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About Us

LMSRF is for Sail Racers Around Lake Michigan

What is LMSRF?

The Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation is a not-for-profit charitable association of individual Yacht Clubs, sailing groups and individual sailors located in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

LMSRF is the official Regional Sailing Association (RSA) that administers the racing rules, and represents YOUR interests to US Sailing, the sport's National Governing Body (NGB) determined by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).  LMSRF represents YOU in the World sail racing scene through representatives to World Sailing.

What does LMSRF do?

LMSRF promotes sail racing competition on Lake Michigan for Offshore, Youth, and One Design sailors. It works to grow the numbers of boats on starting lines.  It also provides racing information through its newsletters, e-mails, and its web site as well as educational programs.

The organization supervises the functioning of racing, rating rules and provides an Appeals Committee for the next step in the progression to the US Sailing Appeals process.

In addition, the LMSRF Donation Program, Endowment Fund, and Grants-In-Aid program provides financial assistance to promising sailors in their educational and competitive efforts.

How does it do it?

LMSRF has a volunteer Board of Directors that meets bi-monthly to keep the needs of the organization on track, focused on moving forward and growing sailing.  Through its Committees and Councils, its many tasks are accomplished annually.  Complete information is available on this web page by clicking "Governance."

How was LMSRF formed?

The Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation was born in 1980 as a direct response by active racing sailors to a long-term frustration.

For many years, competitive sailing programs in the Lake Michigan area operated under the auspices of the Sail Yacht Squadron of the Lake Michigan Yachting Association. However, as the sport grew, the LMYA was not able to keep pace with that growth, service to the racing sailor on Lake Michigan was lacking and efforts on the part of Sail Yacht Squadron members working within the framework of LMYA to obtain budgetary consideration for increased services failed. Leaders of the Sail Yacht Squadron managed to pass a resolution in the combined LMYA Board meeting of 1979 calling for independent accounting for Sail and Power Squadrons, but it was a short-lived achievement. The objectives of the resolution were not carried out and the frustrations of the constituency of the Sail Squadron led to the formation of LMSRF.

An opinion from the LMYA Judge Advocate expressing doubt that LMYA could qualify for IRS status as a tax-exempt charitable organization added impetus to efforts to develop an organization which could raise and spend funds solely in the furtherance of yacht racing.

Roger Derusha, Terry Kohler, Dave Irish, Gene McCarthy, and Jack Batts — all leaders of the LMYA Sail Squadron — became the core of a movement that drew wide support from racing sailors throughout the area, and they formed a Founding Committee to organize a new, independent group.

By the end of 1980, LMSRF was an established organization — incorporated, granted IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization status, and recognized by the United States Sailing Association as the official Regional Sailing Association (RSA) for the Lake Michigan area.

PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES:

The Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation is incorporated under the "General Not for Profit Corporation Act" of the State of Illinois. LMSRF’s purposes, as stated in its Articles of Incorporation, are:

   -to foster national and international racing competition among wind-powered sail yachts;

   -to prescribe, promulgate, and enforce rules and standards in yacht racing competition;

   -to sponsor local, regional, and national yacht racing competition to select participants to national championship or international yacht racing competition including, but not limited to, the Richardson Cup, Congressional Cup, Pan American Games, Olympic Games, and the United States Sailing Association Championships;

   -to disseminate information concerning new developments and new techniques in the construction of vessels, rigging, sails, and equipment;

   -to conduct equipment research for the benefit of, and to provide financial assistance to, amateur athletes who participate or can reasonably be expected to participate, in national yacht racing championships or international yacht racing competitions; and

   -to engage in any other lawful activities not otherwise prohibited by the General Not for Profit Corporation Act which may be necessary or incidental to effect the above-stated purposes.

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