The ISA Race Committee has postponed the 2025 annual Championship to February 21, 22, 23, 2025. (Along with the Renegade Championship.)
The snow falling right now, along with the forecast for much additional snow Friday has put the regatta on hold for now. All possible locations are affected by the snow.
The next decision will be on Sunday the 16th, when the snow results will be known. There is a lot of regatta condition ice under the snow, so we are still early in the season and may yet see it melt off.
Great article about our sport including recognition for Minnesota’s Sam Bartel, a young man who is bringing new sailors into the sport.
Iceboats can go 80 mph on Wisconsin’s frozen lakes
Iceboats, some a century old, are the speedsters and yachts of frozen lakes.
By Rick Barrett
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
CRIVITZ – On Lake Noquebay in Marinette County, the Ace of Spades, Miss Jane II, Rosemary, and other iceboats gather for a regatta on ice where the wind has cleared much of the snow. Continue reading.
The ISA Championship Regatta is tentatively on for February 14th – 16th, 2025. Multiple locations are under review including Madison WI and Lake City MN.
The final call will be made by noon on Wednesday February 12th. Check back here at that time.
For UW-Madison student Eden Milan, a simple connection to Madison’s frozen lakes turned into an unexpected discovery of their family’s deep ice boating history. Milan’s great-grandfather, Carl Bernard, was one of Madison’s most accomplished iceboat skippers, winning numerous championships—including nine titles aboard the legendary Mary B. Though originally from Seattle, Milan had no idea they were connected to such a significant piece of Madison’s ice boating legacy until they arrived at UW.
This past weekend at the Frozen Assets Festival, Milan had the rare opportunity to ride aboard the Mary B, experiencing firsthand the ice yacht that helped define their great-grandfather’s legacy. If you haven’t seen this historic iceboat in action yet, there’s still time to visit the Mary B set up in front of The Edgewater.
On a chilly weekday morning in February, Eden Milan pulled a pair of ice creepers over their shoes (rubber grips with small spikes at the bottom) and walked out onto the frozen Lake Mendota.
On the lake, a group of enthusiastic ice boat sailors worked to reassemble the boat Milan’s great-grandfather collected so many of his trophies with, a boat that continues to represent Madison’s history as an ice boating haven. Continue reading.
Full circle on the ice—Eden Milan rides aboard the Mary B, the same legendary iceboat her great-grandfather, Carl Bernard, once raced to victory.
Hundreds of people watch as fireworks launch into the night sky above an inflatable replica of the Statue of Liberty’s head, arm and torch on frozen and ice-covered Lake Mendota during the conclusion of the Wisconsin Union’s Winter Carnival on Feb. 11, 2023. The event was held along the shoreline of the Memorial Union Terrace at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The Lady Liberty tradition began with a prank in 1979 by the Pail and Shovel Party which made a campaign promise. Read more
Madison Celebrates on the Lake Mendota Ice this weekend.
This weekend, Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club (4LIYC) sailors are shifting gears a bit to focus on promoting the sport of iceboating while taking advantage of great conditions. Instead of official club racing, we’re focusing on a fun sailing day on Saturday, February 8, as part of the UW Winter Carnival and Frozen Assets celebrations at The Memorial Union and Edgewater. It’s also a good opportunity to see the MARY B set up at the Edgewater. Stop by and say hello to 4LIYC members from the Iceboat Foundation who help preserve this boat.
If you want to sail on Lake Mendota, you can set up at Lot 60 or Brearly Street and sail toward The Edgewater and the Union to give spectators a close-up look at the sport. If conditions remain favorable and the snow holds off, we may also hold 4LIYC club racing on Sunday, February 9, on Lake Mendota. We’ll have more information on possible 4LIYC racing on Saturday, February 8.
