Bystanders definitely knew we were sailors!

Making upwind progress towards Mackinac! Left to right are Suzanne, Ellie, Adrienne, Max, Patty, and Zech.

Friday we turned our focus to boat-handling and teamwork. We motorsailed upwind and practiced tacks in the light breeze. A 5-6 knot breeze filled, and we focused on improving our jibing. While sailing back upwind, we conducted a man overboard drill. After an exciting afternoon, we headed back to our first-class slip at Chicago Yacht Club’s Monroe Station right next to race winner TP 52 Heartbreaker, whose boat captain is also an Oakcliff graduate. Concluding our night in true Chicago fashion, we enjoyed scrumptious deep-dish pizza while reviewing routings on Expedition. A perfect pre-race dinner!

Christmas (aka Chicago Mackinac Race start day!) morning arrived, but instead of snow Mother Nature blessed us with rain. Before leaving Laura and Tone Martin’s house (they graciously hosted our team) we devoured some delicious cinnamon rolls (a team favorite from local breakfast spot Ann Sather). Motoring out, we had our final safety briefing, including pop quizzes on the ditch kit’s location, how to deploy the Dan Buoy (tall inflatable cone used to mark MOB location), and a kind reminder to NOT overflow the head. Crew member Kate Mattiello is a Chicago native, and her family stood in the pouring rain and waved goodbye as we motored by Navy Pier en route to the starting area. The rain sucked most of the wind away and we drifted over the start line. Shifty winds resulted in four sail changes during just the first hour! Fortunately, a bit later the sun burst through, the wind backed and we set our kite! I was excited to finally exercise my role as a kite trimmer rather than sitting on the leeward rail. Shortly before sunset, our true wind speed meter (TWS) stopped transmitting. Ethan Johnson, Oakcliff Training Program Director and 5-time Chicago Mac racer, and I quickly discovered a loose connection, which we easily fixed. Watches started at 8pm, just as the wind started to shut off. Nice sleeping for off-watch crew, but lots of patience required for those on watch! Luckily, within a few hours the breeze built to 13 knots upwind. Now, trimming main, I focused on keeping a close eye on the leech telltales and maintaining a constant communication with driver Zech Frantz. OC 68 momentum helped us carve through the chop.

Sunday morning, we discovered a small diesel spill down below from leaking jerry cans, and quickly cleaned the area. I’m not sure which smell is better…spilled diesel or smelly, wet sailing clothes?! We spent most of Sunday hiking, thankfully on the windward side! We discovered the stash of peanut M&Ms, which quickly became a team favorite! Sunday evening, Andrew Lam, Oakcliff Engineering intern and Embry-Riddle senior, became Spider-Man and we hoisted him up the leech of the jib for a repair. The breeze tapered off around 2am and we stayed close to the shoreline to try and catch the gradient breeze. Staying focused, we gained on our competition.

 

And across the line!   © Allen Clark/PhotoBoat.com

Monday morning, the breeze built and the temperature dropped. Short tacking up the shore, we stayed lifted in puffs along the coastline. We finished our last package of snacks… good thing we were approaching Mackinac. Two days, three hours, forty-five minutes and eight seconds after leaving Chicago, we crossed the finish line! We were greeted by a cannon shot as we flew past the race committee and the historic Round Island Lighthouse. We finished 12th in class. After docking, boatwork, and a quick visit to town, much of the crew went to sleep exhausted. Celebrations continued around us into the night as more and more boats arrived.

Mackinac Island is a very unique place. Victorian-era architecture, no cars – only horse & buggies and bikes. After a day of celebrating with fellow sailors, making new friends, and exploring Mackinac. I had to head home to work in Connecticut, but the rest of the team delivered the boat back to Detroit. The delivery took just over two days and was marked by mixed weather conditions, but an overall good time, including a stop in Alpena, great music, and Mackinac Island fudge. The team arrived at the boat’s home marina, Sassy in Lake St. Clair, and spent the next several days prepping the boat for dry storage – not an easy task! It was not all work, though, as they experienced true midwestern hospitality from Prudence “Prudy” Billiu, an Oakcliff supporter and 2024 Bayview Mac finisher, and Dawn Riley’s mom who hosted the team for several days and fed them the best baked goods in Michigan. An expedition into Detroit to visit the Henry Ford Museum and the Rail Station were also crew favorites. Once the boat was safely out of the water, the team headed back to Oyster Bay via a quick stop in Cleveland. An adventure was had by all and left us wanting to come back and race again next year.

 

Enjoying fireworks on Mackinac Island to celebrate the race’s close

116th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust, Oakcliff OC 68 crew roster

Adrienne Johnson (trimmer)

Allie Shand (bow/watch captain)

Andrew Klotz (mast)

Andrew Lam (bow)

Conrad Klotz (grinder)

Ethan Johnson (driver/navigator)

Ellie Menezes (trimmer)

Hans Schultz (trimmer)

Isis Langer-Wright (pit)

Julian Heredia (grinder)

Kate Mattiello (pit)

Max Trojanowski (bow/watch captain)

Patty Bryan (runners)

Rene Klotz (runners)

Suzanne Alexis (trimmer/tactician)

Zech Frantz (driver)

Ellie Menezes, 18, competed in her first ever Chicago Mackinac Race with Team Oakcliff in mid-July. Ellie is from Groton, CT learned to sail in a wooden eight-foot pram built by her grandfather in 1954. She sailed with New England Science and Sailing (NESS), advancing from Optis to C420s and competing with Team One United for three years on the U.S National Youth Sailing Circuit. Actively involved with the MudRatz Youth Sailing Team, Ellie skippered the team’s Melges 24, Equal Opportunity, in local races. At 15, Ellie completed the 2022 Newport Bermuda Race with Team MudRatz and sailed the 2024 Bayview Mackinac Race onboard OC 68.

Ellie is a mentee in the 2024/2025 Magenta Project mentoring program. Paired with mentor Andreas Baden, a professional offshore IMOCA navigator, she’s building navigation skills with a dream to become a navigator in The Ocean Race. Most recently, Ellie co-founded Team Sound Sisters, a Fishers Island Sound-based team that competed in the Tropheé Virginie Hériot, an all-women’s regatta hosted by Yacht Club de Monaco (see May 2025 WindCheck). She is a sophomore at Wesleyan University majoring in Economics and minoring in Data Analysis. ■