NIYA

Northwest Ice Yachting Association An iceboat regatta first sailed in 1913 in Menominee, Michigan.

Stern Steerers

The NIYA was originally a stern-steerer regatta organized to determine ice yacht supremacy in the Midwest. A,B,C,& D stern-steerers continue to compete in the NIYA.

Skeeters

Class E Skeeters first raced the NIYA in 1936 when Lake Geneva sailor Harry Melges won in MICKEY FINN.

DN Class

Skip Boston of Detroit was the first winner of the NIYA in the DN class in 1954.

Renegade

First sailed as a seperate class in 1958 and won by “Mr. Iceboat”, Elmer Millenbach.

NIYA Centennial

The NIYA celebrated 100 years of iceboat racing in 2013 on Green Lake in Wisconsin.

2020 Northwest Ice Yacht Racing Association Information

March 13-15,2020
Lake Waconia, Minnesota

Air Force

Thanks to Jeff Russell for forwarding these pictures from his good friend Steve Jameson who was flying his Cessna over Lake Mendota on Sunday. I’ll have more photos from club racing, the DN Western Regional, and the WSSA regatta to post. Stay tuned!

 

WSSA Championship Final Results


Wisconsin Stern Steerers Championship Regatta

2018 WSSA									
January 13 & 14 2018									
"Results are final as of 12:48 on January 14, 2018"									
Overall									
"Sailed: 5, Discards: 0, To count: 5, Entries: 9, Scoring system: Appendix A"									
Rank	Class	SailNo	HelmName	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Total
1st	A	A10	Erik Sawyer	1	1	1	1	1	5
2nd	C	C 25	Mike Peters	4	3	2	3	3	15
3rd	C	C 2	Peter McCormick	3	5	6	2	2	18
4th	C	V 49	Jeff Seeboth	5	2	3	5	5	20
5th	D	D17	Andy Gratton	2	4	4	6	6	22
6th	D	V 36	Joe Terry	6	6	5	4	4	25
7th	B	S 3	M. Wiener/D. Tess	9	7	9	8	7	40
8th	C	W	Mike Kroll	8	9	8	7	8	40
9th	D	D 7	Kurt Martinson	7	8	7	10.0 DNS	10.0 DNS	42
 read more...

Regatta Update: Northwest Called On for Jan 19-21


Via NIYA Race Committee Chairman Tim McCormick:

The Northwest Regatta is tentatively call ON for January 19-21. The primary site is Madison, WI but we’re expecting a snow event for the next 24 hours so we may postpone as soon as Monday, January 15th. We’ll keep you updated. Final confirmation will be made by Wednesday, January 17th at Noon CST.

…An ‘increasingly fickle sport’


Ice boats, ‘faster than any motorcycle,’ are part of Hudson history
Robert Wills Vice Commodore of the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club tells the story of ice yachting, an ‘increasingly fickle sport’
PUBLISHED JAN 13, 2018 AT 12:28 PM (UPDATED JAN 10, 2018)

But ice yachting wasn’t always a sport. Wills explained that there were iceboats in the region as far back as the earliest Dutch settlements. Those boats were utilitarian vessels for moving goods in the winter. One early record of ice boats dates back to the Revolutionary War and involves a plan to blow up British ships on Lake Champlain. There’s also an 1812 record of using an iceboat to deliver people and sheep from Athens to Albany.

Continue reading.

4LIYC Racing Report

DN Western Region Championship on Lake Mendota

Via Vice Commodore Tim McCormick

The Skeeters, Renegades, and Nites had some scrub racing today but it never reached 9F for official club races. We’ll try again on Sunday so come out and enjoy the great ice. It will be cold again tonight but it should be 10 degrees by noon so we’ll be racing. The DN regatta is using most of Middleton bay so we’ll likely need to race in the main body of the lake. George Gerhardt and I checked that area out today and it’s prime regatta racing ice.

2018 WSSA Results Day 1

Photo: Michael Kroll WSSA 3rd race line up on Pewaukee Lake.

Via Skeeter Haven-Ice Boat Scoring Central Mary Jane Schalk

Rank	Class	SailNo	HelmName			R1	R2	R3
1st	A	A10	Erik Sawyer			1	1	1
2nd	C	C 25	Mike Peters			4	3	2
3rd	C	V 49	Jeff Seeboth			5	2	3
4th	D	D17	Andy Gratton			2	4	4
5th	C	C 2	Peter McCormick			3	5	6
6th	D	V 36	Joe Terry			6	6	5
7th	D	D 7	Kurt Martinson			7	8	7
8th	B	S 3	M. Wiener/D. Tess		9	7	9
9th	C	W	Mike Kroll			8	9	8
 read more...

4LIYC Racing Postponed 1-13

A Saturday morning update:
Via Vice Commodore Tim McCormick

We’ll be postponed today until the temperature reaches 10F as measured by the National Weather Service at Truax Field. That is predicted to happen early this afternoon so be ready

4LIYC Racing Called ON for Lake Mendota


Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club racing has been called ON for Lake Mendota January 13-14 out of Mendota County Park launch site. You will need a Dane County Lake Access permit which you can buy at the launch site or online.
First race is at 10 AM assuming temperatures are above 10F. The DN Western Region regatta is also being sailed on Lake Mendota. There is plenty of ice for 2 courses.

WSSA Regatta Called ON

Photo: Jeff Russell; 2015 WSSA on Lake Mendota

The WSSA regatta has been called on for January 13 and 14, 2018, for the west end of Pewaukee Lake. Headquarters will be at the Sports Dock on Prospect Avenue, near the Pewaukee Yacht Club. There are two ramps available on either side of the building, the south ramp is a shallower angle. Head north once onto the ice. First race to begin at 11 am.

If you are looking for good ice and group to sail with, bring your stern steerer. If you need help setting up let us know. We welcome boats that would like to participate but not race as well as all the racers.

Some of the group have rooms reserved at AmercInn (262-646-3300) but the hot tub is not functioning. There are a few other hotels at the west end of the lake. Some of the group will be there on Friday to sail.

Best Western on Grandview Blvd, 262-524-9300 has rooms, tell them you are with the sailing group.  I have a price of 168.96 for two nights for two queens. Hot tub, pool, breakfast. It is close to the lake.

Andy Gratton
WSSA secretary/Treasurer

WSSA Regatta Called ON

The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta for 2018 has been tentatively called on for January 13 and 14. The site selected is Pewaukee Lake, west end. Final confirmation will be made by 1 PM Thursday, January 11. Check back here or call the Iceboat Hotline at 608-204-9876. Conditions are 15″ of ice with two ramps available. There is still some snow on the lake but it is expected to melt this week.

Andy Gratton

WSSA Secretary/Treasurer

Armagedden Ice

Not quite Hollywood.

If you are wondering what the ice conditions are on Lake Winnebago, Andy Gratton sends the not so good news. Someone told me last week that Winnebago looked like “Armageddon ice” and it’s easy to see why. But, as we know, ice is always changing so maybe Winnebago will come in for some good spring sailing.

Via Andy Gratton: This area was about 10 acres of 2′ to 3′ tall chunks like this. There are many areas on Winnebago that look like this. I would call ice in this photo a zero, maybe even a negative number. It’s a rough ride even when the chunks are only 4″ tall.