UPCOMING:
4LIYC Racing is On Hold – Too Much Snow on Lakes
4LIYC Meeting : Jan 11 @ Breakwater More information.
4LIYC Shipstore: Order custom iceboat shirts, hats, and gear. More information.
BURGEE: Order your 4LIYC Burgee
Pay Your Dues Online
Regatta Watch: WSSA Postponed (& the Pirate Boat)
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to February 7 and 8, 2026. The next update will be Sunday, February 1. Check back here at that time. The Northwest Ice Yacht Association regatta takes precedence.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
Speaking of stern-steerers, Lake Winnebago stern-steerer sailor George Gerhardt shared the above photos a couple of weeks ago. I asked Andy to explain exactly what are we looking at:
Sorry for the delay, I was at my brother’s in Costa Rica for a week. It’s very bad iceboating there, I wouldn’t recommend trying.
Years ago when I first saw the Pirate Boat, as George calls it, I noticed the reefing points at the top of the sail. I have never seen a reef like that. All the other reef points I have seen for gaff rigs have been for taking in sail at the foot. This is the first time I have seen the Pirate Boat reefed and it is interesting. I wonder if the reef points also allow the upper portion of the sail to fly by rolling up the sail from the reef points down. That would show just the gaff area, even less sail than exposed here. I can see an advantage with the area shown in the photo – there is a lot of sail area remaining down low, which will produce a lot of force to get through rough ice and deeper snow yet not creating a lot of heeling moment to cause a capsize like Jay’s boat “Frosty’ shown below. The reefed sail isn’t a rig that will produce high speeds as it creates a lot of drag, but it will allow sailing more often due to the power.
I have plans to make the original Fritz backbone into a 38′ gaffer. I don’t need it to go fast, it will go fast enough for me, I just want to be able to sail more often.
Andy
Woops!
ISA Regatta on for Green Lake WI Starting January 30th
Photo: Jann Klin
The ISA race committee has tentatively called the 2026 championship on for Green Lake Wisconsin. Racing will be January 30th through February 1st 2026. The final confirmation call will be made Wednesday January 27th by noon.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
International Skeeter Association
NIYA REGATTA Postponed one week to February 6th, 7th and 8th
ACE OF SPADES & LITTLE WIND line up to race.
The NIYA race committee has postponed the Championship regatta for a week to get for sure drive on conditions at the most likely site.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
Northwestern Ice Yachting Association
Iceboating, Considered
Earlier this week, NPR’s All Things Considered aired a short segment on ice sailing. I was invited to talk about the sport, how it works, why it is so fast, and some of the history.
While there is currently no sailing on the Four Lakes, the season itself is very much alive. The DN class is set to hold the DN North American Championship on Lake Wawasee in Indiana, with racing expected to begin Sunday, January 25. Follow along here: LINK
There’s even a webcam.
There are also early signs of other sites developing. Word on the street is that Green Lake has recently iced over and is worth watching as conditions evolve.
As I write this, it is –15°F, which is too cold to iceboat anyways, but not unusual for January, and not a reason to count the season out.
You can listen to the segment here:
LINK
Regatta Watch: 2026 ISA & Renegade Championship Postponed to Jan 30-Feb 1
The ISA Race Committee has postponed the Championship Regatta one week to January 30th though February 1st. There is no suitable sailing area available and the temperatures for the originally scheduled days are well below minimum requirements. Next update January 25.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
International Skeeter Association
Regatta Watch: 2026 NIYA Postponed to Jan 30-Feb 1
The 2026 Northwestern championship Regatta is postponed a week due to excessively low temperatures on the 23rd through the 25th.
The cold temperatures will likely allow the two currently open water venues of Green Lake and Geneva Lake to ice over and provide some snow free ice for January 30th through February 1st. Next update January 25.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
Northwestern Ice Yachting Association
Regatta Watch: 2026 WSSA Postponed to Jan 31-Feb 1
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to January 31 and Feb 1, 2026. The next update will be Sunday, January 25. Check back here at that time. The Northwest Ice Yacht Association regatta takes precedence.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
4LIYC Racing News: No Racing for Jan 17-18
There will be no Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club racing the weekend of January 17-18.
We’re seeing a familiar pattern set up again: light snow that keeps accumulating, followed eventually by rain and warmer temperatures that reset the lake. Right now, we’re at the beginning of that cycle with enough fresh snow on the ice to keep us off of it.
If the pattern holds, we’ll get our Zamboni back. It’s already been working overtime this year.
This weekend is officially a shop weekend. Get into the shop, tune the boats, and be ready when the ice comes back.
Iceboaters remain, as always, hopelessly optimistic.
Speaking of shops…
A crew out of Damien Luyet’s shop has been busy building six mini skeeters, boats that are equally happy on ice or converted for land sailing.
The only unresolved issue is branding. The group is currently split between Midwest Dirt Dudes and Midwest Dirt Devils.
Ice Boat Foundation Video Channel
The Iceboat Foundation has launched a YouTube channel to document their fleet of historic iceboats and the stories behind them.
The channel will feature short films, archival material, and on-the-ice footage, starting with MARY B, their flagship.
Be sure to subscribe to follow future releases.
Regatta Watch: 2026 Nite Nationals Postponed to Jan 23-25
Nite sailors Mark Prange 550 and Tom Sweitzer 272 round the leeward mark.
The last regatta domino piece fell today: the Nite Nationals have been postponed. That means the Nites, ISA, and NIYA are now all pushed to the same weekend of January 23-25, so another version of regatta logic will be back in play again next week. (Then let’s add in the DN North American Championship with the first day of racing scheduled for January 25!)
But wait—there’s more. The DN Western Region Championship is tentatively called on for this weekend of January 17-18. More on that soon or watch the DN North America website.
Nite Nationals has been postponed.
Unfortunately due to low quality ice and cold weather we have postponed the 2026 Nite Nationals until January 23-25, 2026.
Lake Kegonsa and Lake Winnebago in the FDL area, both deteriorated with this recent warm weather and with the combination of the high winds and cold weather it became un-sailable for a regatta.
Our next update will be Sunday night January 17 after 8 pm.
Continue to monitor Facebook Group, the Nite Website, and your email for further communication.
We are always open to you sharing the conditions of your local lake or of a lake you have pertinent info on.
Keep your runners sharp and your boats tuned. The ride of your life awaits.
Sail Safe, Sail Fast,
Commodore Maureen Bohleber #497
Vice Commodore David Navin #549
Treasurer Chris Wiberg #434
Tech Mike Peters #544
Secretary John Heigis #160
Online Ship’s Store
National Iceboat Authority Web Page
4LIYC Governing Documents
Click for 4LIYC Meeting Dates
- January 2 THURSDAY Honor Roll Nominations
- January 15 Deadline for By-Law or Racing Rules Amendment Submission
- January 29
- February 12 Business Meeting
- February 26
- March 12 Last Meeting of the Season
Location: In person at the Elks Lodge 711 Jenifer St, Madison, WI 53703
Time: 6:30 PM
YOU ARE SKIPPER NUMBER
TO ROUND THE MARK SINCE NOVEMBER 1999.
