2020 Northwest Ice Yacht Racing Association Information
March 13-15,2020
Lake Waconia, Minnesota
A Captain for All Seasons: Erik Sawyer
From Great Lakes freighters to iceboats on Lake Monona, Captain Erik Sawyer keeps the season going year-round aboard MICHIGANDER. Photo by Gretchen Dorian.
Erik Sawyer likes big boats, whether he is at the helm of a Great Lakes freighter or behind the wheel of his magnificent modern Stern Steerer, MICHIGANDER. Fellow Stern Steerer sailor and WSSA Secretary Andy Gratton recently toured the Soo Locks and was surprised to spot a photo of his friend Erik, recognized as the captain of the first ship to arrive at the Soo Locks for the 2025 shipping season on March 21. Perfect timing, right around when the ice went out. Andy and his wife Ann left a note for all to see, proudly pointing out that this captain also commands on the hardwater.
Swap Meet This Sunday, October 19 @ Lake Geneva Yacht Club
Via Skeeter Iceboat Club’s Jason Thompson, a friendly reminder to save your Sunday morning for one of the biggest and best iceboat swap meets in the world!
Find a swap meet in your area here.
Lake Geneva Swap Meet — Sunday, October 19, 10 AM
Lake Geneva Yacht Club
1250 S Lake Shore Dr,
Fontana-On-Geneva Lake, WI
Iceboaters,
COME HUNGRY! 10am this Sunday kicks off our iceboat season with the SIBC swap at LGYC (1250 S Lakeshore Drive. Fontana).
Oh, we got a good one for you… Breakfast and lunch burritos with a bloody bar on demand! Been awhile since you have been to LGYC? Come tour the place to check out what has changed. We are pulling out a lot of iceboats from deep storage at the club– should be fun.
Got a Nite to sell? You will do it if you come to the swap. The hottest fleet going at SIBC is our Nite fleet and sailors are looking for boats.
Got a trailer that fits a Nite? You can sell that too.Two B skeeters, DN sails, skeeter sails helmets, track spikes are some of the items we have heard about. Send items you are looking to buy or sell TODAY.
September 26, 2025: Wanted Renegade Mast Hardware in WI
Wanted – Renegade mast hardware
We are planning to build two new Renegade masts and are looking for either new or good condition hardware including spreaders, diamond stays, halyard catch, external hounds etc.
mreilly0725@mac.com or 920-740-7176
Cozzens’ Hudson River Stern-Steerers
I’ve seen this watercolor many times over the years, but never gave it much thought until Greg Whitehorse brought it to my attention after he caught an episode of Antiques Roadshow where someone brought in a Fred S. Cozzens painting and mentioned they also owned one of his iceboat scenes.
Frederic Schiller Cozzens (1846–1928) was an American marine painter and illustrator. Among his works is this 1884 chromolithograph, Ice Boating on the Hudson, published as Plate XXV in American Yachts: Their Clubs and Races. The scene doesn’t just show iceboats in general, Cozzens carefully depicted some of the Hudson River’s most famous stern-steerers of the time: AVALANCHE, GYPSIE, ICICLE, HAZE, WHIFF, and ECHO.
A version of this image is attributed to the Ray Ruge Collection at the Hudson River Maritime Museum. For more information on these boats and their history, visit Brian Reid’s invaluable White Wings and Black Ice website, which documents the Hudson River fleets in remarkable detail..
Tribute to Elmer Millenbach – Archie Call
Elmer Millenbach Archives
Renegade Home Page
Elmer Millenbach (1912–1996) was a Detroit iceboater and who worked for the automotive industry whose inventive spirit reshaped the sport. Elmer combined his automotive know-how with his passion for iceboating. In 1947, he designed and built the Renegade, a sleek one-design iceboat larger than a DN but more manageable than the Skeeters and stern-steerers. The Renegade has become a modern classic, still actively raced today. Elmer’s craftsmanship and leadership created not only a new class of boat but also a tight-knit community that carries his legacy forward.
Read Archie Call’s Tribute to Elmer Millenbach here.
SOLD! March 13, 2025: Nite in WI
SOLD! Nite #31
Complete ready-to-sail boat. Includes Harken covers, North sail, runners, and trailer, all in very good condition. Has been stored indoors almost all of its life.
$4000.
September 12, 2025: Renegade 416 in MI
Renegade 416
High quality build with a full re-hab in fall of 2024. Very nice and smooth boat to sail. Re-Tuned and Race Ready.
North-Boston Sail with RBS Batten
100% Harken Upgrades
Runners sharpened and tuned
$5,000 – can be delivered to Swap Meet
Trailer available at additional cost
Contact: Skip Dieball – sdieball at yahoo dot com (419 392 4411)
September 12, 2025: Renegade 107 in MI
Renegade 107
Prepped for racing in Fall 2024. Natural finish and nicely tuned for racing.
2 Sails – North-Bossett & Doyle- Boston with battens
100% Harken Upgrades
Runners sharpened and tuned
$4,800 – can be delivered to Swap Meet
Trailer available at additional cost
Michigan
Contact: Skip Dieball – sdieball at yahoo dot com (419 392 4411)
September 8, 2025: DN Mast & Runner Sharpeners in WI
Custom all-carbon fiber iceboat masts available.
Custom runner sharpeners for DN, Nite, Renegade, and Skeeter iceboats.
Starting at $1200 for the DN model.
3 weeks delivery
Contact Bob Rast
414-791-3056
September 9, 2025: Arrow in Ontario
Arrow 201, two-seater iceboat for sale. Recently given an overhaul that includes all brightwork freshly varnished, runners sharpened, new pads on plank, all new hardware and mainsheet, new standing rigging.
Inventory includes:
Shroud extender-reducers allow for raked-back turbo setting;
Strap-on dolly wheels for easy movement on land (not shown);
Three chocks;
New runner box; and
Spare nuts and bolts.
Located in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
$3200 USD, $4500 CAD.
Call or text 226-507-1926.
2025-2026 Notice of Dues
Time to Renew Your Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Membership
Pay Your Dues
Iceboating does not just happen. It takes a club. Your dues keep Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club strong and active and ensure we are ready when the ice is.
What your membership supports
- Equipment. Our ATV and trailer for setting courses and hauling gear.
- Race marks and gear. Everything needed to run races.
- Website and communications. Results, news, and information for sailors near and far.
- Administration and the work that makes it possible to get out on the ice.
- Community. A place to share results, stories, and the spirit of iceboating for every class.
Your dues are a small investment that creates big returns for the health of our sport and our club. Please renew today. Thank you for being part of the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club.
Click here to pay your dues using your credit card.
Prefer to send a check in the mail? Click here to access the printable form.
Burly Brellinthin Still Throwing Heat
Burly Brellinthin throws out the first pitch at the Milwaukee Brewers game on September 4, 2025.
Not long ago, we shared the story of iceboater Skeeter Iceboat Club’s Mel Jones, who left his mark as an Indy 500 driver back in 1927. Nearly a century later, another iceboater has stepped into the major league (literally!) sports spotlight. The Skeeter Iceboat Club’s own Burly Brellenthin, fresh off celebrating his 100th birthday, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Milwaukee Brewers* game on Thursday, September 4, 2025. A WWII veteran from Lake Geneva, Burly was honored as part of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Tip of the Helmet: Greg Whitehorse
* The Milwaukee Brewers are on an historic hot streak, recently setting a franchise record with their 14th consecutive win, following a previous 11-game streak just weeks prior.
Burely removes the cover from his B Skeeter in preparation for the 2013 Northwest Regatta on Green Lake. Photo: Gretchen Dorian
What Every Iceboater Should Know: Leeward Mark Rules
As Secretary/Treasurer of the North American DN Class, one of my ongoing projects is publishing the class newsletter Runner Tracks. The September issue is now online and I think it is worth sharing with all ice sailors. Inside you’ll find an in-depth rules discussion on leeward mark roundings, along with a wide-ranging interview with DN World Champion Matt Struble, who admits, surprisingly, that he doesn’t like the cold.
September 2, 2025: DN Sails in RI
MISS MADISON On Display Sept 17-20 @ Marshall Park
Our friends at the Iceboat Foundation are setting up the historic stern-steerer MISS MADISON at Marshall Park in September in conjunction with the MC Nationals.
MISS MADISON Archives
MISS MADISON – MC Nationals
Date: September 17 – 20, 2025
Location: Marshall Park
2101 Allen Blvd, Madison, WI 53705
Come check out a 98-year-old iceboat this September.
Built in 1927, MISS MADISON is the last Class A Madison-style iceboat to roll out of the Bernard’s boat house on East Gorham Street. While most of her sisters are long gone, she is alive and well and will be on display at the MC Scow National Championship regatta from September 17-20, 2025, at Marshall Park on Allen Blvd. in Madison.
Although we’ve had her in our collection for a few years, other projects kept us from putting her together. Paul McMillan recently volunteered to repair and repaint her spars. Paul took a wood sample to the experts at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory a few weeks ago. Experts there identified the wood as Douglas Fir. They’re solid, not hollow—just ask any of the volunteers who helped move them.
Paul reports that he repaired all the cracks with epoxy and is in the process of painting them with several coats of a high-gloss red enamel. He also repaired some of the loops on her 3/8” galvanized standing rigging. Paul says that she’ll be ready to go in time for the MC Regatta September 17-20, 2025. Save the Date!!
MISS MADISON on display in 2017
August 24, 2025: Wanted Aluminum DN Mast in WI
Wanted: One of the famous Norton Aluminum DN masts.
Contact Ed Newcomb at newcombtcmc20@outlook.com
or text me at 715-308-5024
Western WI
SOLD! July 30, 2025: Vintage 2-Seat Skeeter in WI
SOLD! Two-seat Skeeter. Very solid, comfortable, and exciting boat, especially for passenger in front. Comes with covers for boat, plank, and springboard, second set of runners, and trailer. Cable stays recently replaced. One owner and been riding in this for 60 years, primarily Pewaukee Lake.
Asking $2,800 / offer.
August 14, 2025: DN Masts
DN ICE WISE Masts are for sale.
Brand new T50, T60, T70 masts are located in the US.
Price: $4300 US + shipping $450
Hound triangle: $240
Mail me: m53@hamy.hu
Or call +36703364000
Or whatsapp or viber the same number.
Péter Hamrak
Think Ice! Iceboat Swap Meets Announced
Stern-Steerers line up on Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin at the 2025 Northwest regatta. Photo by Rob Resnick.
The fall swap meet was started many years ago by Jane and Bob Pegel of the Skeeter Iceboat Club in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. For decades, anyone looking to get into iceboating or to buy or sell gear was told to “call Bob and Jane.” The swap became an annual tradition at Sailing Specialists in Williams Bay, timed for a Packers bye week .In recent years, the event has rotated between the Skeeter Iceboat Club in the Lake Geneva area, the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club in Madison, and the Green Lake Ice Yacht Club in Green Lake, Wisconsin. This year, it returns to its original home turf in the Lake Geneva area, hosted at the Lake Geneva Yacht Club. Expect plenty of gear, camaraderie, a cookout on the lawn, and even a Bloody Mary bar.
The second Fall Swap Meet, organized by Fred Stritt and the Midwest Hardwater Sailors, will be held at the Delavan Yacht Club. Along with food, bar service, and football, this year’s gathering will also feature a Dragon Force remote control sailing event after the swap.2025 Swap Meet Dates and Details
- Lake Geneva Swap Meet — Sunday, October 19, 10 AM
Lake Geneva Yacht Club
1250 S Lake Shore Dr,
Fontana-On-Geneva Lake, WI - New England – Saturday, October 25, 2025
Thompson Motor Speedway
Thompson, Connecticut
More information - Minnesota: Saturday, November 1, 2025, 9 am – 12 pm.
Sailcrafters
7450 Oxford Street
St. Louis Park, MN
Tim Carlson at Sailcrafters ((952) 540-7474) is hosting his annual Iceboat Swap meet on Nov 1, 2025. We hope you join us. You can expect to see all types of iceboats and all types of used gear. If you are new to iceboating, this is the perfect place to meet local sailors and check out used equipment. If you are looking for new gear, Tim caters to the local iceboat community and can provide new sails, stays, line and everything in-between. - Delavan Swap Meet — Saturday, November 8
Delavan Lake Yacht Club
1501 Cedar Point Dr, Delavan, WI 53115
More Swap Meets Coming Up
Dates for these events are still to come, but here is what is usually on the fall calendar:
- Canadian Swap Meet
- Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club Swap — Michigan
- New England Ice Yacht Club Swap — Usually in Connecticut
Whether you are new to the sport or a seasoned sailor, the swaps are the perfect chance to find parts, boats, and gear and to reconnect with the iceboating community before the season begins.
Ultimate Day on the Ice Auction Item
Via John Hayashi:
Proceeds benefit St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Princeton, WI. Bid on a day for four in Princeton, WI learning and trying both ice sailing and kick sledding. Includes instruction and time on the ice for each activity. Bidding ends on August 17. Bid here.
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