Paul Krueger M165, Ken Whitehorse M197, and Bill Mattison M143. Class A Skeeters, c. 1980s
The subject of sailing on Lake Koshkonong, about 30 minutes south of Madison, came up recently on the 4LIYC Facebook page. Koshkonong looks inviting as you drive past. It was a reasonable question to ask, why not Koshkonong?
Well, 4LIYC members and other ice sailors just “know,” and here’s how:
C Skeeter sailor Pat Heppert remarked, ” When I lived in WI, I spent years driving by and checking it. So tempting many times when it looked like glass ‘from the road.’ But whenever you walk it, all sorts of WTF problems show up. I finally gave up and concluded Koshkonong is just not meant for iceboats. The root source of the problem is the highly variable water level, which causes all the subsequent problems.”
The definitive proof came from a Mattison-Krueger-Whitehorse adventure on Koshkonong back in the 1980s.
Ken Whitehorse:
Ken, Bill, and PK
There was a big setup area. PK and I went tearing out to the lake. We saw spring bubbles to port and starboard. It was a gauntlet of spring water bubble-ups, like aerators. There were so many we could only turn around once we found a big area. As we sailed back to shore, we couldn’t follow our old runner tracks too closely because we had already busted through the ice on the way out. Bill Mattison said he was ready to push off and shook his head. ” I tried to tell you guys about this place, but you guys shamed me into it. “But How Would You Know”
We had a 24′ rake back mast, so we only needed 3 to set up the Skeeters. We considered ourselves so fortunate to get out of there that no one said a word about it as we went into the smoky tavern for a dipper.
Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey has a long ice sailing history and is building on its tradition by hosting a Tune-Up Night. You can find more information on their new Facebook Group.
We hope to see folks who like to race and folks who enjoy cruising in any kind of iceboat. It’s also for people who want to know more about iceboating and our long history of sailing on Lake Hopatcong.
We rented a church parish hall, big enough to set up – a couple DN’s (new and vintage) inside so we can talk about setups and tuning. Big enough to lay out a mini-course and catch up on rules basics.
Plus…we’ll have a runner sharpener on site and some guys who know how to use it. Bring your runners and stuff to sell or trade if you want. Heck, bring your boat and we’ll set it up inside.(Please bring pads to protect the gym floor)
And we’ll have chili, snacks, beer and soda.
All are welcome. No charge.
Friday 12/30
6:00 to 9:00 PM
St. Judes Church Parish Hall. 40 Maxim Dr, Hopatcong, NJ 07843 (Parish Hall is behind the church)
More information on the Facebook Page
Dutch Style Iceboats Archive
Via Facebook:
If the Netherlands is in your winter plans, visit Rotterdam’s Maritiem Museum to see an original stern-steerer, a classic Dutch iceboat on display. “Princess Alexia” was built in 1840 and is temporarily on display thanks to Stichting IJsschuiten Gouwzee.
After a week of below-zero temperatures, high winds, and snow, let’s review what Mother Nature left us. The good news is the big lakes were (mostly – see, Mendota) open and missed the snow. The east of Mendota froze on Friday, but as you can see, a large area remained open, at least as of December 24. Monona has an inconsistent freeze with numerous open areas. In other good news, Green Lake and Geneva were liquid as of December 24 and missed the snow.
After a week of bitter cold, the pendulum is swinging back to unseasonable warmth, with possible rain. Will the heat and rain bring the other lakes back online? Stay tuned! Ice Check Webcams Mendota Today MODIS Satellite View AOS Rooftop Lake Mendota Lake Geneva Yacht Club Lake Geneva from Gordy’s
