2020 Northwest Ice Yacht Racing Association Information
March 13-15,2020
Lake Waconia, Minnesota
Game ON – Ice: Iceboat Board Game
Here’s a novel way to keep your knowledge of iceboating rules sharp through a board game invented by Michael Young of the Chickawaukee Ice Yacht in Maine. Michael created the game as a birthday gift for a fellow ice and land sailing friend. He collaborated with fellow boaters Jeff Roseberry and Jim Turner and used some of their ideas leading to the birth of the first-ever iceboating board game.
The board is a 3 mm printed plastic sign-board, the game pieces are bronze filament 3D-printed DNs, and the Action Cards are business-card-stock with Pemetic Ice Yacht Club printed on the backs which pay homage to the now-defunct club on Mount Desert Island, Maine.
Via Michael:
The rules are simple. All ice boating rules apply. Landing on the Black Ice (dark blue band around the board) doubles the Action Card, good or bad. Roll the dice, move in straight lines only, then draw an Action Card and follow the instructions. Some Action Cards are beneficial, some not, and others are just for a laugh. A one-lap race is enough, but players can decide at race time. A blank Action Card is included so local conditions/rules can be used or added.The winner must fully cross the finish line after the roll and draw card to win. Sorry, no trophies for winners included, bragging rights only!
To keep costs reasonable game includes
- 1 Game Board 24″ x 24″ (folds to 12″ x 24″)
- Action Card Sheets (need to be detached)
- Die
- Iceboating Right of Way Rules
- Game Rules
- Eight numbered game piece DNs.
UPDATE June 24: Via Michael: Cost is $90 which includes shipping and handling in the US, Canadian orders will be $60 per game with shipping and handling priced at what it costs to do. All checks will be in US dollars so as not to deal with exchange rates.
Contact Michael to order or for more information at michaelyoungswh @ gmail.com
Breakfast of Champions
Here’s another gem discovered by Henry Bossett, an illustrated ad for Pettijohn cereal. According to Mr. Breakfast, Pettijohn’s was produced by a Chicago company from 1889 until 1893, when Quaker Oats bought it. As was the case in those days, the artists were anonymous.
UPDATE: The artist is Fanny Cory, one the first female syndicated cartoonists. 
Buddy’s BULL
Buddy Melges with FERDINAND THE BULL on Lake Geneva at the 2001 Hearst Regatta.
FERDINAND THE BULL, owned by Buddy Melges, is one of history’s most successful Class A Stern Steerers. The BULL has its roots in a combination of a beloved children’s book turned Disney short film, a couple of brothers with a metal stamping factory now famous for vintage Coca-Cola machines, and leftover distinctive green paint from a cottage.
I am indebted to Grosse Point Yacht Club, Michigan historian and member Dr. Larry Stephenson M.D., for his article, THE GROSSE POINTE YACHT CLUB CONNECTION TO LARGE ICE YACHT RACING, about the history of the BULL. Read his article here.
Brothers Rex and Clare Jacobs founded the F.L. Jacobs Company, an automotive industry supplier and maker of Coca-Cola vending machines during WW2, which remain popular with collectors. Jack Jacobs, Clare’s grandson, invented the popular “J” iceboats, built for comfortable cruising. Rex Jacobs and George Hendrie, who also skippered, were co-owners of the BULL.
“At some point in the late 1930s or early 1940s, Clare Jacobs acquired DEUCE IV, a serious racing competitor to the BULL.” Both of these boats had been built in Harrison Township, Michigan, by the Vanderbush brothers. Their woodworking shop was just a few hundred yards from where iceboaters had been launching on Lake St. Clair in the 1930s, near the intersection of East Jefferson Avenue and Crocker Boulevard.”
Dr. Larry Stephenson M.D.
Even today, both DEUCE (now owned by Rick Hennig of Racine, WI) and BULL carry the same green livery, and there’s a reason for that. In a 2006 article about his grandfather Clare Jacob’s DEUCE, Jack Jacobs recalled, “The boat was the same flat green that the cottage on Harsens Island was painted. My grandfather felt you should never spend any time on parts of a race boat that don’t make it go fast (like paint).”
The boat’s namesake came from a popular children’s book, The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, published in 1938. The story, about a mighty bull who would rather sniff the flowers than fight, was made into a successful short film in 1938 by Disney Studios.
The BULL’S long record of championship titles began in 1940 in Menominee, Michigan. Rex Jacobs and George Hendrie traveled there with DEUCE and the BULL to compete against the Oshkosh Ice Yacht Club for the Stuart International Trophy. This race was originally established in 1903 by Michigan’s Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club. Skippered by George Hendrie, the BULL brought the trophy back to Michigan, beating out the cup’s defenders, John Buckstaff in DEBUTANTE III and Tom Anger in BLUEBILL II. The BULL went on to win more championships with Hendrie at the tiller.
“Around 1960, “The Bull” and “The Deuce” were sold to iceboaters in Wisconsin. “Ferdinand the Bull” was sold to Harry “Buddy” Melges, Jr., of Zenda, Wisconsin, close to Lake Geneva in the southern part of the state. Buddy, now 83, is considered one of the most successful competition sailors in history, winning dozens of national and international championships. He was the helmsman in America’s successful defense of the America’s Cup in 1992 and took both gold and bronze medals in Olympic sailing competition.”
Dr. Larry Stephenson M.D.
Someone once told me that the BULL journeyed from Detroit to Zenda on the top of a car. I don’t recall if Buddy effortlessly transported the BULL’s 40-foot hull from Detroit through Chicago’s Skyway to southern Wisconsin. Still, based on another story from Mendota Yacht Club’s Lon Schoor of Madison, Wisconsin, that may have been the case.
“Bill Mattison and I were partners in several A-Scows beginning in 1982. All were salvaged after the insurance company declared them total wrecks. Bill and Buddy were close friends and talked frequently about their shared interest in both hard and soft water sailboat racing. That friendship resulted in some bartering between them. We would build boat parts for Melges sails. Unfortunately, I do not recall the year we built a new hull for Buddy’s Bull, but I believe it was in the 80s… We loaded the hull on the [Buddy’s] Suburban, and I swear the truck was barely out the garage door when the overhanging hull was in the street, stopping traffic. I remember looking at Bill and saying after all that work, it will be a miracle if it makes it to Geneva. …you can imagine the overhang on a Suburban was ridiculous.”
Lon Schoor
Check out Peter Harken’s tale of survival mode while crewing for Buddy on the BULL as they charged towards the leeward pin during a regatta. You can find the video on YouTube.
Buddy Melges and FERDINAND THE BULL had a strong bond, and Buddy went on to win 22 significant Stern-Steerer championships.
Read More: 2001 Hearst
FERDINAND THE BULL PHOTO GALLERY
REGATTA RECORDS FOR FERDINAND THE BULL
Stuart International Cup
1940 -1947 DIYC, R. C. Jacobs, George Hendrie
1965 SIBC, Harry C. Melges Jr., Frank Morgan
1968 SIBC, Harry C. Melges Jr., Frank Morgan
1975 SIBC, Harry C. Melges Jr., A. R. Wenzel
1980 SIBC, Harry C. Melges Jr., Harry C. Melges 111, Hans Melges
2001 SIBC, Harry C. Melges Jr., Harry C. Melges III, Hans Melges, Charles Harrett
Hearst International Cup
1961 SIBC, Harry C. Melges Jr., Frank Morgan
1962 SIBC, Harry C. Melges Jr., G. Gerber, Frank Morgan
1963 – 1965 SIBC, Harry C. Melges Jr., Frank Morgan
1971 SIBC, Harry C. Melges Jr., Frank Morgan
1980 SIBC, Harry C. Melges Jr., Harry C. Melges III, Hans Melges
2001 Ferdinand, SIBC, Harry C. Melges Jr., Charles Harrett
Northwestern Ice Yachting Association Championship
1961 Buddy Melges, Skipper; Morgan & Gerber, Crew
1962 Frank Morgan, Skipper Buddy Melges, Crew
1963 Frank Morgan, Skipper; Frank Trost, Crew
1966 Frank Morgan, Skipper; Buddy Melges, Crew
1967 Frank Morgan & Buddy Melges
1971 Buddy Melges, Skipper; Frank Morgan, G. E. Gerber, Jerry Sullivan, Crew
1980 Frank Morgan, Todd Morgan
1991 Buddy Melges
Elevated Iceboats
How do you store your iceboats in the off-season? Dan Morton’s are high and dry, ready for next season.
I’m following Steve Schalk’s lead & hanging my iceboats from the ceiling in our warehouse. 1 – B Skeeter, 1 – A Skeeter & 2 – Nites. And now the trailers can be parked outside.
I made it so the straps are there permanently – then I slip the straps under the 4×4 beams, with the boats on the beams in the summer & then can store the beams up there, when I take the boats down.
It took 2 fork lifts – I put 8’ – 4×4’s on 8’ long pallets, then loaded the boats, masts & planks onto the beams & lifted them up to the ceiling. Then I went up with a scissor lift & slipped the straps underneath the 4x4s and lowered the pallets.
Dan Morton
Peter Harken: Reflections on the passing of Buddy Melges
What a story – Peter Harken crewing with Buddy on the Class A Stern Steerer FERDINAND THE BULL. Link to video
Buddy climbs the mast of his Class A Stern Steerer, FERDINAND THE BULL on Lake Geneva at the Northwest regatta. Photo: Ron Sherry
Buddy Melges – Fair Winds & Endless Black Ice
Gloria and Buddy Melges at the 2007 Northwest Regatta at Menominee, MI. Buddy won the Class A Skeeter title that regatta. Photo: Chris John
Buddy Melges 1930 – 2023
He Was One Of Us
The ice sailing community grieves with the Melges family and with our friends from the Skeeter Iceboat Club on their loss.
Iceboating is a sport that is often difficult to comprehend for the uninitiated. It’s hard for people to understand the effort, perseverance, and rewards that come with the exhilaration of sailing on a frozen lake with your closest friends and then spending the evening rehashing every tack and jibe.
Buddy was one of us. He spoke our language and probably invented many of our sayings. Our sport has gained much positive attention thanks to Buddy’s remarkable accomplishments, including those in the Olympics and America’s Cup.
My brother. Ron Rosten and I grew up around the ice sailing legends like Buddy, Mattison, and Ripp. Buddy was just another ice sailor out on the ice, albeit a damned good one. (I hate to admit this, but it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I realized that Buddy was an Olympic sailor and why they called him “The Wizard of Zenda.” – DW)
In May 2022, he spoke at Bill Mattison’s funeral, where he fondly remembered his friend’s genius and their successful America’s Cup campaigns. It was probably the last time many of us saw him.
Buddy was a second-generation iceboater who won so many iceboating titles in almost every class that I’ll need time to tally it all up.
What a life.
Statement from Melges Performance Sailboats Facebook Page
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the peaceful passing of Buddy Melges. Today, we honor the remarkable life and enduring legacy of a man whose contributions have left an indelible mark on our hearts and the world of sailing.
As we mourn the loss of a visionary and celebrate a life well-lived, we invite you to share your cherished memories with us as we collectively pay tribute to Buddy’s life. Your heartfelt stories and messages of remembrance are a testament to the profound impact he had on our community.
The Mead Glider Company
This week, I received a package filled with iceboating memorabilia, which included what seemed to be magazine advertising proofs for Mead iceboats of Chicago, Illinois.
Since the beginning of this website in 1998, the Buy & Sell page has been filled with vintage Mead iceboats for sale, all of which came out of Ted Mead’s Chicago factory.
Who was Ted Mead? According to a 1937 newspaper article, his father owned bicycle factories in Chicago and England. 
His mother was noted for her exceptional woodworking skills. After graduating from Princeton in 1925, he built houses for a few years; he eventually grew tired of this profession and founded the Mead Glider Company. When the airplane business became unprofitable, Mead moved on to building kayaks, ice motor sleds, and iceboats, and the factory employed 24 people.
Below are links to some of the Mead iceboat memorabilia that’s come my way in the last 20+ years.
Learn More:
Ted Mead Biography Newspaper Article
Announcing Mead’s New Class E Skeeter Racer
Mead Batwing Iceboat Brochure
Mead Iceboat Brochure 3
Mead Iceboat Brochure 5
Mead Archives
Early ISA Video
Vintage Film: 1952 Northwest on Lake Monona
Big Tip of the Helmet to Henry Bossett for finding this historic footage of the 1952 Northwest regatta on Lake Monona. If you recognize some of these boats, drop a line to me and I’ll add to the post. Video link
From Skeeter Iceboat to Sunfish Dinghy
Tip of the Helmet: Dan Heaney
The Sunfish dinghy is one of the most recognized and popular soft-water boats ever manufactured, with over 300,000 built. What does this have to do with iceboating? The Alcort company of Connecticut that developed the Sunfish started as an iceboat manufacturer. Dan Heaney, long time DN regatta PRO from Neenah, WI, sent this advertisement and some information about the Alcort Skeeter he has restored. Hopefully, we’ll see some photos of Dan’s restored Skeeter in the future.
Via Dan Heaney: The attached document advertises an Alcott Skeeter. I have one of the iceboats with an original Alcort decal. The boat is basically the same as produced by Alcort. However, the mast was replaced by the previous owner, and I added a springboard and some hull re-enforcing as well as a new runner plank.. The sail is 75 sqft, and it is a true double-seater. My current project is to complete the installation of foot steering.
There seems to be little information regarding the boat and Alcort’s venture into iceboating.
Sunfish
19th Century Bow-Steering Ice Yachts
The concept of bow-steering iceboats is much older than I had imagined, which makes sense because iceboaters have a long tradition of trying different technologies
“Can you imagine sailing on a pond and not a drop of water to be seen?”
Henry Bossett discovered an 1897 illustration and an 1850 Boston newspaper article while gathering material for our online Cape Cod Maritime Museum presentation, proving that sailors were familiar with front-runner steering in the 19th century. (Museum presentation, Sunday, April 30, 1:30 CT / 2:30 ET. Register here.)
The big boat in the illustration filled with passengers reminds me of the BERZERKER (a stern-steerer) last seen on Maumee Bay in Toledo. The BERZERKER
was Frankenstiened together by the Toledo Ice Yacht Club as a one-weekend party boat. BERZERKER gave many people their first iceboat ride on Lake Erie during that Winter Carnival weekend in 2007.
Virtual Lecture “The Exciting World of Iceboating” April 30
UPDATE: If you missed the video or want to see it again, the fine folks at the Cape Cod Maritime Museum have uploaded it to YouTube. LINK
Please join Henry Bossett and me for a virtual presentation hosted by the Cape Cod Maritime Museum on Sunday, April 30, at 1:30 PM CT / 2:30 PM ET.
We’ll discuss various topics, including some Cape Cod area’s ice sailing history, such as this video about the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (Spars) and iceboating. (Video ink.)
Via the Cape Cod Maritime Museum:
While sailors in New England spent the winter dreaming of getting back on the water, sailors in the competitive world of ice yachting have been busy! Join us for this talk by Deb Whitehorse, who grew up above her father’s iceboat shop in Monona, Wisconsin, as well as Henry Bosset, who’s first sailing experience was in M16 Scows. He moved on to the E-Scow Fleet and eventually started crewing on offshore boats from 24’ on up.Deb is the longtime Secretary of the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club in Madison, WI, and a member of their Honor Roll. She is also the Secretary and Treasurer of the International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association, the world’s largest ice sailing class.
Henry is a three time DN Ice Boat World Champion, as well as claiming North American and Eastern Championship honors in the DN, MScow, and Tornado classes.
Spars On Ice
“It’s The People That Make the Club”
Where is YOUR trophy base? Paul Krueger’s was done within 24 hours of receiving the trophy! (Note PK’s photo on the wall.)
We had a packed house at last night’s Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Awards Banquet at Springer’s, overlooking the lake that hosted the most iceboat racing in North America and maybe even the world.
It was a perfect mix of veteran and newer members. Long-time club members like “Admiral” Dave Nelson (Kegonsa is his private lake) and Mrs. Admiral Nancy came in the latest 4LIYC shirts, while Jerry Simon ensured the classic red blazer was present.
Banquet chair Lars Barber surprised the room with a sincere presentation highlighting the season and behind-the-scenes help that 4LIYC members provide to keep the show running.
Trophy chair Damien Luyet handed out the “pots and pans.” Because the club’s trophy engraver, Ray Karas, is no longer engraving, Damien and Donny Anderson had to devise a new way to get the job done. Ray was one of the last engravers we know about who could carve on a rounded surface. Damien asked that all trophy recipients make a base to make it easier for flat engraving.
The trophy base-building winner is Paul Krueger, who whipped up a base this morning for his Class A Skeeter trophy. Who will be the next person to make a trophy base?
Wisconsin Skeeter Association 2023 Virtual Awards Ceremony
Ken Whitehorse on Lake Kegonsa in March 2023. Photo: Ethan Brodksy
The awards season kicks off today with this virtual presentation for the Wisconsin Skeeter Association. The in-person 4LIYC banquet is this Saturday, April 22 at Springer’s on Lake Kegonsa. There’s still room for you to join the party! Please get in touch with Deb today.
Submitted by WSA Trophy Chair Ken Whitehorse:
Eleven years ago, Paul Krueger, Bill Dale, Tom Hyslop, and Ken Whitehorse formed the Wisconsin Skeeter Racing Association while sailing on Green Bay in mid-April 2012. We sailed six competitive races, yet “how would you know (copyright Bill Mattison.).” During lunch breaks, the racers discussed how poor ice conditions made club races a rarity. We determined that wherever good ice should appear in Wisconsin, we would hold sanctioned iceboat races as the Wisconsin Skeeter Racing Association. Wisconsin iceboat clubs carry letters on their sails: M for Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club in Madison, I for Skeeter Iceboat Club in Lake Geneva, V for Pewaukee, and U for Windjammers in Green Bay.The 2023 champions are:
C Skeeter: Pat Heppert
B Skeeter: Jim Smith
A Skeeter: Ken Wahoo Whitehorse
May the Ice Be With You
Screenshot by John Bauldry
It’s about time that Star Wars meets iceboating. A big Tip of the Helmet to Michigan DN sailor John Bauldry who captured this screenshot of an iceboat from the Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian.
Via John’s Facebook Page: “Watched S3-E7 of the “Mandalorian” last night, Chapter 23, “The Spies.” It featured a giant iceboat used to traverse across Mandalor. Picture is a screenshot from the episode trailer with sails furled. Pretty cool!”
4LIYC Spring Awards Dinner @ Springers on April 22
One of the best pictures of the 2023-2022 season. Class A Skeeters (Jay Yaeso U311 and John Dennis U194) on Lake Kegonsa at the 2023 International Skeeter Association regatta. Photo by Will Johnston.
Take advantage of the social event of the spring season, the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Awards Banquet, at our favorite iceboating venue on Lake Kegonsa, Springers. Laurie and the gang at Springer’s will need a count of who is coming by this weekend. Please RSVP to Deb as soon as possible.
Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Awards & Social Event
Location: Springer’s On the Lake, Stoughton, WI
Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023
Time: 5:30 – 6:30 Social Hour
6:30-7:30 Dinner
7:30 Awards presentation
Ticket: $40 cash or check (made out to 4LIYC) at the door
Menu: A buffet featuring roast beef, baked chicken, parsley buttered red potatoes, rice blend, green beans, garden salad, green beans, dessert, and one drink ticket.
RSVP to debwhitehorse@iceboat.org
4LIYC Sailors On the Dirt Leaderboards
4LIYC Geoff Sobering, left, 3rd, Dave Lussier of RI, 2nd, and 4LIYC Jim Nordhaus 1st of the 2023 Blokart North American Championship.
Congratulations to Four Lakes Ice Yacht members for taking on the dirt at last week’s 2023 Blokart land sailing North American championship at Ivanpah, Nevada.
Land sailing has become a popular way to wrap up (or extend!) the ice sailing season. In recent years, the list of ice sailors making the pilgrimage to Ivanpah for the NALSA or Blokart regattas has been increasing.
In the Performance Superweight division, Jim Nordhaus took first place, Geoff Sobering placed third, and Brad Wagner placed 5th. Jim also took first place overall. Lars Barber took 4th in Performance Middle Weight, and Wayne Schmeidlin took 4th in Performance Heavy Weight. Wayne’s grandson, the veteran junior sailor Aiden Schmeidlin, won the Performance Light Weight division.
The surprise of the regatta was Wayne’s grandson and Aiden’s younger brother, Alex, racing for the first time, winning the Production Lightweight division against some seasoned sailors. Alex was a natural and was at ease even in some big wind. We hope to get Aiden and Alex to learn how their land sailing skills transfer to the ice next season.
Nina Fleming and I were co-PROs. It was our second regatta of the season after working the 2023 DN World Championship on Lake Kegonsa. The cold weather made this event feel more like ice sailing, though we generally don’t have to worry about 75 mph wind gusts on Lake Kegonsa as we did for the day racing was postponed at the Blokart regatta.
The expanding cross-pollination between land and ice sailing benefits both communities and helps to grow both sports.
Iceboat Tourist in the Netherlands
Don, right, inspecting a model of a traditional Dutch ice yacht. Photo: Alexander De Voss
Learn More: Dutch Style Iceboats Archive
4LIYC Nite sailor Don Sanford recently visited the country where our sport began, the Netherlands, and met up with members of De Robben, the sailing club that keeps up the Dutch ice-yachting tradition.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the (iceboat) world, I was invited to visit with some hard water sailors in the Netherlands. No ice here, but I did get to see their collection of vintage iceboats. They also have a few DNs and a vintage Skeeter. As usual with iceboaters, there was lots of smart-talking and just a bit of actual work going on. I left some Nite caps, stickers, and a copy of the Mary B DVD. Their burgee will find a new home at the Nordhaus boat shop soon. – Don Sanford
SOLD! February 17, 2023: Stern-Steerer in WI
SOLD! Classic Class D Stern steerer. Easy to sail and set up.
Skeeter sail and chrome renegade runners. Great for cutting thru crud and spring sailing.
Needs a good home. On trailer for delivery.
$1500 OBO.
Madison, WI
Where They Are Spring Sailing
Photo from DN Finland Facebook page
The Fat Lady is warming up and has sung in the Four Lakes area. There’s been iceboat racing in Finland and on Lake Baikal in Siberia the past week. Thunder Bay, always the spot for spring ice, is still hanging in there. Mike Madge reports the bay has “lots of ice but still needs a little Zamboni work for my liking. I am getting a little pickier on the ice conditions, as we have had such a great season.”
UPDATE: Chickawaukee Ice Boat Club’s Bill Bucholz says they “aren’t giving up yet!” Keep informed on their site for any spring ice sailing.
Spring sailing continues in the desert as several 4LIYC members (Jim Nordhaus, Wayne Schmedlin and his 2 grandsons, Geoff Sobering, Brad Wagner, and Lars Barber) made the trek to the cathedral of land sailing, Ivanpah, for the Blokart North Americans. We had one day of racing on Sunday, but 75 mph wind gusts and a dangerous dust storm kept us off the race course on Monday. I’ll be heading out to the play soon, dressed in warm iceboating gear because it’s in the 30s here this morning. Follow along on the NABSA Facebook page. Results here.
Brad Wagner gets a push during the Enduro Relay Race on Saturday, April 1.
Dirt Report: Now That The Dust Has Settled
An excessively enthusiastic Daniel Hearn contemplates DRIFTER in the desert. Photos via Facebook: Ralph Raymond
Now That the Dust Has Settled
(Report from Daniel Hearn on the America’s Cup of Landsailing)
He called at exactly the right time. It appeared the Fat Lady was about to sing. (Oops, lack of wokeness. Much work to be done on my sensitivity. What I meant to say was, “that the perfectly round person, who is currently identifying as a female singer, was about to share a vocal performance”). The ice sailing season was all but over. I’d had a good run but was intrigued with the idea that the solid surface action could be extended. Or maybe I’m just an addict. There are worse things.
“Just fly into Vegas, “the laid back, but highly convincing man said. “I’ll have the boat on the playa ready to go. A couple hours later, I’d purchased a ticket, rented a campervan, and confirmed that my buddy was still bringing Drifter v.1. Check—Mini Skeeter designer, John Eisenlohr is bringing me his fully sorted boat that no one else can beat. (I can fix that). Check—C-Skeeter Bubble Boat designer, Pat Heppert is driving west and bringing all the food. Check—All I have to do is show up with a helmet. I’ll never be closer to rock stardom.
It’s different in the dirt. You’re not a Skipper or Helm, you’re a Pilot. Most pilots use a pusher off the line, but the pusher can’t cross the line. A boat not using a pusher can push for as long as they desire. Races last a specified period; usually 15 minutes. Scoring is a combination of laps completed and finishing position. Start line is closed after the flag drops. Boats must pass through a “scoring line” adjacent to the start line on each lap, for that lap to be scored. The boat on the right always has right of way. Protests are rare. And get this—they sometimes round to starboard. Now that’s a mind bender!
Many ice sailing skills seem to transfer. But I was also reminded that old habits are, indeed, hard to break. 18 Mini Skeeters and I was feeling pretty good about myself finishing in the second position in my very first race. Back in the pits, however, race winner, Dave Gluek, another long-time ice sailor, realized that the top three finishers had all rounded the bottom mark on each lap in the wrong direction. We’d spent the entire training day rounding all marks to port. But on race day when it counted, everything was backwards for the ice sailors. We successfully rounded the top mark to starboard and opened a big lead on the rest of the fleet. Approaching the bottom mark, we were so focused on each other, we forgot it was a starboard hike we should be managing. Top three to DSQ. Ugh! Since misery loves company, many others made us feel less stupid, repeating the same error. Our PRO remarked that he’d never seen so many DSQs across all the fleets in a single race. An anonymous, highly experienced dirt pilot, having committed the same rounding error, further magnified by failing to cross the scoring line on the first lap succinctly summed up his performance with, “fast boat, slow mind.”
“Push like your pants are on fire,” read the starting tip in the Mini Manual. Taking that to heart in another race I gave it my best Usain Bolt. >From either the tremendous thrust I generated, or the fact that my steering dampener had loosened a bit (not sure which), my steering flopped to leeward just as I was jumping into the cockpit. I found myself on a fast-closing collision course with the pilot below, unable to grab the steering bar in time. So, after laying some rubber on him, apologizing profusely, and confirming no damage, I pushed off sheepishly hoping to chase down some of the fleet. DFL at the first mark…lots of work to do. Fortunately for me, the breeze was up and down, and shifty. I was able to keep MS1 in the pressure, recovering to a sixth place finish. Not bad considering my embarrassing start.
Same as ice sailing, the dirt people were really cool. Super friendly, glad to see a new face, happy to help and great competitors. Serious racing, for sure, but nobody seems to forget we’re just doing this for fun. The camaraderie on the playa is built in. Most everybody stays right there on the dirt in various camping rigs with hard sides. We saw gusts to 49 mph, so you can imagine the soft sides of a tent might not be the best choice.
Dave Gluek was clearly the fastest in the Mini Fleet. He would have run away with the title if it were not for his gracious personality. Up to the last race he was all bullets, except for his Race 1 DSQ for rounding the wrong way. In the last race he racked another bullet, but then inadvertently sailed over the start line when he turned to waive a thank you acknowledgement to the Committee. Unfortunately, this gave him a second DSQ and prevented him from getting his name on the trophy this year. But the rest of us knew he was the pilot to beat, and his classy display of sportsmanship will be remembered for many years to come. Also had the pleasure of meeting his wife, Vicki. Nice lady. Will look forward to seeing Dave, Vicki and all my newfound dirt friends on the playa in the future.
Big thanks to John Eisenlohr for inviting me to come and providing a boat. (The performance of the Mini Skeeter on the dirt greatly exceeded my expectations)! And to Team Eisenlohr for all the help, guidance and tips to a dirt virgin. And to my good friend, Pat Heppert, for doing all the hard work and putting up with my excessive enthusiasm.
Team MMS (Midwest Mini Skeeters) has officially launched. It appears we may be building at least five boats, possibly to live on a shared trailer. If there are any other Midwest ice sailors who may be interested in extending their hard surface seasons, please reach out to me. dhearnUS5352@gmail.com
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