2017-2018 Season Archives
2017-2018 Archives
2017-2018 Season:
- DN Regattas
- Northwest Regatta CANCELLED FOR THE SEASON
- International Skeeter Association and Renegade Championship POSTPONED UNTIL DECEMBER 2018
4LIYC Racing Update: No Go for Feb 17-18
There will be no Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club racing for the weekend of February 17-18, 2018. Commodore Don Anderson took a look at Mendota and reported “too rough and slush pits.” Vice Commodore Tim McCormick swung by Monona and reported it to be unsailable as well. Next update Friday, February 23.
Palmer Boat Company of Lake Geneva
Waiting for ice sailing conditions to return gives more time to post the historical items. The invaluable Brian Reid of New York recently shared some history in the form of a letter from the Palmer Boat Company written in 1936 to a New Jersey iceboater. Brian wrote:
I was going through some images on a snow day here and came upon a few things from out your way. These come from a scrapbook that Greg Strand recently acquired on behalf of the North Shrewsbury Iceboat & Yacht Club of New Jersey; Greg is archivist/historian of the Red Bank crew.The scrap book belonged to George Seger – an active NJ ice boater in the 30s and 40s – he’s in Wings on the Ice (p. 59). Greg called me and I took digital images of as much as I could. Great stuff.
As you see in their elegant letter head, the Palmer Boat Company of Fontana, Wisconsin was an early builder of scows and iceboats. Many vintage Palmers have come across the Buy and Sell page of this website over the years. A quick internet search about Palmer boats turned up some interesting facts. Buddy Melges’ father, Harry Sr., worked for Palmer before starting Melges Boatworks. Maine iceboater Bill Bucholz wrote a story about a Palmer, LINGWES, for the Chickawaukee Iceboat Club that referenced the same Richard Moeller as in this letter to Mr. Seger. Thank you, Brian, for sending this out our way.
Previous: Palmer on the Prairie,, December 2, 2016 on iceboat.org.
If you interested in the early history of ice sailing in the United States and efforts to maintain and sail historic Stern Steerers, Brian’s website, White Wings and Black Ice is a must read.
February Runner Tracks Posted
The February issue of the DN class magazine, Runner Tracks, has just been published. Check it out here.
1950s Lake Monona Ice Sailing Photos
Our club had an unexpected visitor at last week’s meeting who brought us some classic photos. Long time Madisonian Dick Brandt shot these on Lake Monona back in the 1950s. Many thanks to Dick and to Peter Fauerbach for taking the time to scan these important historic photographs. My guess is that many of these were from the 1952 Northwest Regatta which was sailed on Lake Monona.
UPDATE: Skeeter Iceboat Club’s Jane Pegel has helpfully identified some of the boats. The skipper sitting in the MICKEY FINN Skeeter is in question. Jane writes, “I think Mickey Finn may be Buddy because his sail number is I-180 (Harry C. Melges, Jr.) but perhaps his father was sailing the regatta in Mickey Finn.”
Click here to view more photos
The Two Mr. M’s
From Ron Rosten, just returned from the Junior World Championship:
Parallel Universe. The gentleman standing behind Team Sweden is Uppsala’s Kjell Mattsson. Every DN in Uppsala, Sweden has been built, repaired, or upgraded in Mr. Mattsson’s shop. Does this sound familiar to anyone in Madison with an almost identical last name?
Regatta Watch: ISA & NIYA Postponed
The International Skeeter Association (ISA) and Northwest Regattas are postponed because all of Wisconsin and Michigan are snow covered. Next update for both regattas is Sunday, February 18.
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4LIYC Scoring & Banquet Update
Tim McCormick has tabulated the club scores to reflect last weekend’s racing. See results here.
Trophy Chair Jori Lenon has made arrangements for the club’s annual spring awards banquet to be held at Springer’s. Please save the date of April 21, 2018.
2018 Junior Worlds Video: We Sail
While ice sailing is on temporary hold here in Wisconsin because of too much snow, here’s a video to brighten your day. Despite the snow, these kids at the 2018 Junior World Championship are eager sailors having fun.
4LIYC Racing Update for Feb 10-11: The “S” Word
Ice sailing in the Four Lakes area is on hold until the Great Zamboni© descends to take away the 7″+ of snow covering our beautiful ice. There will be no 4LIYC racing for the weekend of February 10-11, 2018.
On Thursday, the MARY B group towed her from the Edgewater to the Brearly Street launch via snowmobile. Paul McMillan reported it was a fast ride.
2018 Junior Ice Sailing World & European Championship Update
The Junior DN & Ice Optimist World Championship regatta has been completed with 7 races in the DN fleet and 6 in the Ice Optimist fleet. Congratulations to Estonian sailor Rasmus Maalinn who sailed nearly a perfect regatta with 6 firsts and one second. 2017 JWC Eddie Klemets of Sweden was second. Zuzanna Rybicka of Poland was the highest placing female with an 8th. Estonia’s Karl Ader took first in the Ice Optimist division and another Estonian, Lisbeth Taggu, was the highest placing female with fifth place finish.
The show isn’t over yet as the fleets are making a two hour move (because of snow in Lithuania) today northeast to Riga, Latvia to complete the European Championships tomorrow.
Results