From Lake Bluff to Curacao

Lake Bluff Yacht Club at South Beach. Photo: @tanfootlifestyle/Curt Kalousek

There are worse places for a sailboat race than Curacao. Thanks to a successful weekend on Lake Michigan, Lake Bluff Yacht Club sailor Rich Chapman is headed there. Chapman won the 2026 Sunfish Midwest Regional #2, held August 22–23 at Lake Bluff’s South Beach as part of the annual John Sheppard Memorial Regatta. The victory earned him the event’s single qualifying spot for the Sunfish World Championship in Curacao.

It was not an easy route south. Saturday brought strong, variable winds and rolling northerly waves that tested the fleet. By Sunday, Lake Michigan had settled into more typical Sunfish racing conditions.

After seven races, Chapman emerged at the top of a competitive field with 13 points, securing both the regional title and the coveted World Championship berth. The regatta brought 28 sailors to South Beach for a weekend that was about more than the finish line.

Chapman had plenty of Lake Bluff company on the water. LBYC was represented throughout the fleet by Scott Schappe, Pierce McCall, Gretchen Seymour, Matthew Glover, Douglas Warren, Leland Brode, Robert Stelling, Scott Diamond, Louis Gordon, Janet Murphy Ryan, Ryan Bastianelli, Shapoor Guzder and Arthur Haggerty. Named in memory of John Sheppard, the annual event relies on a small army of race committee members and volunteers both on shore and on the water. Next stop Curacao!