Greetings from Chicago (Glencoe actually). We just had three of the finest sailing days ever. Warm dry days, clear skies and brisk 10-15 SE winds coupled with spectacular sunsets and good company. Today was the best of em with big interesting waves to "surf". What a way to top off a summer that began with cold days and waves of nasty T Storms, one of which scared the hell out of our fleet during a race, May through June.

Hope to keep going for another month but if it ends here I'll still be smiling!

Sail till the ice wont break! then ice surf your cat (may need to modify the rudders)

:) enjoy it!

Ugh..The thought of yet another Chicago winter makes me whistful. Good thoughts though! The beach closes to sailing at the end of October but we push it till the end.

I am around the corner from you in Michigan (Muskegon) and do most of my sailing on Muskegon Lake. The weekend here on Lake Michigan was amazing - sunny and high 80's - but no wind at all. I had to resort to the water skis.

I pushed it into early October last year for the first time. I have a buddy who will join me when the winds hit 20+ and fall seems to bring that more often than the summer time. He is great on the wire (220 lbs) and the two of us can right the boat in no time flat (just in case we push it too far).

What I remember about fall sailing is the need for neoprene! I used a full wet suit and have added a water proof spray top this year - my guy on the wire drenched me with every wave he hit and most of it went down my back. I have also found neoprene gloves at the local watersports shop - my hands froze!

With the right gear, I can keep the cat going right up to (snow) ski season!

I would love to extend the sailing season here in Springfield, IL, because the lake doesn't usually feeze until mid-December, but the thought of buying a custom wetsuit/drysuit for 40 degree water would cost more than I bought my boat for.