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) status, and recognized by the United States Sailing Association as the official Yacht Racing Association (YRA) 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.

The Articles further state: "The Corporation shall not conduct or carry on any activities not permitted to be conducted or carried on by an organization exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and the Regulations there under as they may not exist or as they may hereafter be amended, or by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code and the Regulations there under as they may now exist or as they may hereafter be amended."

(The By Laws of the Corporation can be obtained by written request from the LMSRF office).