UPCOMING:
4LIYC Meeting : March 12 @ Breakwater
International Skeeter Association Regatta: Postponed
Senior Shuffle DN Regatta: Postponed More information
4LIYC Shipstore: Order custom iceboat shirts, hats, and gear. More information.
BURGEE: Order your 4LIYC Burgee
Pay Your Dues Online
4LIYC Meeting News: March 12 @ Breakwater
Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club – Final Meeting of the Season
It’s hard to believe, but the last Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club meeting of the season is coming up! Join us on Wednesday, March 12, at 6:30 PM at The Breakwater in Monona to wrap up what has been the best season in decades.
We’ve scheduled this meeting for March 12 so that members can attend a special event on March 5 sponsored by Hoofers: “Jerome Rand – Sailing Into Oblivion.” This event promises to be an incredible talk about solo ocean sailing and adventure. More information here.
Spring awards banquet news coming soon—stay tuned!
4LIYC Scores Posted
That’s sharp! Photo: Marcus Berghahn
Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club racing scores are now posted, thanks to our tabulator Damien Luyet.
4LIYC Scores
Regatta Watch: 2025 ISA & Renegade Championship Postponed to March 14-16
The ISA and Renegade championship regatta for 2025 is postponed to March 14th -16th, 2025. The Race Committee is hoping for a freezing period to stabilize some of the locations that still have thick ice. Next update, Sunday, March 9, 2025.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
International Skeeter Association
4LIYC Racing Report for March 1, 2025
Don Anderson sailing Renegade EASY RIDER on Lake Monona. Photo: Marcus Berghahn
Saturday, March 1, was one of those days that reminded us why we love this sport. With perfect wind and great ice, the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club welcomed our Nite friends from Lake Geneva for a full day of racing. Nite Commodore Maureen Bohleber joined in, helping wave the flag and record scores.
4LIYC Vice Commodore Ron Rosten said It was the perfect day to tune your boat—figuring out what worked and what didn’t. And with conditions this good, nobody was in a hurry to leave. Renegaders Donny Anderson and Damien Luyet kept everyone fueled with a grilled lunch, and the sailing continued until the last dog was hung, with boats rolling into the pits just as the sun set. Sunday may be a different story as the wind forecast isn’t so good.
Check out Marcus Berghahn’s photos here for a glimpse of ice sailing on Saturday.
4LIYC Racing Update for March 1-2
Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club racing is ON for Lake Monona! March 1 – 2. Note: The landing has changed from Olin Park to the Tonyawatha Landing. Please roll trailers onto the ice—do NOT drive on the ice.
4LIYC Racing Tentatively Called on for Lake Monona – March 1-2
BLADE RUNNER
4LIYC racing is tentatively called on for Lake Monona out of Olin Park. The first race kicks off at 10 AM on Saturday, March 1.
Important: We have entered spring-sailing conditions. NO trailers on the ice – boats MUST be carried on. The landing is deteriorating, so please do everything you can to save the landing. We will monitor the landing situation and provide an updated report at the end of today.
FRITZ Heads to Minnetonka
FRITZ ARCHIVES
After 25 years of stewardship, Fred Stritt has passed the helm of the historic Class A stern-steerer FRITZ to a new caretaker. The iconic iceboat, built by Carl Bernard, has found a new home on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota.
Fred shared his thoughts on the transition on the Midwest Hardwater Sailing Facebook page:
FRITZ is an incredible machine—smooth in light air, exhilarating in medium air, and on the edge of terrifying in heavy air. She’s like hanging onto the tail of a dinosaur—if they want you gone, you’ll be flicked off and flying! Congratulations to Bill and his group and I look forward to seeing Fritz blossom under your guardianship!
Some History:
The Class A stern-steerer FRITZ, built by Carl Bernard, roared into iceboating legend as a Madison, Wisconsin icon. Owned by Frederick Jungbluth and sailed by Bernard, FRITZ achieved an extraordinary feat in 1934, winning all four major trophies—the Stuart Cup, Hearst International Trophy, Northwest Class A, and Northwest free-for-all—in a single year, a record unmatched at the time. FRITZ was a powerhouse, and her victories were celebrated in the Wisconsin State Journal and beyond.
Tragedy struck in 1935 when a mysterious fire—suspected to be arson—destroyed FRITZ and her companion, Miss Alice in Madison. Yet FRITZ endured, and Carl rebuilt her after the fire; she was painted bright red to honor her survival. By 1948, with Bill Mattison crewing for 18-year-old Jim Lunder, she reclaimed the Northwest Class A title on Geneva Lake. Please see the FRITZ archives for more history on this boat.
Regatta Watch: 2025 ISA & Renegade Championship Postponed to March 7 – 9
Photo: Kevin Chapman
The ISA Race Committee has postponed the regatta to March 7-9, 2025.. The weather forecast of high temperatures and high winds for February 28th made it impossible to predict the ice condition for the following two days, and the Sunday wind forecast made it unlikely to get two race days in any case.
The forecast ahead looks very promising for both Lake City (24” of ice) and Madison (18” of ice). Temperatures go to 40 degree highs with mid 20 degree lows, with at least half of each 24 hours below freezing.
Both locations will be sailed and thoroughly checked prior to March 7th. We have a good chance for a solid three day regatta this time, so check your equipment and sharpen your runners. Next update is Sunday, March 2, 2025.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
International Skeeter Association
Regatta Watch: 2025 ISA & Renegade Championship Called ON for Lake City, MN
Photo: Will Johnston
The 2025 ISA and Renegade Championship are on for Lake City, Minnesota for Friday February 28th, Saturday March 1st and Sunday March 2nd 2025. The ice thickness is over 18 inches of smooth black stuff.
The snow cover is now an average of 2” but it will likely be gone by the time the Wednesday check is done, based on the forecast temperatures upcoming.
The final call will be made by noon Wednesday February 26th. Next update will be Wednesday, February 26.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
International Skeeter Association
4LIYC Racing Scores Now Published
Renegades on Lake Monona. Photo: Marcus Berghahn
The racing scores for the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club are now available online. A big thank you to Damien Luyet, who has stepped up to handle score tabulation this season. His efforts ensure we can all track the results from our latest races.
Check out the scores here Stay tuned for more racing updates as the season progresses!
Online Ship’s Store
National Iceboat Authority Web Page
4LIYC Governing Documents
Click for 4LIYC Meeting Dates
- January 2 THURSDAY Honor Roll Nominations
- January 15 Deadline for By-Law or Racing Rules Amendment Submission
- January 29
- February 12 Business Meeting
- February 26
- March 12 Last Meeting of the Season
Location: In person at the Elks Lodge 711 Jenifer St, Madison, WI 53703
Time: 6:30 PM
YOU ARE SKIPPER NUMBER
TO ROUND THE MARK SINCE NOVEMBER 1999.
