2020 Northwest Ice Yacht Racing Association Information
March 13-15,2020
Lake Waconia, Minnesota
Western Michigan Iceboat Swap Meet Nov 3-4
Western Michigan Iceboat Swap Meet
November 3 @ 6PM – November 4 @ 9:00 am
This year the Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club (search Facebook: Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club) will be combining with the Grand Traverse and West Michigan Ice Yacht Clubs in sponsoring and putting on the annual 2017-18 ice sailing season’s opener Swap Meet in Muskegon, MI.
Click here to read more
If you are coming in from out of town we have made special arrangements with the Baymont Inn and Suites, (231) 798-0220, here in Muskegon on Friday evening for rooms with two (2) queen sized beds for $67.99 pus tax. When checking in tell them you are in town for the Western Michigan Iceboat Swap Meet.
This year’s event will be held at the Muskegon Yacht Club (MYC) located on the southwest end of Muskegon Lake. What has in the past been known and referred to as the Gull Lake Swap Meet held at the Gull Lake Country Club on Gull Lake is this year renaming itself as the “Western Michigan Iceboat Swap Meet”.
This year the event will begin on Friday evening, November 3rd with socializing and a presentation from Ron Sherry on his experiences during the 2017 Miami,FL to Havana, Cuba sailboat race last March. Ron was the helmsman aboard the smallest boat in the race, “Chico 2”, a 1D35 out of Detroit. The following is a quote from their navigator:
“Nearly every winning boat sailed a similar course to Dragon, staying close to the Florida reefs for relief from the swift-moving current of the Gulf Stream for as long as possible. Despite sailing one of the lightest and smallest boats in the race, the Michigan crew aboard 35-foot Chico 2 finished fourth over the line and first in PHRF B Class thanks to strong crew work and near-flawless navigation. “This is my first race to Havana, but I’ve run literally two months worth of navigational simulations of the race at home on the computer,” said Tom Anderson, Chico’s navigator. “The real deal was quite a bit wetter, but thanks to the preparation, it was always familiar, and the answer was to avoid the deep water and push the boat hard along the reef.” (excerpted from Sailing Anarchy). This presentation should be interesting to anyone interested in sailing!
This presentation will be open to those “ice sailors” present on Friday evening, as well as any MYC “soft water sailors” who might be present at the club that evening. Everyone is welcome! For anyone planning on attending, we expect to start Ron’s presentation sometime around 7:00 pm in the “Spinnaker Room”. MYC’s kitchen will be open to any “ice sailors” on Friday evening in order to order from the open menu. Any alcohol, however, will need to be purchased via a MYC member, several of which are active members of the WMIYC.
There will be a luncheon buffet available at noon on Saturday included in the Swap Meet fee of $15.00 for which you will receive a “SINGLE” lunch ticket. For current WMIYC members, and any one else attending the meet who desires to become a new member of the WMIYC, in addition to lunch you will also receive a one (1) year membership to the WMIYC. Also included in the $15.00 fee you will receive one (1) “DOUBLE” ticket that you will use in bidding in the “Silent Auction” for some pretty nice gifts that will be available. Additional tickets for the “Silent Auction” will be available for purchase @ $1.00 ea. or six (6) for $5.00. You’ll likely want to either buy as many as you want, or more than you can afford, when you see what is being auctioned off! We will also be holding and selling tickets for a “50/50 Raffle” with the proceeds going to cover Swap Meet expenses. During, or after, lunch we have suggested to Ron that he be prepared to present a brief technical presentation on DN rig tuning and blade sharpening basics. Please put this on your calendar and plan to attend. If you are not an iceboater please ensure you take a look at the iceboats and related hardware that will be displayed/traded/sold on Saturday! It is a great way to extend your sailing season here in West Michigan! It is also typically a great opportunity to get into the sport with an older boat at a good price! Check us out!
Details Start: November 3 @ 6:00 pm End: November 4 @ 9:00 am Website: http://www.wmiyc.org , www.gulllakeiyc.org, www.gliyc.org
Organizers Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club Grand Traverse Ice Yacht Club West Michigan Ice Yacht Club
Join Us!
4LIYC Membership Card: Paul Krueger on Lake Monona in Rambl’n XII, his A Class Skeeter
Get one of these membership cards when you pay your dues (only $20!) for the 2017-2018 season. The Notice of Dues postcard was mailed on Monday, October 2, 2017. If you aren’t on our mailing list and want to join, see our membership page. Anyone can be a member!
The Lowly Iceboat
The first minute of this newsreel contains vintage eastern Skeeter footage with some innovative camera shots. The absence of springboards dates it to the late 1940s and early 50s. The narrator declared that iceboating’s “time of glory and past is forgotten.” Seems like that’s been declared for years but yet here we still are.
I came across this video on the Minnesota iceboating website where it was posted by John Bushey.
Here’s to Henry
Henry Bossett of North Sails retired yesterday after a successful career as a sail maker. He won a few iceboat regattas along the way too. Like the 3 times at DN World Championship (1977, 1981, 1983) and 4 times at the DN North Americans (1982, 1983, 1990, 1993). I’m sure there a some soft water titles as well including an Tornado Olympics trail with fellow DNer Jeff Kent. (Unfortunately it was the boycott year of 1980.)
I’ll never forget the first time Skeeter skipper Tom Hyslop talked about getting a “new Henry” which was the way that Skeeter and Renegade sailors referred to any sail from Henry Bossett.
In the above video, that’s Henry sailing the DN in the famous Chapstick commercial. The sail became a wall fixture at the loft. Cheers to a long career and good luck as you move into this new phase in your life. We all hope to see you out on the ice with your camera, Henry!
From Henry Bossett’s Facebook page. “Last carbon Skeeter main and other carbon ice sails I’ve designed and sewn.”
Throw Back Thursday: PK & Dave
This photo of Paul Krueger and Dave Rosten was published in the Wisconsin State Journal on December 30, 1956 when these two were still in school at East High in Madison. Paul Krueger has been sailing Class A Skeeters longer than anybody and has defined this club. Please keep him in your thoughts as he continues in his recovery from a health issue.
4LIYC Meeting Dates Set
Iceboaters meeting at a regatta on Steve Arnold’s Skeeter. Note the Great Lakes freighter in the distance.
The 4LIYC will return to Angelo’s Italian Restaurant for another season of meetings and good food. Where else can you eat all the pizza, pasta, and salad you want for only $10?
Angelo’s has requested that we give a headcount the day of each meeting so that they can better plan the menu. Look for something posted on this website before each meeting as a means of gathering that information.
Meeting dates are always listed on the right side bar of this website (or at bottom of the page in mobile devices.)
- November 15
- December 14 THURSDAY Elections, Elect Fleet Captains. Vote on ISA & NIYA Agenda Items
- December 27
- January 10 Honor Roll Nominations
- January 24 Deadline for By-Law or Racing Rules Amendment Submission
- February 7
- February 21 Business Meeting
- March 7
- March 21
Location: Angelo’s 5801 Monona Drive, Monona, WI Time: 6:30 PM alternate Weds. We meet downstairs and all are welcome.
Triple the Fun at the Nordhaus Boatwerks
September 19: Jim Nordhaus and Scott Goetz sanding 3 Renegade masts.
4LIYC Renegade sailors are in getting-ready-for-the-season mode. Jim Nordhaus and Geoff Sobering have been recording the progress on the 4LIYC Facebook page of a 3 mast Renegade build at the Nordhaus Boatwerks.
C Skeeters Coming From the East
Keith Kennedy’s C Skeeter ready for its first sail.
It’s heartening to see some building activity from out east this summer in the C Skeeter fleet which could make for an exciting ISA regatta. Bill Buchholz has the latest over on the Chickawaukee Iceboat site.
After seeing Drifter race at the ISA last season Keith Kennedy commissioned one to be built here in Maine with the plan to go back to the ISA this season and bring home the cup.
September Runner Tracks Posted
Another sign that the ice sailing season is soon upon us, the September issue of the DN class newsletter, Runner Tracks, has been posted. Read it here.
Burly Brellenthin: Fast Again
Burly removes the cover from his B Skeeter in preparation for the 2013 Northwest Regatta on Green Lake. Photo: Gretchen Dorian
No stranger to going fast, Skeeter Iceboat Club B Skeeter skippper Burly Brellenthin, makes the news as he takes to the skies in a B-29.
Tip of the helmet: Jane Pegel
WWII and Korean vet gets flight in B-29
Though many military men served in World War II from the cockpit of a B-29 plane, few veterans get the chance to fly in one in 2017.
Birdell “Burly” Brellenthin is the exception to this.
Brellenthin served as a navigator in World War II and the Korean War, spending over 300 hours in a B-29 during this time. Continue reading.
Burley’s Boecraft Skeeter ON THE ROCKS next to the DEUCE at the 2004 Northwest on Lake Monona in Madison, WI. Photo: David Travis
Skeeter Iceboat Club Swap Meet: November 5th
You know you want one!
Jane Pegel has dropped the flag on the 2017-2018 ice sailing season with the announcement that the Skeeter Ice Boat Club’s 32nd Annual Swap Meet is scheduled for Sunday, November 5, 2017 in Williams Bay, WI.
What: Skeeter Iceboat Club 32nd Annual Swap Meet
Date: Sunday, November 5, 2017
Time: 9AM – noon, followed by a raffle
Where: Lucke’s Cantina
220 N. Elkhorn Rd. (WI Hwy 67), Williams Bay, WI. Map
For more info, email sailing19@charter.net
Download pdf Swap Meet 2017
This is the day to swap, buy, and sell new and used iceboats and equipment. There is no charge for participating.Boat builders & hardware manufacturers will display new products. Breakfast and/or lunch will be available at Lucke’s.
Display area:
Items for sale can be set up on the black top parking area at Lucke’s.
Please do not park your cars in the display area.
Parking:
Please do not park or set up your displays adjacent to neighboring
businesses. A short distance to the north there is a municipal parking lot located at the intersection of Elkhorn Rd. and Stark St. (on the north side of Stark St., opposite Burrough’s Floor Coverings).
Meade Gougeon
Photo courtesy Henry Bossett. From left Wim van Acker, Pete Johns, Meade & Jan Gougeon.
Via the National Sailing Hall of Fame:
“Meade Alger Gougeon
September 25, 1938 – August 27, 2017
Fair Winds & Godspeed”
BAY CITY NEWS, BAY CITY, MI — Meade Gougeon, a sailing legend and industry innovator who pioneered the use of epoxies for boatbuilding, all while creating a culture of giving back at his Bay City business, died Sunday, Aug. 27. He was 78.
Read more.
Wish You Were Here: Iceboat Indiana & Pennsylvania
Let’s send up a few more vintage postcards, this time from places that aren’t well known for ice sailing, Angola, Indiana and Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania.
A Note from Ron Sherry: Meade Gougeon
Meade Gougeon at the 2011 DN Worlds. Photo by Gretchen Dorian.
Via Ron Sherry:
Meade Gougeon is about to sail his longest race, where he will join his brother and other great friends in paradise on miles and miles of black ice. Unfortunately melanoma has returned to Meade’s body with a vengeance. Time is short and Meade would like to give everyone the opportunity to send him a note at [deleted] . Meade knows exactly what is going on and is very happy with the life he has led and all the friends he has made. However, the oxygen he is on makes it hard for him to talk, so he would appreciate an E-mail or letter with good wishes and stories of all the good times we have had together.
ECLIPSE on Monona
ECLIPSE on Lake Monona. Photo: David Travis
Now here’s an eclipse you can look at without damage to your eyes! It’s not hard to tie just about anything into ice sailing. Here’s the Class A Stern Steerer, ECLIPSE, sailed by Eric and Chip Sawyer at the 2004 Northwest on Lake Monona in Madison.
Celebrating 50 Years of Harken
Photo borrowed from Holly Nelson’s Facebook
Class A Skeeter Sighting in Pewaukee
Peter Harken’s Skeeter, the Bill Mattison built HONEYBUCKET XIV, was set up at the plant over the weekend to celebrate Harken’s 50 years in business. Olaf and Peter are long time iceboaters and do much to support the sport.
An Amazing Day for the Mary B in August
MARY B on exhibit at Madison Wooden Boat Show at Christy’s on Lake Waubesa
August 5, 2017 was an amazing day for the Mary B Foundation at the Madison Area Wooden Boat Show on Lake Waubesa yesterday. A crew of the usual suspects, some in flip flops quickly set of the Mary B in the parking lot with not a glove or mitten in sight.
Wish You Were Here: Glenn’s Summer Vacation
Where it all began in America, “Ice boating on the Hudson River.”
Today’s installment combines themes from the off-season of 2017, postcards and what ice sailors do on summer vacations. Michigan/Toledo ice sailor Glenn Betzloldt is touring and sailing the northeast with his replica miniature schooner. (Ask to see a photo next time you see him.) Glenn sent photos of a historic Hudson River Stern Steerer built in 1908, STORM KING, on exhibit at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vermont.
As far as postcards go, above is the only Hudson River ice yachting postcard in my collection. There surely have to be more of them because the Hudson River is where ice yachting began in America.
Here’s what an internet search revealed about STORM KING. The incomparable historic ice yachting blog “White Wings and Black Ice”, has posted several pages from a book, Hudson River Ice Yacht Club Member Book 1908, with a fleet roster that included STORM KING, listed as owned by Silas Lane of the Poughkeepsie Ice Yacht Club in New York. Silas Lane’s family, under the name Lane Motor Vehicle Company, manufactured early steam powered cars.
MARY B Stern Steerer at Madison Area Antique & Classic Boat Show
MARY B on Lake Monona. Photo: gretchendorian.com
See Madison’s classic stern steerer, the MARY B this weekend on display at Christy’s Landing on Lake Waubesa.
12th Annual Madison Area Antique & Classic Boat Show
Date: August 4-5, 2017
Location: Christy’s Landing
2952 Waubesa Ave,
Madison, WI 53711
Map
Learn more about the MARY B.
Make Your Tax Exempt Donation
Our Summer Vacations: Simons Victorious in X Boat Regatta
Congratulations to 4LIYC Ice Optimist sailors Fritz and Meta Simon for their win in the junior division of the Inland Lakes Yachting Association X Boat regatta sailed on Delavan Lake. In a field of 67 boats, that’s an impressive performance. Results here.
Fritz Simon and Dad Greg on Lake Kegonsa last season.
Meta Simon checks her Ice Opti runner on Lake Kegonsa in January 2017.
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