UPCOMING:
4LIYC Meeting : Jan 28 @ Breakwater More information.
4LIYC Shipstore: Order custom iceboat shirts, hats, and gear. More information.
BURGEE: Order your 4LIYC Burgee
Pay Your Dues Online
Regatta Watch: 2026 ISA & Renegade Championship Postponed to Jan 30-Feb 1
The ISA Race Committee has postponed the Championship Regatta one week to January 30th though February 1st. There is no suitable sailing area available and the temperatures for the originally scheduled days are well below minimum requirements. Next update January 25.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
International Skeeter Association
Regatta Watch: 2026 NIYA Postponed to Jan 30-Feb 1
The 2026 Northwestern championship Regatta is postponed a week due to excessively low temperatures on the 23rd through the 25th.
The cold temperatures will likely allow the two currently open water venues of Green Lake and Geneva Lake to ice over and provide some snow free ice for January 30th through February 1st. Next update January 25.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
Northwestern Ice Yachting Association
Regatta Watch: 2026 WSSA Postponed to Jan 31-Feb 1
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to January 31 and Feb 1, 2026. The next update will be Sunday, January 25. Check back here at that time. The Northwest Ice Yacht Association regatta takes precedence.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
4LIYC Racing News: No Racing for Jan 17-18
There will be no Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club racing the weekend of January 17-18.
We’re seeing a familiar pattern set up again: light snow that keeps accumulating, followed eventually by rain and warmer temperatures that reset the lake. Right now, we’re at the beginning of that cycle with enough fresh snow on the ice to keep us off of it.
If the pattern holds, we’ll get our Zamboni back. It’s already been working overtime this year.
This weekend is officially a shop weekend. Get into the shop, tune the boats, and be ready when the ice comes back.
Iceboaters remain, as always, hopelessly optimistic.
Speaking of shops…
A crew out of Damien Luyet’s shop has been busy building six mini skeeters, boats that are equally happy on ice or converted for land sailing.
The only unresolved issue is branding. The group is currently split between Midwest Dirt Dudes and Midwest Dirt Devils.
Ice Boat Foundation Video Channel
The Iceboat Foundation has launched a YouTube channel to document their fleet of historic iceboats and the stories behind them.
The channel will feature short films, archival material, and on-the-ice footage, starting with MARY B, their flagship.
Be sure to subscribe to follow future releases.
Regatta Watch: 2026 Nite Nationals Postponed to Jan 23-25
Nite sailors Mark Prange 550 and Tom Sweitzer 272 round the leeward mark.
The last regatta domino piece fell today: the Nite Nationals have been postponed. That means the Nites, ISA, and NIYA are now all pushed to the same weekend of January 23-25, so another version of regatta logic will be back in play again next week. (Then let’s add in the DN North American Championship with the first day of racing scheduled for January 25!)
But wait—there’s more. The DN Western Region Championship is tentatively called on for this weekend of January 17-18. More on that soon or watch the DN North America website.
Nite Nationals has been postponed.
Unfortunately due to low quality ice and cold weather we have postponed the 2026 Nite Nationals until January 23-25, 2026.
Lake Kegonsa and Lake Winnebago in the FDL area, both deteriorated with this recent warm weather and with the combination of the high winds and cold weather it became un-sailable for a regatta.
Our next update will be Sunday night January 17 after 8 pm.
Continue to monitor Facebook Group, the Nite Website, and your email for further communication.
We are always open to you sharing the conditions of your local lake or of a lake you have pertinent info on.
Keep your runners sharp and your boats tuned. The ride of your life awaits.
Sail Safe, Sail Fast,
Commodore Maureen Bohleber #497
Vice Commodore David Navin #549
Treasurer Chris Wiberg #434
Tech Mike Peters #544
Secretary John Heigis #160
Regatta Watch: 2026 ISA Postponed to Jan 23-25
Photo: Will Johnston
…and the second domino falls.
The ISA race committee after reviewing the morning ice check and the upcoming weather forecasts has decided to postpone the 2026 ISA one week to January 23-25. The surface of Lake Kegonsa roughened up in the flash freeze last night after the very warm temperatures. The NOAA forecast has visibility-blocking snow showers on both Friday and Saturday, and all forecasts rule out Sunday as never getting to minimum temperatures. The Committee believes there is time to wait for better conditions. The next update will be Sunday evening, January 18 following the 7 pm conference call.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
International Skeeter Association
Regatta Watch: 2026 NIYA Postponed to Jan 23-25
ACE OF SPADES Photo Kevin Chapman
The first domino falls….
Ice checks on Lake Winnebago revealed thickness levels of anywhere from 7 to 10 inches of ice, with some reports of much less in spots. The top 5 inches of the ice are soft snow ice and are not load bearing. We will need more hard ice build-up to be safe for the big boats. Cold temperatures will result in more thickness with more time. the Northwest is postponed for a week to January 23rd, 24th and 25th 2026.Next update is January 18.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
Northwestern Ice Yachting Association
4LIYC Meeting Tonight – Breakwater @ 6:30 PM
Tim and Peter McCormick on Lake Kegonsa. Photo: Ethan Brodsky
It’s been a while since we’ve had a meeting. We missed the last one because it fell on New Year’s Eve, so tonight gets us back on our regular every-other-Wednesday schedule.
We’ll meet tonight at 6:30 PM at the Breakwater. There’s a lot to catch up on, recent activity on Kegonsa, regattas being called on, and what the next stretch of the season may look like.
Breakwater is generously letting us use their room. Please consider coming early, grabbing dinner, and supporting them.
What to Know:
4LIYC Meeting
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
6:30 PM
Breakwater Restaurant & Bar
6308 Inland Way, Monona, WI
Waiting on the Calls: Sailing WISCONSIN on Lake Winnebago
Link to video
As decisions are made today on whether the NIYA, ISA, the Nite Nationals (and now the DN Western Region Championship) are called on or postponed, here’s a short clip from Tuesday afternoon on Lake Winnebago, with the stern steerer WISCONSIN stretching her legs in strong wind.
Andy Gratton, who shared the video, put it best:
The video doesn’t do justice to how the sun shimmered off all the little ripples on the many puddles due to the strong winds today. It almost looked like we were sailing on water, not ice.
The video was taken from WISCONSIN by Andy’s son-in-law, David School.
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.
