4LIYC Skeeter fleet Paul Krueger and Ken Whitehorse on Lake Kegonsa
What an incredible weekend for ice sailors across the ice sailing belt of North America. Here’s a quick roll call of where the action happened this weekend (based on what has been posted on Facebook):
Lake Kegonsa, Madison, WI (4LIYC)
Bantam Lake, Connecticut
Budd Lake, New Jersey
Canadian Nationals, Napanee, Ontario
Lake Delavan, WI (Skeeter Iceboat Club)
Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota
Pushaw Lake, Maine, (Chickawaukee Iceboat Club)
Lake Puckaway, Princeton, WI (Green Lake Ice Yacht Club)
Lake Wentworth, New Hampshire (New England Ice Yachting Association)
Lake Winnebago, Fond du Lac, WI (DN Western Region Championship)
Maumee Bay, Toledo, Ohio (Toledo Ice Yacht Club)
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Waneta Lake, New York (KEWASA)
Walled Lake, Michigan
Want to get started in ice sailing? Finding your way onto the ice is easier than you think. Start by locating a club in your area to connect with experienced sailors who can guide you. Take a look at our How to Get Started Ice Sailing page for tips and essential information, and be sure to review our Sailing Safe page to prepare for safe adventures. Ready to gear up? Check out our Buy and Sell page or explore online marketplaces to find the perfect ride.
This slide presentation, created by Sam Bartel, the IDNIYRA Junior Sailing Director, is cross-posted on DN North America. However, it is too valuable not to share with the entire ice sailing community. Keeping the pipeline full is crucial for DN Junior Sailing, and Sam’s presentation helps maintain and improve momentum.
Mike Ripp, Ron Rosten, Lars Barber, and Doug Kolner get ready to sharpen.Â
Saturday was a busy day in the world of iceboating. 4LIYC Renegader Ron Rosten shared runner-sharpening wisdom with Mike Ripp, Lars Barber, and Doug Kolner, who have recently invested in Bob Rast’s state-of-the-art sharpeners.
Adding to the excitement, a new Ice Optimist arrived in Madison. Ice sailors on Facebook shared stories about the Nite fleet welcoming a new member and the gang at the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center, preparing to get their DNs on the ice.
In less than three weeks, DNs will head to Minnesota to kick off the season at the annual informal gathering, the Western Challenge.
Ron explains the physics of keeping runners ice cold in between sanding belt passes, the same temperature as beer.
Edge inspection
Bob Rast manufactured Runner Sharpener.
A Renegade runner on the table in RI
Via Leigh Mumford, part of the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center, on Facebook. Photo: Mike King
Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey has a long ice sailing history and is building on its tradition by hosting a Tune-Up Night. You can find more information on their new Facebook Group.
We hope to see folks who like to race and folks who enjoy cruising in any kind of iceboat. It’s also for people who want to know more about iceboating and our long history of sailing on Lake Hopatcong.
We rented a church parish hall, big enough to set up – a couple DN’s (new and vintage) inside so we can talk about setups and tuning. Big enough to lay out a mini-course and catch up on rules basics.
Plus…we’ll have a runner sharpener on site and some guys who know how to use it. Bring your runners and stuff to sell or trade if you want. Heck, bring your boat and we’ll set it up inside.(Please bring pads to protect the gym floor)
And we’ll have chili, snacks, beer and soda.
All are welcome. No charge.
Friday 12/30
6:00 to 9:00 PM
St. Judes Church Parish Hall. 40 Maxim Dr, Hopatcong, NJ 07843 (Parish Hall is behind the church)
More information on the Facebook Page
Michigan’s Ron Sherry set up these Skimmers on Lake St. Clair. In his article for the DN class newsletter Runner Tracks, “Be The Guy”, he wrote, “Be the guy that makes sure giving someone their first ice boat ride is a safe, exciting experience that they will tell all of their friends about.” Read the article here.
Last season, several 4LIYC members brought their Skimmer iceboats to the lake for fun and to easily give people their first taste of ice sailing. As of this week, Skimmer manufacturing and sales is now Wisconsin-based.
Windward Boatworks is excited to announce the acquisition of the Skimmer 45 Iceboat product line. The past owners, Jon and Nancy Cheris of Wind Power Products, manufactured and sold Skimmers for over forty years.
Windward Boatworks has been focusing on increasing ice sailing participation within the iceboating community and creating opportunities for summer sailors to try the sport. Everything pointed back to an iceboat priced comparable to other outdoor activities and easily shippable. Each time, Skimmer 45 became part of the discussion. That said, adding it to our line of products at Windward Boatworks made sense.
We envision an opportunity to get more iceboaters into the sport. For the more actively involved iceboaters, we are looking forward to re-establishing the Skimmer 45 National Organization and offering even more opportunities.
