Harry Melges at the 1952 Northwest on Lake Monona.
A Surprise in the Mail: Part 3
Renegader Jerry Simon had a look through the scrapbook that I recently received and spent a few enjoyable hours identifying boats and putting the photos in context. We’ve concluded that the scrapbook did indeed belong to Herb Krogman who sailed Renegades and Skeeters with the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club in the 1950s. There are quite a few pictures from the 1952 Northwest which was sailed on Lake Monona. History records that Bill “Curley” Perrigo won the Skeeter title that year in THUNDERJET. The 1950s were a time of rapid technological development in the Skeeter class and a transition from Skeeter to what would become the Renegade class.
Jack Ripp’s Skeeter at the 1952 Northwest on Lake Monona in Madison.
Elmer Millenbach’s RENEGADE III
Spike Boston’s miniature Skeeter, PINK PINK
Skeeter class line up. IOU is regatta winner Bill Perrigo, V80 Frank Trost.
O’ME – O’MY Skeeter Ice Boat Club sailor Chuck Edwards at the 1952 Northwest on Lake Monona, Madison, WI
A Surprise in the Mail: Part 2
I’ve been going through the scrapbook that recently arrived in the mail and finding photos that are in need of stories to go with them. We are lucky to have iceboaters who are willing to take time to share what they remember. Jane Pegel is one of them. I sent her this photo and she wrote back with the following information:
O’ME O’MY was Chuck Edwards. An absolutely outstanding sailor and a very nice guy. Chuck’s family had a home on the north shore of Geneva Lake and Chuck successfully raced C scows beginning in the 1930’s.
Buddy [Melges] told me last winter that Chuck Edwards was the first person to realize that weight of the C scow was important.
In Skeeter Ice Boat Club records, I found Chuck —
1939, Season standings 5th
1940, winner of the Nye Trophy
1950, Season standings, 2nd.
Chuck and his wife lived in a gorgeous house on Lac LaBelle in Oconomowoc, close to the dam. When I was sailing in regattas at LaBelle I would stop in to chat with Chuck. Chuck’s son, George, had a rumble seat C Skeeter with a Nite mast and sail. The last time I saw Chuck and his wife was at Cuppy Goes’ funeral. Cuppy also was a C scow champion, actually had a fast sail that had originally been Chuck Edwards’ sail. Cuppy was born in December, 1917. I imagine Chuck Edwards was close in age to Cuppy.
A 30 mile gale added thrills to the Northwestern Ice Yachting Association regatta on Lake Mendota at Madison, Wisc. January 30, 1938. Here two machines are “hiking”, which is like “heeling” in a sailboat as H.V. Fitzcharles of Chicago, left, sailing High Voltage, and Harry Melges of Williams Bay, Wisc. at the helm of Fancy Flight put up a heated fight to head each other.”
I came across this photo on ebay from a company that specializes in original press photos and snapped it up. NIYA records show Harry Nye as the winner of the 1938 Northwest Skeeter class. Skeeters first competed in the NIYA in 1936. Skeeters didn’t have springboards at that time which must have made for quite an exciting ride in a 30 mph gale.
09copyrightgretchendoriansternStern Steerer: TWIN BEDS Peter McCormick
08copyrightgretchendorianrenegadeRenegade: Mike Derusha
010copyrightgretchendoriansternStern Steerer: TAKU Erich Schloemer
06copyrightgretchendorianskeeterE Skeeter: Dan Clapp
07copyrightgretchendorianrenegadeRenegades
01copyrightgretchendorianbskeeterB Skeeter: Mark Hancik
02copyrightgretchendorianbskeeterB Skeeter: Fritz Buttons
04copyrightgretchendoriandnrDN Class:Spouses Julie Richards & Dick Wollam draw 1 & 2 for the start
05copyrightgretchendorianskeeterE Skeeter: Jay Yaeso
03copyrightgretchendoriandnrDN Class
2010 Northwest
Let’s throw it back to 2010 Northwest regatta sailed on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh. This was the first Northwest that photographer Gretchen Dorian attended. It was a challenge to pick two photos from each fleet because there were so many good ones to choose from. The 3 day regatta was typical because we waited for wind for a day and half and had to set up two separate courses on Sunday in order to get the required number of races completed.
8 1During the 1994 Northwest, Ken showed up to the lake on Sunday morning sporting his now famous pink tuxedo. Ken won the Northwest E Skeeter title that season.
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8 1 1
1994 Northwest
Ran across this photograph a few days ago and it’s too cool not to post. It’s the 4LIYC’s Ken Kreider in his rear seat Skeeter POON sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s. The background looks like Lake Kegonsa near Madison, WI. Back in those days, Ken was a very competitive Skeeter sailor who loved high wind sailing and his weight gave him an advantage on light air days. Ken won the ISA championship in 1988. Pat Heppert sent along a note about POON: “…this is the boat that I sailed from about 2002 to 2014. When Ken got out of the Skeeters [he] sold everything to Dave Travis in Chicago, I then bought the POON IV hull and springboard from Dave Travis. I remember grinding off all the pink within about the first week of owning it because I just couldn’t even stand looking at it. Great memories. The boat is now owned by a recreational sailor in lower Michigan, who seems to be happy with it.”
Here’s another vintage ice boat newsreel from British Pathé, the 1956 Northwest Regatta sailed on Geneva Lake.
Read about the regatta in this Oshkosh Daily Northwestern newspaper report from January 23, 1956.
Since we’re on the subject of the Northwest, this is a good opportunity to note that there’s a new webpage dedicated to the regatta with up to date By Laws, Sailing Instructions, Records of Regatta Winners, and Northwest Archives. Many thanks to SIBC’s Steve Schalk for helping to organize the page.
