About Fleet 12
Fleet 12 offers fun, competitive and inclusive one-design sailboat racing on Lake Michigan in the Rhodes 19 class. Our racing program at Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club has been active for over 50 years. If you show up at the club on a race day we will get you on a boat, regardless of your sailing experience.
The Rhodes 19 was one of the first fiberglass sailboats, built from molds taken from a cold molded plywood design by the great marine architect Philip Rhodes shortly after World War II. It has proved to be a timeless design -- seaworthy, lively and fun to sail. Rhodes 19 class boats were produced for over 20 years by the O'Day company, founded by the Olympic sailing champion George O'Day, and are now built by Stuart Marine in Rockland Maine. The boat is large enough to provide a full racing experience, with a crew of 3 easily able to handle main, jib and spinnaker while providing everyone with an active role in sailing. She is small enough that every aspect of sail trim and weight placement matters.
In Fleet 12 we sail for fun, while taking competition seriously, and we warmly welcome newcomers into our fleet either as boat owners or crew.
Sail with us!
If you would like to crew with us, we will welcome and train you regardless of your abilities. We race on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. If you have any questions or want more details, please visit our contact page to get in touch with our fleet captain, John Walter. Otherwise, just come by Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club at Montrose Harbor on Wednesdays at 5:30 or most Sundays at 10:30 and ask any Rhodes 19 sailor. We will connect you with a skipper and get you on a boat.
A Rhodes 19 experience
This interview with Matt Hook of Marblehead's Fleet 5 nicely captures The Rhodes 19 racing experience.