International Skeeter Association Regatta
The International Skeeter Association (ISA) was organized in the late 1930s and the first ISA regatta was sailed in 1940. Skeeters were developed on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin. They are piloted by a single skipper and steer from the front of the boat as opposed to the original iceboats which were crewed by two or more and steered from the rear.
The Skeeter is the “Formula One” of ice yachting, a wide open development class where state-of-the-art sailing is seen annually. The only restriction on the Skeeter builder is a 75 square foot sail maximum sail area. While the basic configuration for successful E Skeeters has long been established, significant design improvements have been developed within the Four Lakes fleet. Taller rigs and rear seat Skeeters designed and built by 4LIYC members Bill Mattison and Paul Krueger have brought world championship titles to Madison skippers. In 1989, New Jersey’s Dan Clapp took the ice boating world by storm with his first front-seater and dominated the ISA regatta during the 1990s. Skeeter builders are adept with high tech materials like carbon fiber, and Kevlar. The super powerful Skeeters are the fastest boats on the ice. Sufficiently committed skippers find the greatest challenge in these boats, where design, building, and maintenance skills share equal roles with sailing ability
INTERNATIONAL SKEETER ASSOCIATION DUES NOTICE
NEW! Pay your ISA dues online here.
Or pay through the U.S. Mail: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT AN ISA MEMBERSHIP FORM
President Jason Thompson
jsthompsdds@hotmail.com
Vice President Pat Heppert
Pat.T.Heppert@saint-gobain.com
Secretary/Treas. Steve Schalk
W6001 Brick Church Rd
Fontana, WI 53125
262-275-2871
I564@charter.net
The annual dues are $25.00 for the 2023-2023 season, payable to:
International Skeeter Association
Steve Schalk, W6001 Brick Church RD, Fontana, WI 53125
December 1st, 2023 is the deadline for new items to be placed on the 2024 agenda.
January 12, 13, & 14, 2023 (Friday, Saturday, & Sunday) is the first scheduled weekend for the 2024 Regatta.
Fancy Machines
A 30 mile gale added thrills to the Northwestern Ice Yachting Association regatta on Lake Mendota at Madison, Wisc. January 30, 1938. Here two machines are “hiking”, which is like “heeling” in a sailboat as H.V. Fitzcharles of Chicago, left, sailing High Voltage, and Harry Melges of Williams Bay, Wisc. at the helm of Fancy Flight put up a heated fight to head each other.”
I came across this photo on ebay from a company that specializes in original press photos and snapped it up. NIYA records show Harry Nye as the winner of the 1938 Northwest Skeeter class. Skeeters first competed in the NIYA in 1936. Skeeters didn’t have springboards at that time which must have made for quite an exciting ride in a 30 mph gale.
1957 News & Views
We’ve started a project to scan all the International Skeeter Association News and Views. Here’s a the 1957 November ISA News And Views which was edited by Jane Pegel. Interesting to note that discussions about Skeeter development from 57 years ago haven’t changed all that much. 1957 November ISA News And Views
1957 News & Views
Bill Perrigo on THUNDERJET
Here’s the April edition of the 1957 ISA News & Views, edited by Jane Pegel. Topics include an ISA regatta report, organization of a committee on boat development, Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant report, more opinions on boat development, reports to Jane from the clubs, and a Bargain Counter, where you’l find the “cheapest advertising in the world for the world’s greatest cheapSKATES”. I have no photos from the 1957 ISA but have posted some Skeeter pictures taken by Carl Bernard from around that time.
Cab Forward C Skeeter Build in Minnesota
This is MN based Pat Heppert’s new C Skeeter. It’s an attempt at a lower cost, front cockpit Skeeter that is easy to transport in its small lightweight enclosed trailer, and easy to set up by one person. Will it be fast? Will it be the slowest anchor-like contraption in existence? Will the C Skeeter fleet start to build? Or will it remain the under-represented Skeeter class? More construction pictures are on the Minnesota web site under the “How To” section, www.iceboating.net. Pat says that full size CAD drawn frame patterns are available.”
1957 ISA News & Views Newsletter
“Your sail came down because the mast exploded!”
The December 1957 ISA News & Views covers a variety of topics including a discussion of the complications of ice boat racing rules in the years before the National Iceboat Authority was established. There were rules of the Northwest, the ISA, the DN60 fleet, and the North American Yacht Racing Union.
Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant: There are some historic photos from the 1952 Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant which was the second time it was sailed in the west after Ed Rollberg went out east and won it in 1952.
4LIYC News: “Our old member but new Skeeter skipper, Paul Krueger (17) has built himself a new Skeeter with a 23′ rig.”
Read it all here.
Early ISA Video
In his search to learn more about a Ray Ruge built Skeeter he is restoring, Maine iceboater Bill Buchholz has inadvertently discovered some historic 16mm film in the archives of the Cohasset, MA Historical Society Francis Hagerty collection. The footage centers around the Fox Lake, Illinois Skeeters of the early 1940s. It’s possible that the films are from the 1941 and 1942 International Skeeter Association regattas. Considering the ISA was first sailed in 1940, these are very early films that show the early development of the Skeeter class. Some things to look for in the video below:
- The winners of the 1941 and 1942 ISA regattas from Fox Lake, Harry Salmon and JD Graff (the first JD!)
- The A class stern steerer, Ferdinand the Bull, then owned and sailed by C.S. Jacobs of Detroit, MI
- A really cool ice car that would make a fine RC vehicle.
- Some very early DNs
- Ted Mead, designer and builder of the famous Mead iceboats, many of which are on the ice today.
- ISA trophies (with kittens!?)
1941 & 2016 ISA Regattas: Dogs & Cats Edition
2016 International Skeeter Association regatta winner, Steve Orlebeke, posted a great photo of his puppy, Mac, posing with the regatta trophy on his Facebook page today. This gave me the idea to post a related photo from the 1941 ISA and to kick off a new version of Throw Back Thursday with a twist. A related contemporary photo will be included with the vintage photo as a reminder that a new season is just weeks away. See the 1941 ISA Regatta report and video posted below.
Art Siebke, NJ Skeeter Sailor
We received an inquiry from the nephew of Greenwood Lake, New Jersey Skeeter sailor Art Siebke wanting to learn more about his uncle’s involvement in ice boating.
Above is part of a beautifully illustrated advertisement for Camel cigarettes featuring Siebke. Be sure to click on the image to see the entire panel.
Sailing as a member of the Skeeter Ice Boat Club, Siebke won the International Skeeter Association championship in 1948.
The ISA continues to award the Siebke Memorial Trophy to the skipper who travels the farthest to race his yacht in the annual regatta.
If you have any stories to share about Art Siebke, email to me and I’ll pass them on to his nephew.
ISA Newsletter Archive
