UPCOMING:
4LIYC Meeting : Jan 14 @ Breakwater More information.
4LIYC Shipstore: Order custom iceboat shirts, hats, and gear. More information.
BURGEE: Order your 4LIYC Burgee
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Regatta Watch: ISA & Renegade Championship Postponed to Jan 16-18
Photo: Rob Resnick Revelations of Design
The 2026 ISA Regatta and Renegade Championship are postponed one week to January 16-18. 2026.
There is no suitable ice available for a Championship regatta for January 9th.
The next scheduled weekend is concurrent with the first possible date for the Northwestern Ice Yachting Championship. If the Northwest is held on those dates, the ISA will be postponed. Next update is January 11, 2026.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
International Skeeter Association
Regatta Watch: WSSA Postponed to Jan 17-18
Photo: Rob Resnick – Revelations of Design
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to January 17-18, 2026. The next update will be Sunday, January 11. Check back here at that time. The Northwest Ice Yacht Association regatta takes precedence.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
Unofficial Eye Opener and New Year’s Speed on Lake Kegonsa
LINK TO VIDEO
Lake Kegonsa has seen serious traffic this week.
Skeeters or DNs, no matter what, alignment is key.
Multiple DN World Champion Matt Struble arrived Monday to get acquainted with his new Class A Skeeter, recently acquired from Tom Hyslop. (Previously: The Bubble Expands) The boat is a Clapp build with a solid pedigree. Matt spent two long days in Daniel Hearn’s shop learning the boat inside and out, and quickly learned that sharpening Skeeter runners is heavier work and a much longer commitment than anything he’s used to with DN runners.
On Thursday, the Skeeter fleet welcomed him on Lake Kegonsa. Ken Whitehorse and Mark Isabell set up under the watchful eye of Paul Krueger, with pit help from Daniel Hearn and Damien Luyet. Conditions weren’t ideal, but they managed a few solid rides. For Matt, it was exactly what he needed, time on the boat, learning how it behaves. Ken Whitehorse sent in this report from the day:
New Year Eye Opener – Wisconsin Skeeter Racing
Results:
1st – M197 (Ken Whitehorse)
2nd – Matt Struble (sailing with an “M” on his usual DN number for now)
Mark Isabell – DNSTwo races were sailed. M197 finished first in both. Matt followed, with Isabell DNS. Speeds were good.
M197 carried 50 pounds of lead in the trunk, a winning setup that helped punch through the drifts. Tried to keep that quiet.
Excellent hard ice under the snow. A great day of tuning and racing. Best of all, the boats are safe and back on the trailers.
Huge thanks to Daniel Hearn and Damien Luyet for organizing the day. We’re lucky to have club members like them.
Matt was offered $100, a wheel of cheddar, and a Packers hat to put an “M” on his sails. Mostly kidding. Mostly. Also trying to stack our roster for the Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant of America.
Ken Whitehorse M197
“Now listen up, Enzo and Dash—if anyone tries to port-tack you…”
Midweek also brought a visit from the Geneva Nite gang. Olympic sailor Paris Henken, Harry Melges IV, Kyle Navin, and RJ Porter were among several Nites that rolled in on New Year’s Eve and ripped it up on Lake Kegonsa. Two future 4LIYC members, Dash and Enzo, made their debut on the ice, sailing all day with their grandfather, Daniel Hearn. Geneva Nites pushing off on Lake Kegonsa (short video)
Look, Don’t Touch (From Space) – Mendota & Monona Edition
January 2, 2026 view from space.
This Sentinel satellite image tells the story pretty well.
Lakes Mendota and Monona are currently Swiss cheese after a strange, uneven freeze. However, Lake Kegonsa is locked and covered, consistent and predictable by comparison. Lake Winnebago looks solid from space and remains our most reliable big-lake option right now.
Next week’s forecast shows daytime highs in the upper 30s to low 40s, with a few wet systems mixed in. If that holds, we’re hoping the snow cover on Lake Kegonsa melts down, which would improve surface conditions significantly. That kind of weather is the right direction.
Worth noting: Sentinel satellite imagery is now available through the Copernicus browser, which makes checking current ice conditions faster and easier than before. It’s another useful tool to keep in the kit, but still no substitute for cleats on the ice.
More updates as conditions evolve.
4LIYC Racing News: No Racing for Jan 3-4
Racing postponed. Couch committee is in session.
No 4LIYC racing this weekend, January 3–4, on Lake Kegonsa.
There’s just a bit too much snow at the moment, not nearly as bad as this photo, but enough to keep things marginal coupled with the wind forecast.
We’re optimistic that next week’s warmer temperatures will help improve conditions.
Lake Mendota went over on December 31, so we still have Monona and Mendota in the bank. We’ll continue to keep an eye on all options.
Next 4LIYC racing update: Friday, January 9.
4LIYC Racing News: No New Year’s Day Racing
There will be no club racing on New Year’s Day. (Jan 1, 2026)
Lake Kegonsa ice conditions are currently too marginal, and the light wind forecast doesn’t improve the risk–reward equation.
We’ll check ice conditions again on Friday January 2, with the hope of calling club racing for Saturday and Sunday if things line up.
Updates will be posted once we’ve taken another look.
Regatta Watch: WSSA Postponed to Jan 10-11
Photo: Rob Resnick Revelations of Design
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to January 10 and 11, 2026. The next update will be Sunday, January 4. Check back here at that time. Happy New Year.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
No 4LIYC Racing Dec 27 – 28 But Keep Your Runners Sharp
There will be no 4LIYC racing this weekend, December 27 and 28.
With rain in the forecast and recent warm temperatures, we’re taking a break to protect the Kegonsa landing and the racing track. That gives us more racing later. To be clear: Lake Monona looks good but has many holes. We still have Lake Mendota is still in the bank as well.
It’s also a good weekend to slow down and watch Wizard of Zenda, the Buddy Melges documentary. The full film is now on YouTube.
The screenshot here shows Buddy with 4LIYC’s Bill Mattison at an ISA regatta in Lake Geneva, around 1999 with other familiar faces in the background.
As Buddy would say, keep your runners sharp.
Winter looks ready to return Sunday night. We still have a big season ahead. If things line up, we may even be able to race the historic Bloody Mary Eye Opener on January 1, a long-time 4LIYC favorite. Stay tuned.
Holiday Greetings from the 4LIYC!
4LIYC Grand Slam Open Report Day 1
Aerial Photos: Jim Stevenson
Day one (Saturday, December 20) of the Grand Slam Open brought Renegades and DNs to Lake Kegonsa. The Nite fleet chose to race locally and when your home club has ice, that’s the right call. That’s how clubs survive and grow.
Ice was hard and bumpy. Everyone agreed with Daniel Hearn’s call of a 6 or 7.
Pat Heppert brought his C Skeeter and spent all of Friday working her around the lake. On Saturday he set the course and ran the races. Pat knew the wind would build. He set the Skeeter up for a 25 mph blow, figuring the day would end with a few extra laps just for him. Those of us still near the leeward mark were in awe when he came around. Fastest many of us have ever seen that boat go. He was clearly having fun.
We ran five races in each fleet.
Renegade highlights came early. Damien Luyet won his first race ever. The fleet opened with a missing man formation in honor of Tim McCormick. Fittingly, cousin Greg won that race. The Renegades mixed it up all day with tight racing. Runner to runner at the leeward mark more than once. You didn’t know who had it until the line. New member Matt Critchley jumped straight into racing. He started the day hanging back and watching. By the end, he was making moves. That’s how it’s supposed to work.
View through a bar window.
In the DN fleet, Chris Berger dominated. So much so that he finished a race early enough to grab the flags and hold the checkers as the rest of the DNs crossed the line while Pat went to move the weather mark. First time I’ve seen that.
There was drama at one DN finish when Frankie Hearn lost a runner just before the finish line. (Pro tip. Always check your bolts.) Frankie kept it together, finished the race, and pointed hard at his plank to get his dad’s attention.
The wind came up hard in the final DN race. The fleet handled it well, turning it into a lesson on managing big downwind pressure and avoiding spinouts. Best part for me was seeing new DN racers out there. With a small fleet, it’s the perfect place to learn. Congratulations to all of you.
As I write this Sunday morning, it’s 10°F. Windy says we may see 6 mph. Enough to move the boats? We’ll find out.
Thanks to everyone who came out. One of the best parts of the day was ending it at Springers, some arriving by iceboat, replaying the races and warming up with a hot meal and a beverage.
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.
