As the ice sailing season takes a break, it’s time to explore more of our history. Recently, a piece of history found its way into my U.S. mailbox: a vintage photo of a stern-steerer on the Mississippi River at McGregor, Iowa, circa early 1900s. It’s the first photo of ice yachts south of Pepin, WI, and Lake City, MN, I’ve ever seen. Iowa’s ice sailing and stern steerers bring to mind the Davis family, located a bit further inland from the Mississippi River. A quick search of newspaper archives yielded no information about ice sailing at McGregor so that it might have been an individual’s act ..read more

Renegade Includes full of covers, no trailer. Fresh coat of Interlux marine paint. $2000 Western Michigan 616-850-4524 The post April 19, 2024: Renegade in MI appeared first on iceboat.org ..read more

ISA NEWS & VIEWS ARCHIVE Steve Schalk, Secretary/Treasurer of Northwest and ISA, has dedicated countless hours to preserving 75 years of essential iceboating history from the International Skeeter Association newsletter, News and Views. In the past few days, I’ve uploaded the PDFs to iceboat.org, making the complete archive easily accessible on the website. It’s a privilege to share this invaluable resource with everyone. Visit the ISA News & Views archives here. Welcome to the News and Views Archive. This collection has been digitized in searchable pdf format directly from the offic ..read more

NALSA RESULTS Iceboat.org has been covered in dust while visiting the spring training grounds of Ivanpah, Nevada, where ice sailors have traded their runners for wheels. Last week, I spent a few days as a tourist at the North American Land Sailing Championship. It was an opportunity to hang out with 4LIYC Commodore Daniel Hearn, Pat Heppert, SIBC’s Bob Cave, Ken Smith, John Eisenlohr, Bill Dale, brothers Jim and Dave Gluek, and Pete Johns, to name a few. There was a high concentration of ice sailors in the Mini-Skeeter class, developed by John Eisenlohr, several years ago. The sight of Pat Hep ..read more

Wanted: Used DN chocks in Chicago, IL Mike Boyle (773) 988-1918 The post March 20, 2024: DN Chocks in IL appeared first on iceboat.org ..read more

There’s a pattern here. Iceboating has been a source of inspiration for sailing technology innovations. The Harken brothers developed improved blocks for iceboats before expanding into the broader sailing market. Similarly, the Gougeon brothers’ groundbreaking epoxy invention was first put to the test on iceboats, revolutionizing construction techniques and paving the way for advancements in boat building across all sailing disciplines. These instances underscore the significant role that iceboating has played in shaping modern sailing technology and design. One of the best articles ever writ ..read more

SAIL Magazine checks in with Peter Harken. Read the article here. Sailing Stories: Peter Harken At 86, Peter Harken remains as excited as ever about the company he and his brother, Olaf, founded. WENDY MITMAN CLARKE SAIL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF And of course, in our smaller one-design type boats, the scows and the iceboats, we needed blocks that reacted very fast. They were light. And so we were always searching for that. I went home with the idea in my head and made some sketches and came back the next day at work and made some blocks. And then I started using them on my own boat. I wasn’t planning ..read more

Some of Carl Bernard’s scrapbook photos of his old friend, Ray Ruge. The Hudson River Maritime Museum highlights the legacy of Ray Ruge, a pioneer in iceboat design and literature during the 1940s and 1950s. The Museum has posted his  article, WAR BABY – A Simplified Version of a Bow Steering Iceboat,  detailing the construction of an iceboat in 1940s Alberta using only available materials. As a premier writer on the subject, Ruge’s insights and innovations continue to inspire ice sailors today. It’s interesting to note that during WW2, Ruge spent time in Madison, sailed with our c ..read more

Mini Skeeter for dirt or ice. 2 planks for dirt 1 plank for ice 2 sets tires 1 heavy and 1 light air sail Custom cover $3900.00 Fob: Lake Geneva Wisconsin Call (by phone only) Lou Loenneke 262 903-6464 The post March 11, 2024: Mini Skeeter in WI appeared first on iceboat.org ..read more

NORTHWEST FREE FOR ALL TROPHY HISTORY Last night, the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club gathered for its final season meeting at the Four Lakes Yacht Club. The event was memorable, with Lars Barber in charge of pizza pick-up, Daniel Hearn bringing the essential bottle of Irish whiskey, and Ken Whitehorse hauling in the historic Northwest pots and pans. We honored our Northwest champions and paid tribute to the legacy of Tim McCormick while also remembering other departed members. The gathering brought together familiar faces, including those from Green Lake and Oshkosh, adding to the camaraderie. Ken ..read more