Features At a Glance

 NEW! 2013 Consumer Choice Awards—Your vote will determine the winners & "Best of Show." 

This year the 2013 Strictly Sail Chicago “Best of Show Awards” will be voted on by you, the attendee. Here is your chance to cast your vote and choose your favorite boat, booth or new product.

Click Here for more details including categories and criteria. Every voter will be entered to win a "Night Out in Chicago." Prize includes $150.00 certificate for Shula's Steakhouse and one night stay the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers.

The Consume Choice Awards

NEW for 2013! Yacht Club Members—Be Our Guest!

Progressive® Insurance Strictly Sail® Chicago is pleased to offer reciprocal Strictly Sail Yacht Club benefits to all yacht club members.

All attendees receive a wristband and Show Guide upon entry. To take advantage of this offer, simply show your valid yacht club membership card and show entry wristband at the Strictly Sail Yacht Club entrance.

Click Here for Strictly Sail Yacht Club benefits and details.

NEW! Welcome to the Water Center
Your one-stop resource for sailing information & advice!

     
Sailing on a Budget? When it comes to enjoyable ways to spend your leisure time, sailing is probably far more affordable than you realize. Be sure to stop by the Welcome to the Water Center to check out our special showcase of budget-friendly boats you can finance for less than $250 per month.

When you compare the costs of boating to a single day at an amusement park or a trip to any major league game, you'll find that dollar for dollar, boating is really quite affordable. 

Start your day with a free sailing lesson.  Not ready to go out on the water? Stop by for a free sailing lesson on the new sailing simulator. An ASA certified sailing instructor will be on site to teach you the basics and get you ready to get out on the water.

Not Ready for the Water? Come Sail Away on the Sailing Simulator and take a free sailing lesson.

Get a feel for the water without leaving the show on a virtual sailboat ride. A certified ASA instructors will be on hand to offer you a free sailing lesson and the chance to experience how a boat reacts to the wind and waves right on the show floor.

Designed and built by a nuclear physicist, the simulator recreates the actual movement of a boat under sail. It’s a unique training platform for sailors of all abilities—whether you’re a new boater who wants to learn how to sail or an experienced sailor who wants to practice under different sailing conditions. Stop by and see for yourself how it really feels to sail without leaving dry land.

Special Video Screening: "The Yacht OCEAN — A Rockumentary"

At last year's show you may have been among the 14,000 fortunate people who stepped aboard the magnificent yacht OCEAN—the largest racing sailboat in Chicago.

This year you can experience her again—in high-definition video with rocking audio! You'll be amazed as you watch this monumental 86-foot yacht being trucked through the mountains of the continental divide; astonished as you ride up her 100-foot mast; blown-away when you see her from helicopter at race start; and exhilarated from the rail as she smokes past the competition.

"The OCEAN Rockumentary" is about an engineering marvel and work of art, and the people who made her a reality in Chicago" said Team OCEAN Member Jim Banovitz. "The footage is absolutely gorgeous and the music is fantastic." 

Sponsored by Pinnacle Yachts -- the most successful fractional sailing club on the planet -- private screenings of this remarkable video will be offered in the Pinnacle Yachts Suite, Room 322 on the North Mezzanine of Festival Hall, which is located amidst the seminar rooms.

The screening is free for show attendees. Each screening will be limited to 40 people including 20 VIP seats that will be reserved for those who preregister— Click here. 

Show Times:

Thursday:  1:00–1:45pm, 2:00–2:45pm, 3:00–3:45pm, 4:00–4:45pm, 5:00–5:45pm, 6:00–6:45pm, 7:00–7:45pm
Friday:       1:00–1:45pm, 2:00–2:45, 3:00–3:45, 4:00–4:45, 5:00–5:45, 6:00–6:45, 7:00–7:45
Saturday:   11:00–11:45am, 1:00–1:45pm, 2:00–2:45pm, 3:00–3:45pm, 4:00–4:45pm, 5:00–5:45pm, 6:00–6:45pm
Sunday:     11:00–11:45am, 1:00–1:45pm, 2:00–2:45pm, 3:00–3:45pm, 4:00–4:45pm

Live Music with Frankendread

When: All Days of the Show

Author’s Corner

When: All days of the show

Stop by the Author's Corner and visit with one of your favorite story tellers and pick up the latest adventure novels. Scheduled to be in attandance include: Stop back for a list of participating authors.

SAIL Magazine's Innovation Station 

This popular exhibit features the latest products to receive SAIL magazine’s Freeman K. Pittman Innovation Awards, recognizing the most technically advanced sailing products currently sold on the market. The Innovation Station showcases four product categories: Racing Gear, Cruising Gear, Electronics, Safety Gear and Systems.

Strictly Sail Seminar Speakers are an Impressive Group

Collectively the Strictly Sail Seminar Speakers are Well Worth the Price of Admission.

This line-up of speakers would impress even the most seasoned sailor and they are certain to impress you. The group is comprised of: 9 who have published sailing books, 9 circumnavigators including one who has been around twice, more than 12 own their own business, 4 sail designers, a former State Representative and Senator, the ARC rally founder, one who sailed Cape Horn to windward, a yacht designer, multiple certified sailing instructors, several who have retired from the Navy, racers who have sailed the Mac numerous times, a world championship, a multiple class national champion, an Ostar record holder, two Olympians, Fasnet winner, and America’s Cup crew, Summer Sailstice founder, and well over a million miles sailed. That’s Impressive! 

NEW! Kids' Club

Parents—Give your kids a break!  Kids' Club is a hands-on activity center designed just for junior sailors where children can jump and bounce and slide away... Then have a seat and draw “sailboats of the future,” and build wooden sailboats and sail away in the pond. Daily prizes will be awarded for the most unique and innovative drawings of the future.