UPCOMING:
November 3, 2019: SIBC Swap Meet Information
November 6, 2019: 4LIYC Meeting @ Breakwater Information
Robert “Ecky” Eckstein
Photo: Ken Norton
Oshkosh ice yacht sailor, Robert “Ecky” Eckstein, passed away on October 13, 2019. Ecky was a long time Lake Winnebago iceboater and sailed A stern-steerers, Renegades and multiple other iceboats. He was a lifetime member of the South Side Ice Yacht Club in Oshkosh, WI. There will be a celebration of life at the SSIYC, date to be determined.
In true ice boating spirit, Ecky always offered his help and shop to any sailor who needed it. An example of that was during the 2006 Renegade regatta on Lake Winnebago when he made sure two 4LIYC skippers were able to complete their regattas after some first-day equipment failures by fashioning new steering components and a front stay tang.
George Gerhardt and Ecky enjoying a beautiful day of sailing Ken Norton’s boat in Florida a couple of years ago.
Sail Siberia 2020
Ice sailors, in March 2020 you have an opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime. Sailing on the largest freshwater lake in the world in one of the most remote areas of the planet is an adventure you’ll never forget. Below, German DN sailor Jörg Bohn G-737 shares his love story to Baikal.
Baikal: What To Know for 2020
Going East!
By DN G-737 Jörg Bohn
Freeze Alert!
If you’re an ice sailor, the cold front moving across the Midwest (which has prompted a freeze warning opportunity) is a good sign of things to come. Snow is falling out in DN Western Challenge land in Minnesota.
Nite class Commodore John Hayashi shares news about an early-season Nite regatta:
The Nite class is adding an early season regatta to the mix for the end of 2019. Hopefully there will be good ice in the upper Midwest so that we can get new Nite owners up to speed and out on the ice sooner than normal. Now is the time to work on your Nites, don’t wait for those last minute repairs or new parts.
Spaight St. Syndicate: Bubble Baby Skeeter Got Back
Daniel Hearn continues to work like a mad scientist while building his Class C Skeeter in his basement laboratory.
Previously at the Spaight St. Syndicate
Baby Got Back
The little hussy is no longer prancing around leaving little to the imagination. I call it the Lulu Lemon Effect. Much to the delight of testosterone-filled young men across the country (OK, the old guys don’t mind either), stretchy pants have become acceptable casual wear, formal wear and everything in between for young women. I’m dying to know how they wear them without ANY undergarment lines showing. I’d ask my wife, but that would be a dead giveaway that I might occasionally look. All three of my daughters pull this off, as well, but I decided I probably really don’t want to know. But know this, young men—big daddio is watching. He may not be all that big, but he’s Pitbull-mean and fights dirty. Eyes on the horizon, Bevis.
She’s still got her tramp stamp showing, however. I’m pretty sure she’s intentionally leaving the small of her back exposed, like she’s proud of her decision to deface her body for life. You’d think spending time at a waterpark would be enough to demonstrate that these things don’t end well. What she doesn’t know is that I’ve tipped off her mother. Yesterday will be the last time the base of her spine sees the light of day, unless she’s wearing a swimming suit. Which is going to be NEVER, because iceboats and swimming don’t go together.
RAMBL’N Red
Paul Krueger’s Class A Skeeter RAMBL’N is sporting a new coat of paint today in the traditional colors of the 4LIYC, red and white. Paul’s daughter asked Ken Whitehorse if all the recent modifications on PK’s boat would make him go “too fast”. Ken told her not to worry, he went for the pretty paint job instead of the fast one. Paul said, “We waited for a west wind so there were no complaints from the neighbor on over spray”. [Hey, there’s only one neighbor, iceboat.org headquarters!- Ed.]
Spaight St. Syndicate: The Old Man and the C
Previously at the Spaight St. Syndicate
A wise visitor from the south, Skeeter Iceboat Club’s Lou Lonnecke, pays a visit to the Spaight St. Syndicate. Daniel Hearn reports:
The Old Man and the C
If they had ice in Cuba, I’m certain Earnest Hemingway would have been an ice sailor. Last Sunday I was the (not-so)-young apprentice “Mandolin,” learning from the Grand Master Lou, “Santiago” Loenneke. One of the realities of ice sailing is that you can be an old man yourself, but still the youngest guy in the room. We may be gray, but we know how to play!
Hemingway’s last major work, the novel tells the story of a battle between an aging, experienced fisherman, Santiago, and a massive marlin. Mandolin has great admiration for Santiago, but Santiago is on a bit of an unlucky streak. Kind of like getting tossed at the leeward mark on Lake Pepin last winter, but I’m not mentioning any names. Santiago eventually hooks the big one and battles the fish for three days until he is worn out and nearly delirious. That’s exactly the way Lou felt when he left the Syndicate on Sunday after battling with the top deck of my prized Madison marlin. She didn’t lay down easy, but in the end the old salt showed her who was boss. OSHA would frown upon the flattening method, but she complied, nonetheless, with 155 lbs. of movable “encouragement.”
Someday I hope my work will land in the hands of an adoring fan, who will find the creator’s signature hidden away inside a bulkhead.
Peter Lundt
Peter Lundt races his DN at the 100 year anniversary of the Northwest regatta sailed on Green Lake in Green Lake, Wisconsin in 2013.
Obituary
UPDATE: (September 26, 2019) A memorial gathering will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 5203 Monona Dr., Madison, from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019.A full obituary will appear at a later date.
We have some sad news to report, long time Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club member Peter Lundt has passed away. Peter, an avid DN sailor, served as Secretary of the 4LIYC in the 1980s. Peter contributed to the club in other ways such as cooking and serving a high quality ham at club picnics, a tradition he continued to honor Jim Payton’s memory because Jim started it 40 years ago. Funeral arrangements are pending and will be posted here when available. Gunderson’s Funeral Home in Monona is serving the family. Peter was also a passionate soft water sailor and belonged to the Lake Monona Sailing Club. Fair winds and black ice, Peter.
4LIYC Meeting Dates & New Location Announced
Your governing committee has been busy thinking ice and arranging the 2019-2020 4LIYC meeting schedule.
We are excited to announce that our 4LIYC bi-weekly meetings will be held at the Breakwater Restaurant in Monona on the Yahara River. We will meet at 6:30 PM and we encourage you to drop in early for some dinner. (Did you know that Breakwater’s building is owned by the Four Lakes Yacht Club?)
MEETING SCHEDULE
- November 6
- November 20 Elections, Elect Fleet Captains. Vote on ISA & NIYA Agenda Items
- December 4
- December 18
- January 2 THURSDAY Honor Roll Nominations
- January 15
- January 29 Deadline for By-Law or Racing Rules Amendment Submission
- February 12
- February 26 Business Meeting
- March 11
Location: Breakwater Restaurant
6308 Metropolitan Lane
Monona, Wisconsin
Time: 6:30 PM
(Come earlier for dinner)
That Thing Got A Hemi?
You’re about the find out.
Are you ready for another Spaight Street Syndicate installment? Daniel Hearn’s C Class Skeeter build enters the “sweeeet” phase.
Previously at the Spaight St. Syndicate
No hemi, but all sorts of other, hopefully, go-fast stuff under the hood.
Springboard attachment brackets. Not fast if your springboard falls off. First time I ever sailed an iceboat was Donny Anderson’s Nite on Lake Kegonsa. Springboard fell off. I didn’t know there was hazing before I joined the fraternity.
ENTERPRISE III: Ahead Of Its Time
One of the earliest front-cockpit Class A Skeeters in iceboating, designed and built by Harry Whitehorse, c. 1976. Photo: Gary Whitehorse
Gary Whitehorse recently came across this previously unknown photo in his collection. “Came across this negative looking for something completely different. My Dad, Harry’s, front seat “A” Skeeter, Dad in foreground , 1976ish. Not many pictures of it, so I was happy when I found it.”
He posted it on the 4LIYC Facebook page and it solicited a lot of questions and comments. ENTERPRISE III was an aluminum-hull front-cockpit Class A Skeeter designed and built by Harry Whitehorse in the mid 1970s. Gary’s brother, Greg Whitehorse, remembers that it was heavy and “…even today’s front-seaters are on the heavy side. Could have used a wider plank and a less drafty sail. It did ‘kink’ the aluminum skin on its initial cruise (which if I remember, was on rough, snow covered ice, and a windy day), but the kink didn’t get worse. Another interesting thing about this boat was the sheeting system. My Dad wanted to steer it like a race car, with a steering wheel. So he made a cleat on a traveler and track that he could operate with his legs and feet. It really was kinda neat. He said it worked good.”
