il Mostro to race in Chicago Yacht Club 104th Race to Mackinac

Chicago Yacht Club 104th Race to Mackinac prepares for the arrival of ‘il mostro’ © Puma Ocean Racing

Chicago Yacht Club announces that it has received a request for invitation from the famous Volvo Ocean 70 PUMA Ocean Racing boat il Mostro (Italian for ‘the monster’). The 70-foot Goetz Custom Boats Volvo 70 was recently purchased by Chicago Yacht Club member Peter Thornton with the specific goal of bringing honors for the famous Royono Trophy back to Chicago Yacht Club. The Royono trophy is awarded for the first monohull to cross the finish line. Mr. Thornton will retain the signature name for the boat ‘il Mostro’ and will berth her in a location yet to be determined in Chicago’s harbor system.

“I purchased the boat with the goal of sharing the race with my family and friends with whom I race with,” said Thornton. “The Mackinac race is all about family, friends and good memories; this will be just one more for us - a very memorable one, we hope.”

Mr. Thornton is no stranger to winning the Race to Mackinac, having won with his previous boat Holua a Great Lakes 70 Turbo Sled. While the logistics of bringing a large (and wide) boat such as the Volvo 70 from her current location in Newport, Rhode Island to the Great Lakes is a challenging one, Mr. Thornton looks forward to doing great things with her on the lake and using the boat to showcase sailing in Chicago.

“We would be very excited to see the VO70 entered into the race,” said Race to Mackinac Chairman Lou Sandoval. “They are exciting boats to watch on the Volvo Ocean Race circuit and have an impressive record for the speeds they reach. It will be great to see what she does on the Lake.”

Il Mostro has a long history of success in world-class offshore sailboat races. She finished second in the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race (a famous round-the-world yacht race), under the ownership of Puma Sailing. No stranger to ORR racing, Il Mostro finished second under ORR in the 2010 Newport-Bermuda Race. Her length overall is 70’, with an 18’ beam. She draws 15’ and displaces 30,000 lbs. Il Mostro’s design offers the highest technology the sport of sailing has to offer from her state of the art equipment including a high tech composite hull to the carbon fiber 105’ mast. With over 7,200 square feet of sail area, the Botin-Carkeek-designed boat can reach speeds of up to 40 knots (approximately 44 mph). Mr. Thornton’s entry into the Race to Mackinac will be manned with the ‘who’s who’ of the sailing world - a top notch crew worthy of a boat of this technical nature.

The 104th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, presented by Vueve Cliquot, will take place on July 21st, 2012. Participation in the 333-mile race from Chicago Yacht Club to Mackinac Island, Mich. is by invitation only. Chicago Yacht Club looks forward to staging a world-class sailing race for skippers and crews. Should you have any questions about participating in the 104th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, please contact the Chicago Yacht Club, Race Coordinator at 312.861.7777 or at