UPCOMING:
4LIYC Meeting : February 26, 2025. Location to be determined.
WSSA Regatta: Tentatively called on for Feb 1-2 @ Lake Winnebago. More information.
DN World & North American Championship: Feb 2 – 8 More information
International Skeeter Association Regatta: Postponed until Feb 7 – 9. More information.
Northwest Regatta: Sailed @ Winnebago January 24 – 26. More information
Senior Shuffle DN Regatta: Postponed More information
4LIYC Shipstore: Order custom iceboat shirts, hats, and gear. More information.
BURGEE: Order your 4LIYC Burgee
Pay Your Dues Online
4LIYC Racing Potential for Jan 4 – 5
Attention, Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club members! We’re monitoring the possibility of club racing this weekend, January 4-5, on Lake Kegonsa. Ice checkers will meet tomorrow to scout the lake. Please do not go on the ice until it has been thoroughly scouted. Stay tuned for updates! The next announcement will be posted by Friday, January 3, 2025 at 5 PM.
Reminder: The Wisconsin Maritime Museum’s Think & Drink program about the history of ice sailing takes place tonight. Join Mike Peters and myself as we discuss the history of Wisconsin’s ice boats and sailors.
WHAT TO KNOW
Date & Time: Thursday, January 2nd, 6:30 pm (doors and bar open at 6:00 pm)
Location: Wisconsin Maritime Museum, 75 Maritime Dr., Manitowoc, WI
Cost: Free (both in-person and virtual)
Virtual Access: Register here to attend via Zoom: Event Registration Link
Wisconsin Stern Steerers Assoc Regatta Called ON for Crivitz, WI
Via WSSA Secretary/Treasurer Andy Gratton
The WSSA regatta for 2025 has been called ON for Lake Noquebay near Crivitz January 4 and 5, 2025.
LAUNCH:
Use the County Park launch ramp on the south side of the lake.
A sign says there is a $5 entry fee for the Park but that is not collected for winter months.Do not drive on the ice. Back your trailers onto the ice.
Registration will be on the ice Saturday morning. First race at 11 am Saturday.
This is a five race regatta.LODGING
Lodging near Crivitz
Timberline Cottages, $145 night
715-927-0221
very near to lakeCrivitz Lodge, $139 night
715-854-7014
in CrivitzQuick Stop and Motel, $75 night
715-856-5386
in WausaukeeAndy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
Happy New Year
Let’s ring in the New Year with visions of Hollywood Ice.
Northwest Ice Yachting Association Updates – 2025 Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions, and Annual Meeting Agenda
1947 Northwest Regatta. A55 is an A Class Stern-Steer TAKU, currently owned by the Schloemer family in Lake Geneva, WI
NIYA HOME PAGE
Notice of Race
Sailing Instructions
Annual Meeting Agenda
The 2025 Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions, and Annual Meeting Agenda items are now available online! Be sure to review them and get ready for an exciting season ahead.
Stay tuned for more updates as we prepare for another great season on the ice!
International Skeeter Association Updates – 2025 Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions, and Dues
B Skeeters on Lake Monona. Photo: Will Johnston
ISA Home Page
Notice of Race
Sailing Instructions & Conditions
Annual Meeting Agenda Items
The 2025 Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions, and Annual Meeting Agenda items are now available online! Be sure to review them and prepare for another great season.
Additionally, if you’re not up to date on your ISA dues, now is the time to take care of it. A list of current paid members has been uploaded for your convenience. (See it here.) If you don’t see your name on the list, you can quickly pay your dues online here.
Stay tuned for more updates, and let’s get ready for the 2025 season!
DN Senior Shuffle Postponed
Via 4LIYC Commodore Daniel Hearn
Due to the fact that one of our hosts will be in Florida this weekend racing with 110 other M15s, the Senior Shuffle will not take place following the 2025 DN Western Regional Championship, if it happens this weekend of January 4 – 5. FYI, he’s planning to port tack the fleet at the first start. He’s just old…not smart!
Regatta Watch: WSSA Regatta Called ON for Jan 4 – 5
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta for 2025 has been tentatively called on for January 4 and 5. The site selected is Lake Noquebay east of Crivitz. Final confirmation will be made by 1 PM Thursday, January 2. Check back here after that time.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
Regatta Watch: 2025 Renegade Championship Postponed to Jan 10 – 12
Via Renegade Regatta Chair Don Anderson
The Renegade Championship has been postponed until January 10, 11, 12, 2025. The next update is on Sunday, January 5, 2025.
Roll Out the Barrel: A Historic Ice Sailing Throwback
Here’s a fascinating vintage photo shared from Mike Peter’s collection, which will be part of our presentation at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum on January 2. This early 20th-century image captures stern steerers racing on Lake Winnebago and shows a very different approach to racecourse marks.
In the photo, you’ll notice the mark (aka buoy) in use—a tall wooden pole mounted on a platform, with a flag waving from the top and a wooden barrel suspended below. This setup starkly contrasts the lightweight, triangular fluorescent fabric marks we use today. It’s hard not to imagine the chaos (and potential splinters!) if one of those massive stern steerers collided with such a substantial obstacle.
This photo likely predates the introduction of bow-steering boats, offering a window into a bygone era of ice sailing. It’s a reminder of how much the sport has evolved.
We’ve had several requests for the special Skeeter Vodka cocktail recipe featured at our event with the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. I’m working on getting that recipe so everyone can mix up their Skeeter cocktail and join us from home via Zoom. Stay tuned—I’ll share it soon so you can toast along with us!
Think & Drink: Iceboating History Presentation @ Wisconsin Maritime Museum
Does it get any more Wisconsin than this? Ice sailing, maritime history, a Green Bay Packers connection, and a cocktail named in honor of the Skeeter class?
Mike Peters and I will be presenting a program for their Think & Drink series on ice sailing at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum on Thursday, January 2nd at 6:30 pm. I’ll be joining via Zoom, and Mike will be there in person at the museum to share the history of ice sailing in Wisconsin.
The event is free and will be available both in-person and virtually. The featured drink of the night will be a Skeeter, a vodka cocktail named after the fastest iceboat in the world. Doors and the bar open at 6:00 pm, and the program begins at 6:30 pm.
This presentation is part of the Ice Boating: A Wisconsin Tradition exhibit at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, which is on display from December 2024 through September 2025. The exhibit traces the history of ice boating in Wisconsin, spanning over 100 years, and showcases the evolution of iceboats and the culture surrounding the sport.
To join virtually, please register here: Event Registration Link.
This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Green Bay Packers Foundation. For more info, check out the museum’s website.
Hope to see you there, whether in person or online!
WHAT TO KNOW
Date & Time: Thursday, January 2nd, 6:30 pm (doors and bar open at 6:00 pm)
Location: Wisconsin Maritime Museum, 75 Maritime Dr., Manitowoc, WI
Cost: Free (both in-person and virtual)
Virtual Access: Register here to attend via Zoom: Event Registration Link
UPDATE: The Wisconsin Maritime Museum has unveiled a signature drink for their Think and Drink presentation—a twist on the classic Sidecar, featuring vodka and blue curaçao.
The Skeeter
2 oz vodka
1 oz blue curaçao
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup (optional, for a hint of sweetness)
Lemon twist or orange slice for garnish
Instructions:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
Add vodka, blue curaçao, lemon juice, and simple syrup (if desired).
Shake well until chilled.
Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist or orange slice.
Online Ship’s Store
National Iceboat Authority Web Page
4LIYC Governing Documents
Click for 4LIYC Meeting Dates
- 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
YOU ARE SKIPPER NUMBER
TO ROUND THE MARK SINCE NOVEMBER 1999.
