Welcome to iceboat.org

The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club is one of the most active iceboat clubs in North America. We’ve been building and racing iceboats for over 100 years in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Ice Is Never 100% Safe.

Our ice reports are strictly for iceboat racers. Recreational iceboaters, kite boarders, cross country skiers, and ice fishermen should not rely on our ice reports. We have safety equipment. Do you?

Buy or Sell Your Iceboat

One of the best pages in North America to buy or sell iceboats and their parts. There’s also a complete list of vendors who will supply iceboats, sails, and their components.

Common Questions:

How can I get started? How fast can they go? How much do they cost? Is it safe?

Regatta Watch

Information about the ISA, NIYA, WSSA, Nite, and DN regattas.

Iceboat Classes

Learn about Skeeters, DNs, Stern Steerers, Renegades, Nites, and Ice Optimists.

The Rules.

The purpose of iceboat racing rules is to prevent collisions.

Ice Yacht Clubs

The best way to learn about iceboating and make life long friendships is to join a local club.

Why We Sail.

“If all our ice were glass, slightly wet, and all our air reasonably steady with lifters just where needed, sailing would be perfect. Sometimes we do find this, and it is worth waiting years to have. Meanwhile we must accept the more ordinary ice conditions, ordinary weather and wind, and gracefully accept snow, sometimes for weeks. Our ideal comes from time to time, the Great Maker gives only so much of the very best.” Charles H. Johnson.

Iceboating for Kids

Ice Optimists were created specifically as a youth trainer, designed to be easily built using commonly available materials, and to keep costs to a minimum.

UPCOMING:
4LIYC Meeting :November 20, 2024 @ Elks Lodge More Information
4LIYC Shipstore: Order custom iceboat shirts, hats, and gear. More information.
BURGEE:
 Order your 4LIYC Burgee
Pay Your Dues Online

Four Lakes Aerial Ice Checking

Lake Monona froze over in the early morning hours of January 15, 2024. Photo: Ethan Brodsky

On Monday, January 15, Ethan Brodsky, one of our favorite pilots, toured the lakes in Madison. Lake Monona appeared to be completely locked and covered in white frost, which is not snow. We have been blessed with ice due to the brutally cold temperatures. However, we are waiting for the ice to thicken and for the temperatures to be a bit warmer before we start scouting. This is sure to be a topic of discussion during our Wednesday night 4LIYC Zoom meeting.  As always, respect the ice and be safe. 

There’s still plenty of open water near Middleton, but by the “rowboat” definition, Lake Mendota froze last night. Monona is frozen solid – it was was wide open yesterday (January 14.). Lake Wingra is also frozen solid – it had a small open patch in the middle yesterday. I have to laugh at all the people who were predicting the lakes wouldn’t freeze this year. – Ethan Brodsky

The Art of Ice Formation – Mendota Today

To see our playground start to come to life, check out this time-lapse video of ice formation between the Edgewater and the Memorial Union on Lake Mendota. It’s -13F here this morning, and the middle of Lake Mendota is still steaming, but the ice is coming in. Keep an eye on the Mendota Today webcam for more thrilling ice formation videos!
Video link

 

Regatta Watch: 2024 Northwest Postponed to Jan 26 – 28

B Skeeter: Fritz Buttons

There are currently no suitable locations for the Northwest Ice Yachting Association Regatta for January 19 – 21, 2024. THE REGATTA IS POSTPONED TO January 26 – 28, 2024. Next update is Sunday, January 21, 2024.

Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
Northwestern Ice Yachting Association

Regatta Watch: 2024 ISA & Renegade Championship Postponed to January 26 – 28, 2024

Photo: Will Johnston

The 2024 International Skeeter Association Regatta and Renegade Championship has been postponed until January 26 – 28. We are waiting for recently frozen ice to build. Next weekend’s extremely cold forecasted temperatures are also a factor in postponement. Next update is on Sunday, January 21, 2024.
John Dennis, ISA Regatta Chair

Think Ice Globally – Sail Mongolia!

The sport of ice sailing has expanded to Mongolia. From the land of horses, yurts, and vast open spaces, Ganaa Davaa recently contacted Nite Commodore Maureen Bohlebher and me to talk ice sailing. Ganaa related that the conditions in Mongolia, similar to the dry landscapes of Montana, are perfect for our sport, with ice from December to April. Ganaa urgently needed iceboats for a January 12 winter festival, so John Hayashi of Windward Boatworks, got on the road and drove two boxed Lockley Skimmers to a Chicago shipping firm, which ensured their timely arrival. The 4LIYC’s Lars Barber helped out by giving his Skimmer sail to John so that the boats would be complete.  Expect to see more iceboats in Mongolia as they continue to build their fleet.
Meanwhile, the first-ever international DN regatta is taking place in Jinzhou, China. Minnesota’s Mike Bloom is there, along with several Europeans and Russians. Follow the regatta in the DN website and Facebook page. It is remarkable how this sport brings together people from around the world.

Scott Goetz Memorial Postponed & Weather Update

View from Lake Mendota Webcam on January 12, 2024. This is a good thing. Watch the live webcam for ice-making starting Monday.

Southern Wisconsin is currently weathering heavy snow and winds. The blizzard has prompted the postponement of Scott Goetz’s celebration of life, initially scheduled for Saturday, January 13, 2024. The family will likely reschedule when the weather is warmer.

Weather Underground temperature forecast.

We expect very cold weather next week and are hopeful for good ice sailing conditions in the coming days. The good news is that all Madison area lakes are open.  Maybe we’ll have ice like Lake Vanem in Sweden right now, pictured below! Keep your runners sharp, it’s coming to southern Wisconsin.

In the News: Peter Harken in Seahorse Magazine


Peter Harken Archives
Via Sailing Scuttlebutt:
Carol Cronin on an article she wrote about Peter Harken for Seahorse Magazine:

Just like his name, Peter Harken’s life story is so intertwined with the company he helped to build that I gave up trying to separate the two. And the fifteen-month delay between writing and publication meant I was enchanted all over again when I read through Part I. So many Hall of Famemagaz inductions… yet the humble Peter seemed quite surprised that I (and Seahorse’s readers) might actually be interested in his life story The editor has graciously given me permission to share the PDF with you, but that only covers up to the 1980s. To read Part II, you’ll have to subscribe. Well worth it for all the Rod Davis lessons! Thanks for following along, and let me know what you think of ‘Plodding along dropping white plastic balls‘.

Excerpt from Plodding along dropping white plastic balls by Carol Cronin for Seahorse Magazine:
The most famous of those ideas solved a classic iceboat problem: how to get enough purchase on the mainsheet without adding so much friction that the boom had o be pushed out downwind. ‘Iceboating, your reactions have to be really fast. When you let the sheet out a little bit it has to happen right away – or you’re going over!’ Read here.

Fond Du Lac Ice Yacht Club Readies for the Season

Dave Lallier with mother Carol in 2013 sailing their Johnson A Stern Steerer on Lake Winnebago. .

Carol Nichols ready to sail in 2013.

Fond Du Lac Ice Yacht Club members in 2023.

Our friends from Fond du Lac Ice Yacht Club recently shared a photo which features three original founding members – Dave Lallier, his mother Carol Nichols, and Karen Whealon. In 2013, Dave and his late brother Jeff had a fantastic day of sailing on their Johnson A Class Stern-Steerer with their mom, Carol. The Lallier family’s passion for ice sailing started with Dave and Jeff’s parents. “This iceboat thing started for me when I was a baby sitting on Mom’s lap in the back seat of MR. DASS, an old Don Ward D Skeeter still in the family. Jeff and I were lucky to have spent much time sailing with mom and dad when we were young.”
With the forecasted cold temperatures, here’s hoping that Lake Winnebago has a good freeze this season.
Tip of the Helmet: Julie Jankowski

2024 ISA & Renegade Championship Postponed Until Jan 19-21

2023 ISA on Lake Kegonsa. Photo: Will Johnston

Via ISA Regatta Chair John Dennis:

The International Skeeter Association Regatta and Renegade Championship has been postponed until January 19, 20, 21, 2024. Extreme cold temperatures forecasted for next weekend should give us more options for ice. The next update is on Sunday, January 14, 2024
John Dennis

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Regatta Dates 2025

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Click for 4LIYC Meeting Dates

2024-2025

  • 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

Location: In person at the Elks Lodge 711 Jenifer St, Madison, WI 53703

Time: 6:30 PM

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Lake Access Permits

A year-round permit required for designated launch sites in the City of Madison and Dane County Parks. Locations include:

    • Lake Mendota Warner Park Mendota County Park
    • Lake Monona Tonyawatha Tr. Olin Park
    • Lake Waubesa Goodland Park

Purchase Lake Access Permit Online.

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