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
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.
Sunset over Lake Mendota, early 1970s. Bill Mattison’s HONEYBUCKET DN, built for his children and photographed by Bill himself.
As we mark midsummer this weekend, iceboaters know we’re one step closer to ice-making.
In about 20 weeks, DNs will gather in Finland for the annual Week 46 regatta. Just four weeks later, the DN Western Challenge kicks off the North American season on the first weekend of December in Minnesota.
That’s less than five months until we line up on the ice again. The season is turning. Time to check your gear—winter is coming.
If you are new and want to try ice sailing, get in touch with us!
C-skeeter wood frame kit, 1/4” 5-ply Baltic birch, complete with 29 pages of 11×17 CAD drawn fully detailed plans and 6 page building guide. It’s skeeter season, start building now and be ready by winter!
$50 plus shipping (cheaper than the cost of the plywood).
Call Pat at 612-282-3098.
There’s a new page on iceboat.org: the Northwestern Ice Yachting Association Officer History, listing every President and Commodore from 1922 to 2026, along with the long-serving Secretaries and Treasurers who helped steer the organization behind the scenes.
Although the NIYA was organized in 1913, the officer records begin in 1922.
Thanks to Steve Schalk, current NIYA Secretary/Treasurer, for assembling this list. His efforts have given us a centralized record of more than a century of leadership.
One standout fact: 4LIYC’s own Paul Krueger—still racing his A Class Skeeter—served as NIYA Secretary/Treasurer for an incredible 41 years, from 1975 through 2016. A testament to his dedication and lasting impact on the sport. A big thank-you to everyone on that list for keeping the NIYA tradition going strong.
Whether you’re researching regatta records or simply curious about the names that built the NIYA, this new page is a valuable and fascinating resource. View the NIYA Officer page history here.
Chicago to Mackinac started early this year when retired Renegader Glenn Betzoldt decided to organize his own race—not by iceboat or soft water sailboat, but with his glider plane.
Well, I never did the sailboat soft water race to the Island, so I decided to start my own race, first ever Michigan Sailplane “air sailing” race to Mackinac. So Memorial Day, I finally got the forecast I needed to go.
I started west of North Cape Yacht club and another Sailplane came out of Ann Arbor to join me. So, we had 2 classes, Open& 18 Meter, but the 18 Meter ended up dropping out.
So, then it wasn’t a speed race, this time just distance, about 275 miles start to finish. I guess you could say I was in the Cruisers Class.
It worked out great, and had enough altitude to cross the straits without any sweat. My biggest concern of the trip was all the landing lights I had to deal with since I have a 70’ wingspan. (144 sq feet sail area) The lights on the island were about 2 feet tall with an additional 2 feet for flags on top of that – to help find them in the winter under the snow.
To get the glider off the Island, I didn’t want to use horses to pull the trailer off the ferry and get it to the airport $$$. So, after spending the night on the island, I did a self-launch off Mackinac to move the glider to Cheboygan. My wife, Laura, drove up with the trailer and we de-rigged and drove back home.
It was a once in a lifetime Sailplane flight!!
Glen
Another way to sail the Great Lakes, a concept painting by Harry Whitehorse titled “Great Lakes Freighter.”
