Made In Chicago: Next Level Sailing
CHICAGO (CBS) -- If you've always dreamed of sailing in the America's Cup yacht race, now you can get a taste of it out on Lake Michigan, reports WBBM's Regine Schlesinger with Made in Chicago.
Sailing junkies Paul Schulz and Ryan Weber wanted to bring the America's Cup experience to Chicago so this summer, they've launched Next Level Sailing from the 31st Street Harbor. They bought two boats that have been in the America's Cup: Stars & Stripes and Abracadabra, each 80 feet long with a mast reaching 114 feet into the air.
Schulz says on weekdays, companies can charter a 3-hour racing cruise.
"There's a lot of financial institutions here in Chicago, a lot of different industry verticals that entertain a lot. And they're looking for that 'wow' the bucket list type of thing that they can bring their customers on and really show them a good time," he said.
The general public can book cruises on weekends. It's all supervised by experienced crew members but, no one on board is just a bystander.
"Everybody gets to take position, they get to drive the boats, they get to trim the boats, they get to help with the tactics in the racing. What we find is that everybody finds a turn on all the different stations," he said.
Schulz and Weber say it's an indescribable experience.
"We're slicing through the water and you're just looking up at this towering mast of a sail and you're going 'Wow.' Going from a 40-foot to an 80-foot boat - it's not double, it's exponentially greater. So people who sail in Chicago and know what it's like to sail, don't know what it's like to sail on a boat that's this big. Everything is blown out of proportion on it -the mast is way bigger than it should be, the sails are way greater than they should be, the loads on it are just enormous."
You can find out more about Next Level Sailing Chicago at www.nextlevelsailingchicago.com.