Welcome
YACHT RACING UNION OF THE GREAT LAKES
INFO ABOUT SAILBOAT RACING ON THE GREAT LAKES
Richardson Cup: Match Racing Competition
The 2026 Richardson Cup
The 2026 Richardson cup is tentatively scheduled to be held in Chicago Yacht Club (CYC) in Chicago IL. No specific date is yet determined, but it will be in the fall and not to conflict with other major events.
Become a Competitor
Each lake has match racing run-offs to determine who will compete for each lake, or by resume, as determined by YRUGL President, Gary Hendrickson, as the organizing authority.
Who We Are:
Our Mission
The mission of The Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes is to provide the ultimate challenges for sailing in the Great Lakes region and grow sailboat racing in Great Lakes region as a whole. Although seasoned, and many times ranked competitors are the norm, an emphasis on encouraging youth and the uninitiated is always a goal and specifically as it relates to match racing.
Our History
Our History and Our Future
The Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes (YRUGL) has a long and storied past.
Founded in 1896, the original Union of three lake associations.
YRUGL continues to be the current guardian of two prestigious sailboat racing trophies, The Richardson Trophy and the Barthel Trophy. These trophies are awarded to sailors of the highest abilities in the disciplines of Match Racing and Off-Shore Racing, the two most challenging types of sailboat racing.
Our Trophies
Starting in 1913, prestigious trophies were deeded to help stimulate this competition.
The most prominent was the Richardson (above) for match racing, but others were also to become memorable for their elegance and deed of purpose. The Barthel trophy (right) is now for the Tri-Lakes Offshore challenge.
Today, the Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes is truly an international sailing organization of world class sailors hailing from the geographic region of the Great Lakes.
Our Member Clubs
The original Union of three lake associations, Lake Ontario (LYRA), Lake Erie (I-LYA), and Lake Michigan (LMYA), was formed to promote sailing competition amongst its members on the Great Lakes.
Over time additional lake associations were added, in order 1967 Detroit (DRYA); 1970, Lake Superior (LSYA); and in 1976, Lake Huron (LHYA).