2020 Northwest Ice Yacht Racing Association Information
March 13-15,2020
Lake Waconia, Minnesota
Regatta Watch: ISA Postponed
JD hikes out in a Class A Skeeter iceboat
Via Jay Yaeso:
The International Skeeter Association championship has been postponed. There are multiple lakes with club racing venues but ramps are all questionable at this time. Tune up and be set for a great championship!
Next update, February 4, 2018.
Regatta Watch: Northwest Postponed
Photo: Jeff Russell Dan Clapp sails his Class A Skeeter, INSANITY on Green Lake at the 2014 Northwest Regatta.
The Northwest Regatta has been postponed. Next update is Sunday, February 4, 2018.
Wisconsin Skeeter Racers Update
Class A Skeeter pilots Tom Hyslop & Ken Whitehorse
Wisconsin Skeeter Race results from Green Bay, Suamico, WI.
1st Ken Whitehorse
2nd Tom Hyslop
3rd Jay YaesoShort track racing, 7 races completed.
Nice day to sail, if you like to sail..
Jay
In Case You Were Wondering
Here’s a big picture ice report from the Lake Geneva area via Jane Pegel
Iceboaters.
Here are lakes Geneva and Como in spectacular photos and videos contributed by Peter Shumway 1-27-2018.
Be aware that there are also open areas hidden along the shorelines. Video shots.
And finally, if you’ve ever wanted to see a hovercraft rodeo, look no further than this video link from Jane. (What’s the plural of hovercraft?)
4LIYC Mendota Racing Update for Jan 28
Tim McCormick reports that several Renegade races took place out in the middle of Lake Mendota today. The launch site was moved from Lot 60 to the Baker Street landing which is not in optimal condition. Caution must be used while rolling on trailers on there. Today’s warm weather softened the ice. There was also some shell ice which we hope will freeze solid during tonight’s cold temperatures. Racing will begin at 10 AM in the middle of Lake Mendota tomorrow, Sunday, 27, 2018.
Wisconsin Skeeter Racers Gather on Green Bay
Wisconsin Skeeter Racers Smoker banquet hosted by the Windjammer Ice Yacht Club in Suamico.
The Wisconsin Skeeters gathered today in Green Bay for some racing. The conditions quite breezy and racing was cancelled due to high winds but some amount of sailing was had by all. The tourney will resume Sunday morning.
4liyc Racing Called On for Jan 27-28
Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club racing has been called on for Jan 27 – 28 on Lake Mendota. Launch out of Lot 60. Trailers will be pushed on. First race is 10 AM.
Regatta Watch: NIYA Postponed
Via Northwest Ice Yacht Regatta Race Committee chairman, Tim McCormick:
The NIYA has been postponed. Next update is January 28.
ISA Postponed
The ISA regatta has been postponed because the Northwest regatta has been called on and takes precedence. Next update January 28, 2018.
Northwest Regatta Called ON for Jan 26-28
Photo: Joe Stanton
Via NIYA Race Committee Chairman Tim McCormick
“The Northwest Regatta is tentatively call ON for January 26-28. The primary site is Lake Winnebago and we’re holding Madison and Green Bay as backup sites. Final confirmation will be made by Wednesday, January 24th at Noon CST.”
4LIYC Racing Update for Jan 21
Coming to a lake near you soon….
Via Vice Commodore Tim McCormick:
No club races on Sunday, January 21, 2018.
Drifts are still too tall (6-8”) for racing on Mendota. Middle of the lake is better than Middleton bay. Daniel said he checked all 4 lakes and Mendota is the best. Need some rain to knock the snow down.
102.6 Miles of Winnebago Memories
Photo: Gretchen Dorian Andy Gratton’s WISCONSIN
Via stern-steerer skipper Michael Kroll:
A great day of sailing on Lake Winnebago! Andy Gratton and I set sail at 10 am this morning, sailing the famous Wisconsin, from Oshkosh on one of the best Lake Winnebago excursions ever.
We headed south to David L Lallier’s house in mind for our first stop. As we passed the wayside, we saw 2 sails near shore. We sailed into the way side to find Mark Wiener and Dan Tess sailing DN’s. After a brief chat we continued on to Dave’s house. Mark and Dan followed. We arrived at Dave’s house to find him working in his shop. After a slight arm twisting, he decided to come sail with us. He sailed Mr. Dass. His friend Rob showed up and sailed Ella. I was told both those boats are Don Ward built boats. George Gerhardt also showed up at Dave’s House. At this point George hopped in Wisconsin with Andy and I sailed with Dave in Mr. Dass.
What great fun. We all sailed the south end of the lake for awhile and ended up at the FDLYC. I took my spot back on Wisconsin and we parted ways. Andy and I headed north with the intent to make it to the north shore. After navigating the cracks and rough ice we ended up turning back for Oshkosh at Garlic Island just north of Oshkosh at around 3 pm. We figured we would run out of daylight if we continued North. We made it back to Oshkosh around 4 pm. I rigged the Flying Cloud and we continued to sail in the bay until after dark. We needed 10 more miles in the bay to reach our goal of 100+ miles. We sailed a total of 102.6 miles. After this long and fun filled day of sailing we walked off the ice to the SSIYC for a well deserved fish dinner and a couple of beverages. Words just can’t describe the memories this day of iceboating I will have forever.
WISCONSIN on Lake Winnebago in 2017 in similar conditions.
4LIYC Racing Update for Jan 20-21
Middleton Bay on Lake Mendota was inspected Friday, Jan 19, 2018. There are 12″ drifts that make the lake unsailble today. There will be no club racing on Saturday, January 20.
The lake will be inspected again at 4 PM on Saturday, January 20 to make a decision as to club racing for Sunday, January 21. Next update is Saturday, January 20 before 5 PM. We are hoping that the warm weather in the coming days will knock the drifts down to make is raceable. read more…
4LIYC Racing Scores Published
Photo: Rick Myslinski; Class A Skeeters on Lake Mendota, Tom Hyslop and Ken Whitehorse
Tim McCormick has tabulated the first Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club scores of the season. See them here.
Scores from the current and previous seasons are always available on the right sidebar of this page if you are on a laptop or desktop. On a phone (or some tablets), scroll to the bottom of the page to access the scores.
iceboating
testing
A New First
PIKE an early Skeeter iceboat owned by the Goes Family
From the Skeeter Iceboat Club on Geneva Lake, Jane Pegel sends this photo with a note:
Here is a photo of Chris Goes sailing January 12, 2018, on Delavan Lake in the Beau Skeeter “Pike”. This boat has been owned and given loving care by the Goes family since 1935. With Harry Melges, Sr. at the helm, “Pike” won the Northwest in 1935, the first year that Class E Skeeters raced in the regatta as a separate fleet. This is what the boats looked like when the Beau Skeeter Ice Boat Club (now the Skeeter Ice Boat Club) was organized in 1933.
Jane’s information puts the Skeeters in the Northwest one year earlier than records had indicated, a date confirmed by this Oshkosh Northwestern newspaper article from 2-28-1935. That’s not the end of the story because it appears the Skeeters first sailed the Northwest in 1933 at Oshkosh but that regatta was cancelled for reasons likely related to weather. The Northwest regatta officials must have embraced the new Skeeter class the same year it was organized at Lake Geneva.
Related: Northwest Regatta Winners
Wisconsin State Journal, Feb 23, 1933. The “mosquito class” is now known as the Skeeter class.
On TV: Neenah Nite
NEENAH (WLUK) — Some quick-skimming action on Lake Winnebago.
It’s a winter sport that combines sharp skates, high speeds and a polyester sail.
On Saturday, ice boaters took to the frozen waters off the Neenah shoreline.
With just a bit of leg work, the ice boaters were underway. Matthew Thenell has been sailing for 30 years.
Continue reading.
WSSA: The People
WSSA Secretary Andy Gratton shares these photos from the 2018 WSSA Championship that remind us that an important part of iceboat racing is the camaraderie.
In The News: WSSA Regatta Photos
Scott Ash/Now News Group
Nice to see the WSSA get some coverage from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Photo gallery here.
Regatta Update: Northwest Postponed
The 1948 Northwest on Geneva Lake. More here.
Via NIYA Race Committee Chair Tim McCormick:
The Northwest Regatta is postponed until January 26-28. The next update will be on Sunday, January 21st at 8pm CST.
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