The DN Senior Shuffle Regatta is ready for Round 2! We’re picking up where we left off last year, so if you already paid, you’re good to go – no extra shuffling required. Just make sure to send in your most recent proof of liability insurance. Please send to debwhitehorse@iceboat.org.
WHAT TO KNOW
2025 DN Senior Shuffle NOTICE OF RACE SAILING INSTRUCTIONS Dates: January 6 – 8, 2025 (the 3 days after the 2025 Western Region Championship) Location: TBA, same location at 2025 Western Region Championship Eligibility:
• Open to Seniors (50-59), Masters (60-69) and Grand Masters (70+) who will race under Shuffle Rules with one start.
• Open to “aspiring” Seniors (49 or younger) who will also race under Shuffle Rules possibly with a separate start. Entries:Click here to see list of entries.
This may be a signal that the 4LIYC should purchase giant inflatable ducks.
The City of Madison has released its Lake Monona Waterfront redevelopment plan. I was surprised to see a computer-generated image featuring two iceboats on Lake Monona near John Nolen Drive.
Iceboating has been a fixture on Madison’s lakes for over 100 years. Our history is tied to the city’s identity—our photos are used to promote Madison, and our presence on the frozen lakes adds to the city’s uniqueness. It’s heartening to see our sport recognized as part of what makes Madison unique. Iceboating is not just a pastime; it’s a tradition and a celebration of the frozen beauty of our lakes. The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club is grateful for the acknowledgment. Madison’s lakes and shoreline are central to the city’s identity, and iceboating is proud to be part of that legacy.
So, as Madison continues to embrace its lakes and shoreline, we’ll keep sailing—just as we have for over 100 years. See you on the ice!
Lou Loenneke flying the runner in his Class A Skeeter SLAVE SHIP
UPDATE:
Lou Loenneke Celebration of Life
Wednesday, December 11
3 – 6 PM
Chuck’s Lakeshore Inn
352 Lake St, Fontana, WI Map
The ice sailing community mourns the loss of Lou Loenneke, a Skeeter Ice Boat Club member and a valued friend to many in the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club. Lou passed away peacefully in the hospital on November 15, 2024. Tributes have been pouring in on Facebook, where ice sailors are sharing memories, photos, and stories of a man who touched so many lives on and off the ice.
Lou was deeply committed to ice sailing and the community surrounding it. An avid sailor from an early age, he claimed the DN North American Junior Championship titles in 1962 and 1963. He was also an accomplished Skeeter sailor, where he won the 1970 Northwest Ice Yachting Association (NIYA) Regatta E Skeeter title and placed second in the Free For All race. His iconic Skeeter, SLAVE SHIP, appeared in a memorable advertisement for Lake Geneva’s Playboy Club during the 1970s.
Lou and life long friend, Bob Cave
In later years, Lou embraced the DN class and continued to excel. He captured the NIYA DN title six times (1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, and 2001) and won the DN North American Silver Fleet Championship in 1980. Lou was also a dedicated leader, serving as Commodore of the International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association from 2002 to 2004.
Lou was known as a generous and approachable figure in ice sailing. He freely shared his lifelong knowledge with seasoned sailors and newcomers, always striving to help others improve and enjoy the sport he loved dearly. (As an example, previous: The Old Man and the C)
The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club extends its deepest sympathies to Lou’s family, the Skeeter Ice Boat Club, and the global DN community. You will be greatly missed but never forgotten.
UPDATE: Via Jason Thompson, Commodore of the Skeeter Iceboat Club in Lake Geneva, WI
Lou grew up iceboating. Once he settled in to the DN class, he and Jane Pegel anchored a deep fleet of talented sailors. Names like Pete Johns, Robert Cummins, Bob Rast, Bob Cave, Pat Fitzgerald, John Zils, Erich Schloemer, Steve Orlebeke, Chris Berger, Mike Jankowski, Erik Lonnecke, Clinton Rengi, and Scottie Button were battling on the ice for many seasons.
Like Jane and Buddy, Lou was tireless in his promotion of iceboating. Lou was an open book when it came to sharing his knowledge. When I began to race DNs I called on Jane and Scottie for advice on how to tune up. Same answer, “Go see Lou…” In the fall, Lou’s garage was packed with iceboaters, projecting and getting tuned for the season. The Wizard of Zenda would always stop in if the driveway was full. Buddy would kick the door open, “I had to park in the damn street! What the hell we working on today??”
Lou was one of the pioneers of The Western Challenge Regatta for DNs. The annual event is an amazing gathering of iceboaters looking for the first, and maybe only, ‘Hollywood Ice’ of the season. Canadian and European sailors will travel to this event which takes place on the best ice in Minnesota the first weekend of December—90 boats last year. Back in the day before the regatta, an agitated Lou would phone up Bob Cave: “You know they’ve gotten in four days of sailing in already…” referring to the MN iceboaters. Lou began to recruit sailors to head north for weekend scrub racing, laying the foundation for the Western Challenge.
I am forever indebted to Lou and Bob Cave for the hours they spent with me trying to get me and the SIBC DNs up to speed. Both incredible ambassadors. I Invision Lou is now sailing on better than Hollywood ice without the bite of frost on his hands and toes. Sheet in, Lou.
Jason Thompson, SIBC Commodore
Or should we say it in Finnish, Ensimmäinen! Via Swedish DNer Dideric Van Riemsdijk, here’s a look at the first runners on the ice at the first regatta of the season, DN Finland’s Week 46. They are just above the Arctic Circle at Onkamojärvi, Finland. Who will be the FIRST in North America?
Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Meetings Now at the Elks Lodge
Join us on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 for the first Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club meeting of the season at our new location. We’re now gathering at the Elks Lodge on Lake Monona, located at 711 Jenifer St, Madison, WI. Meetings will kick off at 6:30 PM. We look forward to seeing you there to talk all things iceboating and keep the tradition alive! Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Meetings Time: 6:30 PM Location: Elks Lodge, 711 Jenifer St, Madison, WI 53703 Meeting Dates
November 6
November 20 Elections
December 4
December 18
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
The continuing series: Artificial intelligence still has not learned what an iceboat actually looks like.
Fred Stritt checked in to let us know about the upcoming Delavan Yacht Club Iceboat Swap Meet. Missed the recent swap meet at Harken? Or can’t get enough of the iceboating community? Here’s your chance! Join us at the Delavan Yacht Club on Saturday, November 9 from 11 am to 3 pm for another opportunity to buy, sell, or trade iceboat gear, meet fellow sailors, and prepare for the upcoming season.
The Delavan Yacht Club will serve homemade pizzas, and the bar will be open, so come hungry and thirsty! It’s the perfect setting to connect with the iceboating community, discover great gear, and enjoy good food and drinks.
Delavan Yacht Club Iceboat Swap Meet Location: Delavan Yacht Club, 1501 Cedar Point Dr, Delavan, WI 5311 Map Date: Saturday, November 9, 2024 Time: 11am – 3pm Information:Midwest Hard Water Sailing Facebook Page
