One of the best pictures of the 2023-2022 season. Class A Skeeters (Jay Yaeso U311 and John Dennis U194) on Lake Kegonsa at the 2023 International Skeeter Association regatta. Photo by Will Johnston.
Take advantage of the social event of the spring season, the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Awards Banquet, at our favorite iceboating venue on Lake Kegonsa, Springers. Laurie and the gang at Springer’s will need a count of who is coming by this weekend. Please RSVP to Deb as soon as possible.
Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Awards & Social Event
Location: Springer’s On the Lake, Stoughton, WI Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023 Time: 5:30 – 6:30 Social Hour
6:30-7:30 Dinner
7:30 Awards presentation Ticket: $40 cash or check (made out to 4LIYC) at the door Menu: A buffet featuring roast beef, baked chicken, parsley buttered red potatoes, rice blend, green beans, garden salad, green beans, dessert, and one drink ticket. RSVP to debwhitehorse@iceboat.org
Congratulations to Four Lakes Ice Yacht members for taking on the dirt at last week’s 2023 Blokart land sailing North American championship at Ivanpah, Nevada.
Land sailing has become a popular way to wrap up (or extend!) the ice sailing season. In recent years, the list of ice sailors making the pilgrimage to Ivanpah for the NALSA or Blokart regattas has been increasing.
In the Performance Superweight division, Jim Nordhaus took first place, Geoff Sobering placed third, and Brad Wagner placed 5th. Jim also took first place overall. Lars Barber took 4th in Performance Middle Weight, and Wayne Schmeidlin took 4th in Performance Heavy Weight. Wayne’s grandson, the veteran junior sailor Aiden Schmeidlin, won the Performance Light Weight division.
The surprise of the regatta was Wayne’s grandson and Aiden’s younger brother, Alex, racing for the first time, winning the Production Lightweight division against some seasoned sailors. Alex was a natural and was at ease even in some big wind. We hope to get Aiden and Alex to learn how their land sailing skills transfer to the ice next season.
Nina Fleming and I were co-PROs. It was our second regatta of the season after working the 2023 DN World Championship on Lake Kegonsa. The cold weather made this event feel more like ice sailing, though we generally don’t have to worry about 75 mph wind gusts on Lake Kegonsa as we did for the day racing was postponed at the Blokart regatta.
The expanding cross-pollination between land and ice sailing benefits both communities and helps to grow both sports.
Don, right, inspecting a model of a traditional Dutch ice yacht. Photo: Alexander De Voss
Learn More: Dutch Style Iceboats Archive
4LIYC Nite sailor Don Sanford recently visited the country where our sport began, the Netherlands, and met up with members of De Robben, the sailing club that keeps up the Dutch ice-yachting tradition.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the (iceboat) world, I was invited to visit with some hard water sailors in the Netherlands. No ice here, but I did get to see their collection of vintage iceboats. They also have a few DNs and a vintage Skeeter. As usual with iceboaters, there was lots of smart-talking and just a bit of actual work going on. I left some Nite caps, stickers, and a copy of the Mary B DVD. Their burgee will find a new home at the Nordhaus boat shop soon. – Don Sanford
SOLD! Classic Class D Stern steerer. Easy to sail and set up.
Skeeter sail and chrome renegade runners. Great for cutting thru crud and spring sailing.
Needs a good home. On trailer for delivery.
$1500 OBO.
Madison, WI
The Fat Lady is warming up and has sung in the Four Lakes area. There’s been iceboat racing in Finland and on Lake Baikal in Siberia the past week. Thunder Bay, always the spot for spring ice, is still hanging in there. Mike Madge reports the bay has “lots of ice but still needs a little Zamboni work for my liking. I am getting a little pickier on the ice conditions, as we have had such a great season.”
UPDATE: Chickawaukee Ice Boat Club’s Bill Bucholz says they “aren’t giving up yet!” Keep informed on their site for any spring ice sailing.
Spring sailing continues in the desert as several 4LIYC members (Jim Nordhaus, Wayne Schmedlin and his 2 grandsons, Geoff Sobering, Brad Wagner, and Lars Barber) made the trek to the cathedral of land sailing, Ivanpah, for the Blokart North Americans. We had one day of racing on Sunday, but 75 mph wind gusts and a dangerous dust storm kept us off the race course on Monday. I’ll be heading out to the play soon, dressed in warm iceboating gear because it’s in the 30s here this morning. Follow along on the NABSA Facebook page.Results here.
Brad Wagner gets a push during the Enduro Relay Race on Saturday, April 1.
