The Windsor Yacht Club (WYC) extends a warm welcome to all sailors—both from our local community and our valued DRYA friends across the border to participate in the 52nd sailing of the Canadian Club race on June 12, 2026.
***DRYA Counter Race Series participants do not need to register for this race.

Set sail for excitement! The Canadian Club Windsor Overnight Race is hosted by the Windsor Yacht Club and proudly sponsored by Canadian Club Whiskey for over 50 years. It is a legendary celebration of sailing, tradition, and community. Don't miss the sail past starting at 5:30pm to see over 70 vessels and crews from Ontario, Michigan, and Ohio.  Don’t miss this unforgettable Great Lakes tradition!

2026 Canadian Club Race Invitation

2026  WYC Overnight Race SNOR

2026 WYC Overnight Race SSI

2026 Canadian Club Results

2025 Canadian Club Results

 

HISTORY:

In 1972, after getting the go ahead from the WYC Board of Directors, PC Crooks set out to put together a long-distance race with grand thoughts of 100’s of boats participating. The one hiccup in the plan was the Board was not interested in financially supporting the race.
Undeterred, PC Crooks set out to get support from members of the WYC. Members Bob Tebbs and Bud Downing were Vice Presidents at Hiram Walker & Sons. Cliff Hatch Jr., son of the president of Hiram Walker, was an avid sailor and a WYC member. PC Crooks spelled out how WYC was the only Canadian member yacht club of the Detroit River Yachting Association (DRYA). So he named the race the Canadian Club Race. He met with Hiram Walker executives and explained that Canadian Club Whiskey would align nicely, and requested they sponsor the race. This was another first the Canadian Club race became the first sponsored race in our area. They loved the idea of the race and agreed to be the sponsor. Sponsorship included a bottle with a plaque for every boat participating, paying for the Permanent Bronze Trophies procured by sculpture artist Joseph N Delauro PhD, which sits in the WYC front trophy case, and much more. Canadian Club has remained our steadfast sponsor for the entire 52 years.

We are grateful to PC Ken Crooks for his vision and for making the Canadian Club race the signature race of WYC.