Jack Hunger and his crew aboard Touch of Grey sailed a masterful series through choppy Lake Michigan conditions to capture the 2026 Thistle Class Great Lakes Championship at the Red Horse Regatta, hosted by Chicago Yacht Club.
The annual one-design regatta, one of the marquee events on CYC’s racing calendar, delivered challenging conditions that tested the full fleet across multiple races over the weekend. When the final scores were tallied, Hunger stood atop the podium with a decisive performance that underscored his reputation as one of the top Thistle sailors in the region.
Podium Results
Jerry Pignolet aboard MaHOGany earned second place with a consistent series that kept him in contention throughout the regatta. Chris Murphy rounded out the podium in third with ADD, battling through a competitive fleet to secure the final step on the championship podium.
The results reflect the depth of talent that the Great Lakes Championship routinely attracts, drawing top Thistle sailors from clubs across the Great Lakes region to compete for one of the class’s most coveted regional titles.
The Thistle Class on the Great Lakes
The Thistle, a 17-foot centerboard daysailer designed by Sandy Douglass in 1945, has long enjoyed a passionate following across the Great Lakes. The boat’s combination of responsive handling, tactical depth, and competitive one-design racing has sustained its popularity for nearly eight decades. With a crew of three, the Thistle rewards precise boat handling and coordination — qualities that become especially important in the steep, short-period chop that Lake Michigan is known for producing.
The Great Lakes Championship is one of the most prestigious regional titles in Thistle sailing, sitting just below the Thistle National Championship in the class hierarchy. Winning the event requires not only speed but the ability to adapt to the notoriously variable conditions on Lake Michigan, where wind shifts off the Chicago shoreline and building afternoon thermals can dramatically reshape a race in minutes.
Red Horse Regatta Tradition
Chicago Yacht Club’s Red Horse Regatta has established itself as one of the premier one-design events on the inland racing circuit. The regatta regularly draws competitive fleets across multiple classes, and its selection as the host event for the 2026 Thistle Great Lakes Championship speaks to the quality of race management and venue that CYC consistently provides.
Founded in 1875, Chicago Yacht Club operates from two stations on Lake Michigan and has a storied history of hosting major sailing events, including the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, one of freshwater sailing’s most iconic offshore contests. The club’s commitment to one-design racing through events like the Red Horse Regatta ensures that tactical, boat-on-boat competition remains at the heart of its racing program.
Looking Ahead
For Hunger and the Touch of Grey team, the Great Lakes Championship title adds another significant result to an already strong resume in the Thistle class. The performance will carry momentum into the remainder of the 2026 season as the class calendar moves toward the Thistle National Championship later in the summer.
Pignolet and Murphy, meanwhile, can take confidence from their podium finishes in a fleet that demanded excellence in demanding conditions. The competitive standard on display at the Red Horse Regatta bodes well for Great Lakes Thistle racing as the season continues to unfold.
Source: View original post on chicagoyc
