A Good Day for Runner Tracks

by | Mar 6, 2026 | 2025-2026, DN, Home Page


It’s a gray, rainy day in Madison and it’s highly likely the ice season here is officially over. It’s a good day to sit down with the latest issue of  the DN newsletter Runner Tracks. There’s something in it for everyone.

This issue includes two rookie race reports from sailors who found their way into the DN class by very different routes, along with articles on rules and tactics, the protest committee process, speed insights, proposed new DN plans, and the AGM minutes.

We’re also honored to include a contribution from US Sailing Herreshoff Award recipient Gordy Bowers, and grateful to Rachel Bartel from Harken for her beautiful photography throughout the issue.  LINK

Regatta Watch: WSSA Postponed to Dec 2026

by | Mar 2, 2026 | Home Page, Regattas, WSSA

MARY B draws a crowd on Lake Monona c 1955. From the Carl Bernard Collection

The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to December, 2026, due to deteriorating ice conditions. The next update will be early December. Check back here at that time. In the meantime enjoy slow sailing while dreaming of iceboating during the soft water season.

Andy Gratton

WSSA Secretary/Treasurer

Regatta Watch: 2026 Northwest Canceled

by | Mar 2, 2026 | 2025-2026, Home Page, NIYA, Regattas, Renegade, WSSA

Lake Winnebago, February 2026.

The Race Committee decided after review of sites and the upcoming weather forecast, that the 2026 Northwest is just not going to happen. The shoreline access is the main site issue, with all locations getting much worse with high temperatures and rain in the forecast everywhere.

Steve Schalk

Secretary/Treasurer

Northwestern Ice Yachting Association

A Winter the Media Noticed

by | Feb 28, 2026 | 2025-2026, Home Page


This season, major media outlets rediscovered ice sailing.

A few weeks ago, before the latest storm buried the East Coast in snow, strong ice and clear wind brought the Van Nostrand Challenge Cup back to the Navesink River in Red Bank. The historic race ignited a wave of attention. Reporters from The New York Times, The New Yorker, and NPR took notice of ice sailing. Historic iceboats and clubs filled social media feeds with photos and video. The audience expanded in a way we rarely see.

That attention helps recruit new sailors and preserve historic clubs whose traditions stretch back more than a century. It reminds the public that this is not a curiosity, but a serious winter sport with deep American roots and active fleets from Montana to Maine.

For decades, people have asked: why not the Olympics? In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there were formal discussions with the International Sailing Federation about bringing ice sailing into the Winter Games. Meetings were held. Surveys were conducted. A purpose-built Olympic ice yacht was even considered. The effort ultimately stalled, largely because the Olympics require certainty, and ice does not cooperate on a fixed schedule. Here’s an article about the situation with more detail in the DN Newsletter Runner Tracks: LINK

This season demonstrated that when conditions arrive in highly visible places, the story of the sport travels farther.