Remembering Rick as the Fleet Heads North

by | Jul 11, 2026 | 2025-2026, Home Page

Rick Hennig and crew on the podium in 2017.

TRACK THE FLEET: LINK

The start of the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac feels like the halfway point of the off-season until ice sailing season begins. Here’s the annual look through the fleet to see which iceboaters are making the trip north.

This year, though, there’s one familiar name missing. Rick Hennig was a longtime Mackinac sailor, and his absence will be felt both on Lake Michigan and in the iceboating community. As the fleet sets out today, many of us will be thinking of Rick.

Iceboaters racing to Mackinac this year include:

USUAL SUSPECTS
DN champion Ron Sherry

CALLISTO
Co-skipper Steve Orelebeke and crew member Jay Yaeso, both longtime Skeeter sailors

LEGACY
DN sailors Ben Witman and Dave Elsmo, along with Mendota Yacht Club sailor Matt Baron

KASHMIR
DN sailor hailing from the Toledo Ice Yacht Club Jody Kjoller

Best of luck to everyone headed north. Have a safe race, and we’ll be following along from shore.

July 4th Goes Ice Boating

by | Jul 4, 2026 | 2025-2026, Home Page

Ice Riders on the Chesapeake Bay by Charles Wysocki

Here’s our collection of July 4th ice sailing photos, another opportunity to remember that two of the founders, Ben Franklin and John Adams thought about iceboating. Ben even ordered a set of plans!  But one ride in the Netherlands was quite enough for John Adams. He wrote to a friend, that iceboating “as again endangered my Health and my Life.” Enjoy the holiday and Think Ice!
When Ben Franklin Ordered Iceboat Plans
Ben Franklin’s Iceboat Drawings

Photo: Gretchen Dorian

JD’s EAGLE, Class A Skeeter. Photo: Gretchen Dorian

Shown here from left to right doing their best to make the ordinary extraordinary are: Don Ermer, Don Sanford, Steve Arnold, Lady Liberty, Ty Reed and Ken Kreider.

Patriotic Pete Johns

July 3, 2026: Gambit in New Hampshire

by | Jul 3, 2026 | sell

Gambit, recently restored.
All new SS hardware and rigging.
Great solid boat for sailing with two people or just you alone.
Runners recently profiled. Not sailed on this past winter.
Comes with 2 Year Old custom built trailer.
$5000 or best reasonable offer.
New Hampshire.
Call Rick (603) 923-9957.
If no answer, please leave message.

Hotter than July: Skeeter Fleet News

by | Jul 3, 2026 | 2025-2026, Home Page, ISA


Hot news from the Skeeter fleet!

Paul Krueger’s legendary Skeeter RAMBL’N has a new owner, but one thing isn’t changing. The boat will continue to sail under the name RAMBL’N.

Lake Geneva’s Kyle Navin has purchased the boat. Kyle has an impressive sailing résumé, representing American Magic in the Youth America’s Cup, winning the 2025 E Scow National Championship, and finishing second at the 2026 Nite Nationals. He also represents another accomplished sailor making the jump into Skeeters. Last season, multi-time DN World Champion Matt Struble purchased Tom Hyslop’s Skeeter. Those additions can only make an already competitive fleet even stronger.

RAMBL’N won’t be sitting in the trailer very often. When Kyle is away competing in one of his many sailing campaigns, his father, Dave Navin, will take the helm. Dave comes into the Skeeter fleet fresh off his victory at the 2026 Nite National Championship, with Kyle finishing second.

Paul Krueger campaigned his many RAMBL’N Skeeters since the late 1950s, making it one of the best-known Skeeters in the fleet. It’s good for iceboating to see the boat staying in the hands of a family that will continue to race it hard while preserving its identity.