2020 Northwest Ice Yacht Racing Association Information
March 13-15,2020
Lake Waconia, Minnesota
Elmer Millenbach Interview Part 2
Previous: Elmer Millenbach Interview Part 1
Elmer Millenbach Archives
Here’s the second of the three-part Mystic Seaport Museum interview with Elmer Millenbach, designer of the Renegade class iceboat where he details the different design phases of the Renegade.
Rising Up From The Pages of Comic Books
Questionable sails? Hot competition? Must be an iceboat regatta!
After all these years, the internet continues to deliver. I stumbled across this new-to-me comic book, published in 1946, in the Smithsonian’s online database. You can read the whole nine pages of this iceboating saga featuring the heroic Dick, his gal Laura, and the jealous Stinky on Comic Book Plus.
SOLD! May 9, 2021: DN Mast & Sails in IL
SOLD! DN C2Concepts Mast – $1100
North/Boston – FO-1 – $550
Quantum/JD-1 – $550
Located – Chicago
Elmer Millenbach Interview Part 1
Detroit’s Elmer Millenbach (1912-1996), the creator of the Renegade iceboat, was arguably one of the most influential men in North American iceboat development. The boom of Ontario, Canada’s Class A Skeeter sailor Rob Intini carried the message “We All Play Elmer’s Tune” as a reminder.
Greg Whitehorse recently dropped off an interview with Elmer on a cassette tape recorded in 1989 by the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut. Over an hour-long, I edited the interview into different parts for the listener’s convenience and added a slide show.
In part one, Elmer recalls the beginning days of the DN and his frustration that he “…couldn’t find out what a DN was,” inspiring him to develop new ways of designing iceboat components such as runners. He knew there would soon be competition from the new front steering boats to see who could go the fastest. “You get enough kiddie cars together, and pretty soon, there’s a race.”
Getting Framed
Pat Heppert’s next Class C Skeeter build begins with Acme, where “Quality is our #1 dream.”
The other day I was so inspired by everyone else’s summer iceboat projects that I had to start one of my own. So I went on the internet and ordered up a complete iceboat frame kit from ACME Iceboats Inc. (www.acme-iceboats.com).
When the UPS driver showed up with the big box, excitement quickly turned to disappointment. This doesn’t look anything like what I ordered, so I called customer service to complain. Why are all the frames black, and why did you overcharge my credit card? Customer service said, “This is because your order clearly specified you wanted the INSANITY option” No idea what that means, but it seems like a Dan Clapp reference. When I asked why all the forward frames clearly looked about 10% shorter than the plans, customer service started getting rude and said, “Well, sir, we are fully expecting you to lose some weight before next season.” FAT CHANCE of that happening.
Then I inquired why the aft frames didn’t seem to look anything like the plans. The tail end looks like it is going to be about a foot and a half wide and tapering down to almost no height at the plank. Why in the heck would any self-respecting front-loader possibly be this wide? The discussion went South, and customer service ended the call by saying, “If you are having so much trouble absorbing the simple concept of how to build an iceboat, then you are just going to have to order up our brand new mainsheet assembly and see how it all comes together.” I have no idea what this means, so I just pulled out the credit card and obeyed—no idea what is coming in the next shipment.
Pat Heppert
C-Skeeter “Drifter” I-291
Groundhog Day
Coming soon, a new driver in this seat. Photo: Sean Heavey
Iceboat shops are busy this spring, including Daniel Hearn’s Spaight Street Syndicate. Here’s the latest report.
Is it Groundhog Day, or is this one of those automated Facebook anniversary posts? Well…neither. This is “Weak Moment,” the second C-Skeeter that will come out of the Spaight Street Syndicate. Wisconsin’s C-Skeeter Fleet is doubling in size! A different butt will be seated in the “Original Gangsta/Black Ice” when we’re back in-season.
I must clarify that it makes me uncomfortable talking about other guy’s butts, but I’ll reveal that the owner of this one knows how to make all sorts of sailboats go fast. Whether he’s at the helm, or helping one of his customers. I’ll leave it up to him to expose his butt. Just doesn’t seem appropriate for me to encourage such behavior. At least from another dude.
Not much will be different with boat #2. Hard to improve on Pat Heppert’s excellent design, though Pat is exploring the next generation. The evolution of “Drifter” will be called “Traveler.” Hint…hint. Maybe he’ll shoot Deb some post content to share what he’s been up to. [Yes, please, Ed.]
Weak Moment will be 7% smaller in height and width. That was my original intent with boat #1. In fact, I had completed a full set of bulkheads before getting cold feet hearing stories of claustrophobia. So, I started over. I would have been fine, but I didn’t know any better at the time, so I stuck the work on the shelf. Turns out, it gave me a nice jump start on boat #2.
The ORIGINAL GANGSTER in its original livery.
Cold feet generate a WEAK MOMENT.
Winging It
UPDATE: The incorrect photo (now below) was used in the original post. The post has been edited with the correct photo.
Previous: Introducing WING
Iceboat shop news from Daniel Hearn:
Winging It
It’s always good to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. With the C-Skeeter, I buddied up to Pat Heppert, and so far, he’s still taking my calls and responding to my texts and emails. When I got intrigued with fixed wing boats, inspired by Dan Clapp’s W28, I reached out to Wing Wizard, John Eisenlohr, who lives in Montana. I had the pleasure of meeting John and some of the other Montana Ice/Dirt Cowboys on our last trip to Fort Peck. Before I knew it, my W28 wanna-be with DN parts had morphed into a 18 ft. tapered wing and flap, with 30″ removable top sections. Plus, a largely enclosed 13 foot hull, 6 foot springboard, and a 12 foot wide plank. I think they call this phenomenon, “project creep.” What is it with iceboaters, anyway? In the immortal words of Dan Clapp himself, “it’s not like we’re racing!”
Here’s a shot of my main wing as it sits now. I’ve just installed the leading edge pieces, but have yet to shape. My hinge boxes are also ready to be installed on the appropriate ribs. After that, I’ve got some additional internal reinforcing to do, and it’s on to skinning. John normally installs the leading edge blocks after the skinning, using ropes with tourniquet-type devices. I decided to mount leading edge blocks first, so I could just use clamps. Guess I’ll find out if this makes the skinning more difficult.
Ice Sailing Rocks
Runner Tracks
From the news of the odd department, NASA researchers have recently declared rocks as ice sailing entities.
Tip of the Helmet George Gerhardt.
What moves the sailing stones of Death Valley?
…the rock movements occurred during a rare combination of conditions in winter. There had to be a shallow layer of water in the dry lake bed and nighttime temperatures cold enough for the formation of a thin layer of ice. On sunny days, melting caused the ice to break into large floating panels that, driven by light winds, pushed against the rocks to move them, leaving tracks on the desert floor. Read more.
Menominee Ice Sailing Photos
3 Class A Skeeters and the historic Stern-Steerer ROSEMARY on Lake Michigan at Menominee, MI.
In case you missed it, Gretchen Dorian has uploaded all of her spectacular Stern Steerer WSSA and Class A Skeeter photos from the Menominee ice sailing rendezvous weekend of March 6-7. Have a look!
Stern-Steerers
Skeeters
Spring Project: MI Stern-Steerer Down From the Rafters
GULL, down from the rafters.
Members of Michigan’s Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club recently gathered to assess a vintage Stern-Steerer iceboat’s condition. They hope to see her sail again and are taking it on as a club project.
She sailed many years and had been idle, we think, since the late ’90s. Our past Commodore Randy Johnson, may his memory be eternal, was the last caretaker of the Stern-Steerer. She did not possess a name. Our Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club named her upon receiving her as the next caretakers in her lineage. It seemed appropriate to name her GULL of Gull Lake. We look forward to letting her soar on home ice once again. We plan to clean and refinish both the hardware and the woodwork. All the parts are there and in solid shape. We will only swap out some steel turnbuckle adjusters that look to have gone beyond their lifetime for safety. I do not have a photo of her sail yet, which is inside our current Commodore’s home for safekeeping. I will post more photos when the weather allows us to unfurl the sail. She sailed, and we don’t know if she ever raced. Some incoming comments seem to say she shared ice in the Toledo area. We have a trailer project started. We plan to bring her to the ice wherever it may show….. maybe Fort Peck?
Peter Sarelis, Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club, Michigan
Sail China
The world’s ice sailing community is growing more extensive, with Chinese sailing clubs discovering the DN. Jinzhou Yachting and Sailing Association and Jinzhou Bay Sailing Club officially joined IDNIYRA Europe this past weekend during their annual Secretary’s meeting. A Ron Sherry-built DN was shipped to China a few years ago, and the Jinzou Sailing Club purchased DN plans to build their boats soon after. According to Google maps, Jinzhou Bay is only a nine-hour drive to Vladivostok, Russia, where DN ice sailing is very popular. It will be interesting to watch the development of organized ice sailing in China. Perhaps they will be curious about what it’s like to sail a Skeeter or Stern-Steerer.
Via IDNIYRA Europe:
…This weekend at our annual National Secretaries’ Meeting we had some very special guests in attendance:
On behalf of the Chinese DN Fleet, Mr. Wang Qiguang chairman of the Jinzhou Yachting and Sailing Association and Jinzhou Bay Sailing Club, Mr. Wu Ming director of the club and Ms. Zhu Di, Chinese-Canadian interpreter was also invited to serve throughout the process.…As they told us, in the past three years, during the introduction, training and participation in- and hosting of various icesailing competitions, they stumbled across pictures and videos of DN iceboats on the Internet. The appearance, structure, speed and specifications of the DN immediately aroused everyone’s interest. In 2019, they purchased plans from North America and manufactured a few of China’s first iceboats of the class. Last year contact has been established with IDNIYRA – Europe and official talks began on joining the Organisation. We received their application of membership earlier this year.
…We wholeheartedly welcome the Chinese Fleet in our Class Association!
Read more.
Count them, 18 DNs!
The Original PRINCESS
PRINCESS II postcard with her namesake added, actress Margaret Sylvia. Postcard from the William & Carl Bernard Collection.
The internet tells me that the ancient Greeks get credit for the tradition of boat-naming, a custom that iceboat builders continued. Growing up iceboating, all Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club classes carried names, even DNs. (In present times, the Estonians seem to be the only DN fleet that consistently attaches a name to a boat.)
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Madison’s Fuller opera house hosted the latest touring plays and operas of the day. One actress made such an impression on Emil Fauerbach that he named his grand William Bernard-built ice yachts after her. All three of Fauerbach’s PRINCESS boats owe their name after Margaret Sylvia, who starred in the comic opera Princess Chic.
We don’t know if Ms. Sylvia ever knew the local fame bestowed upon her or that her namesake won several prestigious regatta titles, including the Hearst. Who knows, maybe one of the reasons William Randolph Hearst, who was well known for his admiration of actresses, donated the Hearst trophy was because Ms. Sylvia told him that a Madisonian had named his iceboat in her honor.
“The PRINCESS is named for Margaret Sylvia who stars in the Princess Chic and has played at the Fuller opera house. This is the second Madison ice yacht to be named in honor of an actress, the first one being the MAY BRETTON, owned by the Spooner Brothers.” Wisconsin State Journal, October 30, 1903
Maine Land Sailing Event: May 13-16
Via Chickawaukee Ice Yacht Club’s Bill Bucholz:
Thursday, May 13- Sunday May 16 at Loring Air Force Base, Limestone, Maine.
Loring AFB is a closed base with two 2mi long runways that are 300’ wide with many taxi ways between the runways as well as several outpost taxi areas that are sailable, including a large pad area suitable for large fleet starts. It is likely the best asphalt land sailing location on the East Coast of the US. Our leasing of the facility for the weekend includes usage of a large hangar that we can store all the boats in with our masts and sails up! There are also restrooms nearby in a separate building.
Free sailing, tuning and touring Thursday, racing Fri-Sat-Sun. Combination of short courses and the 7 mile full base long course. Starts to be dail-up or standing depending on wind. Bring a stop watch. Racing shall be governed by the NIA iceboat racing rules, as well as some that are specific to the BloKarts. Read more
Fast/Not So Fast
Via Natali Burdukovskaya Facebook page.
Not so fast – the Fat Lady is merely warming up. DN sailors in Bratsk, Russia, took advantage of their snowmelt and raced today.
Tip of the Helmet: Natali Burdukovskaya
A few weeks earlier in Russia, a mere 71-hour car drive east in St. Petersburg, the S8 and Monotype XV held their regatta 27-28 March 2021. “11 racers in S8 class and 4 in M-XV took part during the racing days at the end of the season in complicated racing conditions, soft spring ice and weak wind , 4-7 knots with gusts up to 8-12 knots.”
Tip of the Helmet: Andre Ivolgin
Queen of Mendota
With the Fat Lady past her sell-by date, the focus is again back in the shop and reviewing iceboating history. Don Sanford sent this photo of an unidentified UW Madison student who was the 1927 Prom Queen posing on an iceboat on Lake Mendota. LIBERTY was a Madison-style iceboat built by 4LIYC member, William Bernard. She won the 1925 Northwest Regatta Class B title and made the local newspapers quite a bit in the late 1920s and early 30s because of her winning record. See the full image here.
Stars Come Out to Play
Benoit Marie F1 at the 2019 DN European Championship in Poland. Photo: Gwidon Libera
Daniel Hearn’s update on the Montana Hard Water Summit Ice Sailing event, scheduled for March 2022.
Stars Coming Out To Play
2022 Hardwater Summit InformationLike KID ROCK, “he’s a Michigan boy, can feel that? Matt Struble now calls San Diego home, but he’ll always be a Midwesterner at heart. And he’s a sailing phenom. A multi-time DN World and US Champion on hard water. Countless catamaran titles in multiple classes on soft water. And more recently, since it’s hard to find hard water in San Diego, he’s tearing up the Moth circuit. Matt hasn’t actively campaigned a DN in years, yet he’s still an expert guest on SailJuice.com, sharing all his go-fast DN secrets with our Canadian buddy, Mike Madge. (Mike’s up der in Thunder Bay, eh, and he’s a really good guy. Check out the interviews if you haven’t seen them already). Take notice…Matt is planning on the Hardwater Summit next March. In spite of his layoff, odds are the rest of the DN fleet will be fighting for places 2 and below. If you’re going to get waxed, it’s not bad getting the beat down from Matt. He’s as soft-spoken and humble as he is good. Reminds me of another Michigan athlete, Barry Sanders, who simply handed the football to the ump after every touchdown. When you’re that good, I guess you can act like you’ve been there before.
But what if you’ve never been there before? No worries, the Hard Water Summit is still for you. Take French sailing superstar, Benoit Marie. He’s the reigning French Moth and A-Class Foiling Catamaran Champion. In 2018, having never sailed an iceboat, he showed up at the DN Worlds, outfitted with equipment and tips from Vaiko Voreema of Estonia. With no ranking, Benoit sailed as a rookie in both the Silver and Gold Fleet qualifiers, advancing both times up to the Gold Fleet. And he ultimately finished the World Championships in an impressive 35th position. Oui, oui…it appears the guy has talent. Always seeking the next adrenaline rush, now Benoit wants to try a C-Skeeter. Thanks to international ice sailing coordinator, Deb Whitehorse, he’s going to get his chance at the Summit.
Gareth finds the English Pub in Irkutsk, Siberia.
But what if your style is a bit more…let’s call it…flamboyant? Take our friend Gareth Rowland who’s coming to the Summit from England. I’m not sure if Gareth has ever won a race, but ask anyone…he always wins the party. His ice sailing regatta attire routinely includes Union Jack adorned sports coats, top hats, kilts and the like. And, no, I have no idea what he wears under the kilt, but if you come to the Summit, there’s a good chance you’ll find out.
Frozen Asset
Fast forward to the 19 minute mark on this Wisconsin Public Television video for some classic footage from 2001 including Chauncy Grigg’s wing Skeeter, Ken Kreider’s pink Skeeter, and an interview with Bill Mattison.
Tip of the Helmet: Don Sanford
Looming Shortage of Spandex Racing Suits Faces Nation
Via a very trusted source:
BREAKING: NCAA ADOPTS COED ICEBOATING AS OFFICIAL SPORT, SOUTHERN SCHOOLS IN PANIC
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In a shocking move, the NCAA has endorsed Iceboating as its latest addition to its catalogue of sports for the Winter 2021-2022 season. After heated discussion over the merit of endorsing E-sports, the NCAA’s Athletic Breadth Committee determined that the speed, excitement, and potential for carnage left Iceboating as a prime candidate for college athletics.
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Included in the deal is a 10-year broadcast contract with CBS Sports, along with the appointment of Wisconsin Sailing Team junior @samuel_bartel as the new Ice Tsar for college Iceboating.
Throwback Thursday: 1975 ISA @ Saratoga, NY
The usual suspects – Left to Right: Harvey Witte, Gary Sternberg, Susie Whitehorse, Greg Whitehorse, Gary & Barb Whitehorse, Sandy Witte, Ken & Walter Whitehorse.
It’s birthday week for 4LIYC Skeeter skipper Walter Whitehorse who celebrated 95 turns around the sun a few days ago. Nephew Gary Whitehorse posted a tribute on the 4LIYC Facebook page, which prompted another Skeeter sailor Harvey Wittee to remember a trip with Walter to the 1975 International Skeeter Association Regatta sailed at Saratoga, New York.
Previous: 1975 ISA slides from Gary Whitehorse and commentary by Dan Clapp
ISA Regatta Records
Since it was Wally’s 95th Birthday the other day, it reminded me of our photos of the ISA at Saratoga Lake in 1975. These photos were taken by Preston Shreeve who was an ice boater from New Jersey. Him and his wife were in the motel room next to us and they were the most delightful and enjoyable people to become acquainted with. You meet so many wonderful people ice boating.
Hope you enjoy the blast from the past!
SOLD! November 6, 2020: DN in WI
SOLD! High-end DN program.
Kent CSI Balsa/Glass hull – bullet strong
Carbon CSI bow tang – best available
SS bow chock – Wire EDM, strong and attractive.
Original Ti adjustable step – My design copied my some guy in WI. My step pin is titanium
Ti “Team PISS” hull plates
Harken T-track deck block assembly – Best available
2 planks with Jablonski chocks. One Ash, one Birch – Very nice 180# skipper.
CC mast, Ugly Stick for 180# skipper – Excellent shape.
2 sails, Quantum JD Speed, North F01, – Great condition.
Custom wood boom with Harken blocks – Highly functional.
Runners, World class inserts, plates & angles – Talk to me
Covers for everything
NA Gold fleet, 3rd, 5th, 8th
Northwest 1st
4-Lakes Grand Slam 1st
Boxes of regional top 10…
Turn-key program
$6200 OBO no runners, (Let’s negotiate. Runners are world class)
Wisconsin
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