Other boaters on J Dock include Bannockburn-based LTD Commodities' Michael Hara, owner of the 49-foot Alexcyn Dr. And anytime there's a live band in the harbor, everyone gets to enjoy,' she says. 'Some of them have grand parties and live music. J Dock boaters prefer the prestigious Chicago Yacht Club on the south side, where service is a little more polished. 'Most of them are pretty generous and are willing to share their fun' with others in the harbor, says Charlotte Mullen, a financial planner and commodore of Belmont Yacht Club, located on the north side of the harbor and catering mostly to owners of smaller boats. Businessman David Izsak is famed for holding celebrations on his Flying Lady, a 59-foot Carver he often rents out for events on the lake (and away from the harbor). Phillips' Illusion, a 74-foot yacht at the west end of J Dock, has a full-time captain to maintain the boat and run catered events for clients. Neighbors on the dock hold impromptu cocktail parties on each other's yachts, and there are big parties, too. Thomas Tyrcha's Perfect Lady is one of the yachts in J Dock. On J Dock, it's quiet enough to hear footsteps on the wooden planks. As they bought bigger boats, they moved to Burnham Harbor, but the crowds that come with being in the downtown social scene were too much to take. In their younger days when they owned smaller boats, they tied up at Diversey Harbor. Many have been in Chicago's harbor system for decades. They want to enjoy the luxury of their boats and the views of the lake. J Dock's yacht owners tend to be CEOs and captains of industry, experienced on the water and with little patience for raucous behavior. Life on this exclusive part of the harbor is quieter than goings-on at the north end. Small boats squeeze in to slips at the harbor's north end starting at B Dock, and the size of slips and boats grows with each dock moving south, ending at J Dock. He can be seen most weekends taking guests, often winners of charity auctions, in and out of the harbor on his 56-foot Sea Ray, named What Was I Thinking.īelmont Harbor spreads out like a fan just east of Lake Shore Drive and the affluent Lakeview neighborhood.

'I like J Dock because it's tranquil and quiet and easy to get in and out by boat,' says James Shaddle, CEO of Metagenics Midwest, based in Bloomington.

J Dock in Belmont Harbor is home to the floating status symbols owned by Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz, personal-injury attorneys Stephen Phillips and Joseph Curcio, and Paul Edick, CEO of Durata Therapeutics Inc., a pharmaceutical company. Across the street from one of the toniest neighborhoods in town is the most exclusive address for big boats and yachts in Chicago.

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