Columbia Yacht Club and Columbia Sailing School provide a wide range of sailing lessons and opportunities for nearly everyone. All age groups and skill levels welcome. Find more details HERE about Summer Camp, Junior Racing, School Teams, and Adult Sailing.

Columbia Yacht Club has been hosting races for over 125 years. The season kicks off with our signature "shake the sheets" Skyway Yacht Works COLORS Regatta. We average 150 boats annually, representing a wide range of one-design fleets and beyond. Our weekly Wednesday night Chicago Beer Can Series is the best way to spend a weeknight on a sailboat regardless of your experience level. The season is full of other incredible races ranging from fiercely competitive to just plain fun. We wrap the season once again with our partners at Skyway Yacht Works for the 3 Crib Fiasco!

On the Dock

Columbia's dock is the pride and joy of our Regular members with 1,000 feet of private dock space in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is home to Area III Beer Can Racing, COLORS Regatta, and Columbia's Sailing School. Dock staff monitors boat traffic, assists boaters, and maintains a clean, safe dock throughout the season.

Dock Amenities

Columbia's dock has 30 amp shore power at each of our 11 pedestals, with 50 amp power available at two pedestals located along "A" Dock. Non-potable water is readily available at each of our 11 pedestals. The dock is equipped with WIFI, UHF radio and a/c outlets to charge portable devices. Harbor tenders conveniently pick up members and their guests at the southernmost end of the dock for transport to and from Monroe Harbor moorings.

Small Boat Storage

Columbia's dock has in-water spaces for inflatable dinghies and racks on the dock for rowing/sailing dinghies that are available to rent for members. Some restrictions apply, and availability is limited.

White Cap

Provisioning your boat for even just a day sail can be exhausting, so we offer a dockside convenience store. Craft beer, soft drinks, ice, and snacks can be delivered to your boat by our staff, no need to drag in goods from the suburbs. We offer friendly service and competitive prices for all goods. The White Cap is also the hub for special dock information, including SUP rentals, kayak rentals, Colgate 26 rentals, storage rentals, and to-go orders for race crews and cruisers.

Our Club was founded in 1892 by people that enjoyed the art of sailing. Columbia still carries the tradition today. Sailboats make up the majority of our fleet with cruising and racing, both well represented. In addition to social events and racing, Columbia Yacht Club members are known for their philanthropic ways.

Racing Fleet

Columbia Yacht Club has a storied tradition of racing excellence. Columbia members are known to win on the race-course while maintaining a high level of Corinthian spirit. That tradition lives on today as our race program is ever improving through the great efforts of our Race Committee, committee chairpeople, and sponsors.

Cruising Fleet

The Cruising Fleet is comprised of Columbia Yacht Club members interested in sailing to various places (primarily) on Lake Michigan. In addition to these amazing trips, the Cruising Fleet also plans several social functions throughout the year.

Learn more at the Columbia Cruising Fleet website HERE

Power Fleet

Columbia's Power Fleet has not only grown over the years but has also become more active in the Club and with community events.

The Columbia Sailing School runs a fun and affordable rental program for paddleboards, kayaks, and keelboats. Visit the school's website to learn more!

Columbia Yacht Club is located in the heart of Chicago's sailing scene. As you look west from the Club Ship, Abegweit, you will see the single most magnificent view of Chicago's skyline. The Club is nestled between two of the city's greatest harbors, Monroe and DuSable. As you look east, the glory of Lake Michigan is nothing short of breathtaking. With other amazing landmarks like the museum campus and Navy Pier within walking distance, it is truly anyone's best home away from home. Come for the fun and the boating, stay for the service, and wrap it all up with fireworks. There is never a bad day aboard the Abby.

CASRA

CASRA stands for the "Chicago Area Sail Racing Association." CASRA is an organization comprised of a group of five Chicago-area yacht clubs – Burnham Park Yacht Club, Chicago Yacht Club, Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club, Columbia Yacht Club, and Jackson Park Yacht Club. Combined, CASRA member clubs have approximately 3,000 members, including most of the active racing sailors in the Chicago area, and run many of the sailboat races in the Chicago area. The purpose of CASRA is to respond to the needs and desires of racers, boat owners, and yacht clubs. CASRA coordinates sail racing activities of its member clubs and promotes the growth of sailboat racing in the Chicagoland area.

CASRA is different from other sailing organizations in a few distinct ways. First, CASRA is focused exclusively on the Chicagoland area. This is a fantastic sailing city and a skyline view from the water that is second to none. Chicago and the waterfront is a perfect canvas upon which to paint a greater, more vibrant sail racing program. Second, CASRA works to involve people in boating in many different ways, whether it be offshore racing, inshore racing, youth racing, and even cruising. Third, CASRA is primarily a volunteer organization and does not require or request membership dues from boat owners or crew members.

Two words that might describe CASRA well are "collaboration" and "innovation." CASRA works to engage boat owners, clubs, harbor management, racing fleets, and sailing organizations of all types, to determine needs and desires, and to then respond with new offerings via the five clubs comprising CASRA. For example, since CASRA was founded in 2016, CASRA member clubs have worked together to offer a new Casual Race Series (beginning in 2017), a Charity Challenge (beginning in 2018), and Chicago Race Week (beginning in 2019). These innovations are designed to bring new people into sailboat racing and to make the sport more fun and exciting for those already participating. Each year, CASRA conducts an annual survey of all participants, hosts a town hall meeting and end of season celebration (where results are shared with everyone), and then works to respond to survey results through its plan for the coming year.

Area III

Area III is a division of LMSRF, which is our region's rep to US Sailing. Their contribution to "Fostering racing competition among wind-powered sailing yachts" is to provide a regional structure to the racing environment.

This increases participation by:

• Providing the racer with a standard means to signup and participate in races from the various yacht clubs.
• Providing a forum for the yacht clubs to coordinate their schedules and spread the events throughout the season.
• Making it easier for the yacht clubs to sponsor races by handling signup, fee collection, scoring, protest handing, and publication of results.