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
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
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.
1992 Bob Pegel-built B Skeeter
Clean Boat
Sitka spruce
Great Runners
New Vermont Sailmakers Sail (2025)
Excellent race boat
Road worthy trailer
Southern Wisconsin
$13,500.00
tim@heineconstruction.com
DN Components and Covers
The finest DN parts in the world are now in-stock and available for immediate shipment in North America. Made by top-level Gold Fleet racers in Estonia. LINK
Contact madmountssales@gmail.com for US pricing. US webstore in the works.
Hamrak Full Carbon DN Masts
End of season closeout of remaining Hamrak IceWise masts in stock in Madison, WI. Models available–one Hamrak 50 and two Hamrak 60s.
Price $3,600 including shipping, VAT and padded travel bag. Hounds also available at additional cost.
Contact madmountssales@gmail.com
National Iceboat Authority Web Page
Location: In person at the Elks Lodge 711 Jenifer St, Madison, WI 53703
Time: 6:30 PM
YOU ARE SKIPPER NUMBER
TO ROUND THE MARK SINCE NOVEMBER 1999.
