On September 26, 2021 after spending 50+ years boating in the Chicago area we decided to take a trip in our little 16' Boston Whaler from downtown Chicago to the Wilmette Harbor about 15 miles north. Lots of great surprises along the way a wonderful trip recommend anybody in a relatively small boat to do it. Any questions please reach out to me Ted Widen 312-593-1180 Ted Widen Your Chicagoland Realtor Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago Helping our clients achieve success in all of their real estate endeavors ChicagoScene.com https://tedwiden.bhhschicago.com Social Media : https://www.facebook.com/ted.widen https://www.instagram.com/tedwiden https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedwiden #chicagorealtor #Chicagorealestate #chicagoboaters

Video of the Chicago Air & Water show taken from our Jeanneau 42DS sailboat just off of North Ave Beach. The best place to see the air show is from a boat on the Lake. Don't forget they Practice on Thursday & Friday before the Air show weekend, don't miss out next year! Book your trip for next year now! BoatCharter.info

The Playpen: Where Chicago boaters go to play We started the Chicago Scene Boat Party over 20 years ago. It is the largest Boat party in Lake Michigan. The party draws over 500 boats and over 10,000 people each year. It's held on the last Saturday in July each year. Go to ChicagoSceneBoatParty.com for more info. The place to tie up boats together, hang out, swim, and party. Every gorgeous day hundreds of boats anchor in the Playpen and take in the incredible Chicago skyline and views of the Hancock building, Lake Point Tower, and enjoy the calm blue waters. Ted Widen owner of ChicagoScene.com https://chicagosailboatandyachtcharters.com

Our wonderful sunset cruises go out every night. We leave 1-2 hours before sunset and the trip takes you out onto the lake for an incredible view of the sun setting behind the city. Wine and appetizers always go well on this type of cruise. We can sail along the lakefront or out a couple miles past the “Water Intake Cribs” https://chicagosailboatandyachtcharters.com/sunset/

If your winch breaks or power goes out here is how you can manually operate your winch using a winch handle. This is an example of the Quick Antrares powered winch

This is a great video of sailing around Chicago’s lakefront. Enjoy the sights and sounds of all the views from Lake Michigan of the Chicago skyline, Navy Pier, water intake cribs, the “Playpen”, the Chicago Air and Water show and the North Shore of Chicago and Bahai Temple. Chicago is located on the Southwestern tip of Lake Michigan; the lake is over 300 miles long and over 100 miles wide and an average depth of 279 feet deep. If you are interested in chartering a Sailboat or Yacht please contact us at Chicago Sailboat and Yacht Charters or check out our website: ChicagoSailboatAndYachtCharters.com Please Like our video & Subscribe

The annual fall migration of sailboats down the Chicago River to winter storage. Every year like ducks flying south for the winter, all of the active sailboats make the pilgrimage off of Lake Michigan into their selected winter storage destinations. As winter was closing in around us we realized now was the time to put our sailboat away. On October 17th we took our boat from Belmont Harbor to our winter storage spot called Canal Street Marina near Chinatown on the Chicago River. We started our trip at 8 am on a very cold, sunny day the temperature was about 38 degrees with a wind chill in the 20's so we were dressed like we were planning the day to go snow skiing rather than sailing. We experienced an exhilarating sail with a robust wind from behind us and the sun rising to our East. We sailed south for 4 miles just past Navy Pier to the "Chicago Locks" that connect Lake Michigan to the Chicago River. The trip to the Marina is just 4 miles down the Chicago River, we passed through 23 bridges that all had to be opened letting our group of 16 sailboats go by. It was so amazing to see all of the pedestrians lining the riverfront cheering us on. Quite the opposite was true for the motorists stuck waiting in their cars as the bridges were opened blocking their path. It's truly amazing to see these huge bridges built-in the early 1900s have the ability to open and close to allow both pleasure and commercial crafts to pass through. This is an amazing adventure that should not be missed if the opportunity presents itself. It took us about an hour to sail down to the locks and another four hours to go down the river. An annual tradition that has been going on in Chicago for over 100 years. A great way to end the sailing season. If you are interested in chartering a Sailboat or Yacht please contact us at Chicago Sailboat and Yacht Charters or check out our website: ChicagoSailboatAndYachtCharters.com IF you are looking for winter storage check out Canal Street Marina CanalStreetMarina.com