Lou Loenneke flying the runner in his Class A Skeeter SLAVE SHIP
UPDATE:
Lou Loenneke Celebration of Life
Wednesday, December 11
3 – 6 PM
Chuck’s Lakeshore Inn
352 Lake St, Fontana, WI Map
The ice sailing community mourns the loss of Lou Loenneke, a Skeeter Ice Boat Club member and a valued friend to many in the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club. Lou passed away peacefully in the hospital on November 15, 2024. Tributes have been pouring in on Facebook, where ice sailors are sharing memories, photos, and stories of a man who touched so many lives on and off the ice.
Lou was deeply committed to ice sailing and the community surrounding it. An avid sailor from an early age, he claimed the DN North American Junior Championship titles in 1962 and 1963. He was also an accomplished Skeeter sailor, where he won the 1970 Northwest Ice Yachting Association (NIYA) Regatta E Skeeter title and placed second in the Free For All race. His iconic Skeeter, SLAVE SHIP, appeared in a memorable advertisement for Lake Geneva’s Playboy Club during the 1970s.
Lou and life long friend, Bob Cave
In later years, Lou embraced the DN class and continued to excel. He captured the NIYA DN title six times (1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, and 2001) and won the DN North American Silver Fleet Championship in 1980. Lou was also a dedicated leader, serving as Commodore of the International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association from 2002 to 2004.
Lou was known as a generous and approachable figure in ice sailing. He freely shared his lifelong knowledge with seasoned sailors and newcomers, always striving to help others improve and enjoy the sport he loved dearly. (As an example, previous: The Old Man and the C)
The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club extends its deepest sympathies to Lou’s family, the Skeeter Ice Boat Club, and the global DN community. You will be greatly missed but never forgotten.
UPDATE: Via Jason Thompson, Commodore of the Skeeter Iceboat Club in Lake Geneva, WI
Lou grew up iceboating. Once he settled in to the DN class, he and Jane Pegel anchored a deep fleet of talented sailors. Names like Pete Johns, Robert Cummins, Bob Rast, Bob Cave, Pat Fitzgerald, John Zils, Erich Schloemer, Steve Orlebeke, Chris Berger, Mike Jankowski, Erik Lonnecke, Clinton Rengi, and Scottie Button were battling on the ice for many seasons.
Like Jane and Buddy, Lou was tireless in his promotion of iceboating. Lou was an open book when it came to sharing his knowledge. When I began to race DNs I called on Jane and Scottie for advice on how to tune up. Same answer, “Go see Lou…” In the fall, Lou’s garage was packed with iceboaters, projecting and getting tuned for the season. The Wizard of Zenda would always stop in if the driveway was full. Buddy would kick the door open, “I had to park in the damn street! What the hell we working on today??”
Lou was one of the pioneers of The Western Challenge Regatta for DNs. The annual event is an amazing gathering of iceboaters looking for the first, and maybe only, ‘Hollywood Ice’ of the season. Canadian and European sailors will travel to this event which takes place on the best ice in Minnesota the first weekend of December—90 boats last year. Back in the day before the regatta, an agitated Lou would phone up Bob Cave: “You know they’ve gotten in four days of sailing in already…” referring to the MN iceboaters. Lou began to recruit sailors to head north for weekend scrub racing, laying the foundation for the Western Challenge.
I am forever indebted to Lou and Bob Cave for the hours they spent with me trying to get me and the SIBC DNs up to speed. Both incredible ambassadors. I Invision Lou is now sailing on better than Hollywood ice without the bite of frost on his hands and toes. Sheet in, Lou.
Jason Thompson, SIBC Commodore
Gloria Melges with her husband, Buddy, at the 2007 Northwest Regatta at Menominee, MI. Buddy won the Skeeter title that year.
The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club and ice sailing community extend our deepest sympathies to the Melges family on the loss of their matriarch, Gloria Melges. Via Sailing Scuttlebutt:
Gloria Melges, 93, a beloved member of the sailing community and an esteemed race committee officer, passed away peacefully on July 20, 2024. Born in New Jersey on May 27, 1931, Gloria was raised spending summers aboard a Great Lakes cruising sailboat out of Chicago, where her father served as Commodore of the Columbia Yacht Club. This unique upbringing instilled in her a lifelong passion for the water and sailing.
Gloria pursued higher education at Northwestern University Dental School, where she graduated with honors. During her time at Northwestern, she met and fell in love with Wisconsin yachtsman Harry C. “Buddy” Melges Jr. Their relationship blossomed, but their time together was interrupted when Buddy went to serve in the Korean War. Despite the distance, their love grew stronger through the heartfelt letters they exchanged while he was away.
Upon Buddy’s return, he proposed to Gloria, and they were married shortly thereafter. Their deep bond and unwavering love for sailing became the foundation of their 69-year marriage, a passion they passed on to their three children: Laura, Harry III, and Hans. During their seven decades together, Gloria was a steadfast supporter of Buddy’s illustrious career, cheering for him both on and off the water.
Gloria’s legacy extends beyond her family. She was the first female Commodore of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin, a testament to her trailblazing spirit. Continue reading.
Gloria and Buddy on the plank of Buddy’s Skeeter MICKEY FINN, talking to Bill “Curly” Perrigo and his son Will.
OBITUARY
The iceboating community mourns the loss of Byron A. Tetzlaff and extends heartfelt condolences to his family. The Tetzlaff family’s legacy has been an integral part of our club’s history since the 1920s.
Via Don Sanford:
Once an iceboater…
c. 2024. Donald P. Sanford
Until a cold and blustery day in January, 2020, I thought I had met just about every iceboater in Dane County and listened to all their stories. Sure, I heard about Frank Tetzlaff and I had even met his grandson, Byron. On that day I was introduced to Frank and Evelyn Tetzlaff and instantly immersed in everything Tetzlaff and Mary B.
Peter Fauerbach arranged a field trip to their apartment in nearby Sun Prairie for a group of us from the Ice Boat Foundation. Byron was a master woodworker, a skill he no doubt learned from his dad. Our eyes popped as we checked out the beautiful collection of clocks and other projects displayed in their cozy apartment. What really caught our collective attention was the equally impressive family archive of Mary B photos, clippings, mementos and Evelyn’s Mary B quilt. As we took all this in, Byron told us story after story about his dad, the construction of both the B, the Fritz and the First Unitarian Meeting House as well as his experiences sailing on both of these iconic iceboats with Carl Bernard.
More than fifty years had passed but for us (and I guess for Byron) it was as though he’d just stepped off the ice. He was kind enough to let me scan all his photos and, by some stroke of luck, I had brought along my scanner. A lucky break because eight weeks later, Covid had us all isolated and nobody was going anywhere.
Fast forward to November of 2020. Production of our film, Mary B: Madison’s Legendary Iceboat was underway. I had Byron’s stories but I really wanted to hear him tell them. Again, we weren’t going to his apartment and he certainly wasn’t coming to us. But Byron was enthusiastic and wanted to tell his story for the camera. We came up with a solution. On a chilly day in November of 2020, Byron opened his garage door. He sat just inside, our crew took up a position at a safe distance in the driveway. Mission accomplished! Once an ice boater, always an ice boater. A little chill in the air wasn’t gonna get in the way of a good story! His in-person interview added so much to our film and I will always be grateful to Byron for his willingness to help.
Peter, Tim, and Greg McCormick on Lake Kegonsa, March 2023
OBITUARY INFORMATION
Visitation & Funeral
11 AM Friday, March 15, 2024
Monona Terrace and Convention Center
1 John Nolen Dr. Madison, WI 53703
The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club mourns the loss of our esteemed member, Tim McCormick, who passed away early this morning after a prolonged illness.
As news of Tim’s passing spreads, I wrote this post during and after the annual meeting of the DN class in Waconia, MN, and asked Ron Sherry for some comments. He remarks, “We lost an icon of the iceboating community who has won International Skeeter Association and Northwest Regatta Renegade titles, was a great class representative, and helped to grow the sport. Ha has served as our secretary-treasurer of the National Iceboat Authority since Jane Pegel retired and has done an outstanding job of taking iceboating in the future.” On a more personal note, I have fond memories of being able to spend time with Tim, his brother Andy, and cousin Peter last March on Lake Kegonsa, Tim’s last time ice sailing.
We extend our deepest condolences to Tim’s family and friends during this difficult time. More information will be shared as it becomes available.
UPDATE: The ice sailing community is posting tributes and condolences to Tim on the 4LIYC Facebook page. Jane Pegel emailed this last night: “The iceboating community will have a difficult time finding someone to replace Tim McCormick. He was outstanding both on the race course and the time-he devoted to the National Iceboat Authority .
With respect, Jane Pegel”
George S. Hendrie, Skipper of the BULL. Photo from the Carl Bernard Collection. (This photo is likely George S. Hendrie Sr.)
The opening line of an obituary often sets the tone for a life well-lived, and when it begins with the mention of sailing on the famous stern-steerer FERDINAND THE BULL, you know you’re about to dive into the story of a true sailing legend. George S. Hendrie Jr., an avid iceboater hailing from the Detroit, Michigan, area, passed away on January 1, 2024, at the remarkable age of 96.
Fair winds and following seas, George.
George S. Hendrie Jr., 96, died Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. He was a loving husband and father.
George was president of Color Custom Compounding prior to selling the company in 1984. He also was an avid sailor and iceboater. At age 16, he was the trimmer for his father aboard Ferdinand the Bull, when they won the Stuart Cup in 1943. The Stuart Cup was considered the world championship of iceboating in the unlimited class in that era. George and his father repeated as Stuart Cup victors aboard Ferdinand the Bull in 1944.
His involvement in sailing on Ferdinand the Bull ended in January 1945, when he joined the U.S. Navy to fight in World War II. Upon his return from the war, he continued racing iceboats. He was a past commodore of the Detroit News Ice Yacht Club and Detroit Ice Yacht Club in the late 1940s and early 1950s. On or around 1961, he won the national championship for the Arrow class of iceboats. Continue reading.
