Researching Hand Wear in Ice Sailing

by | Nov 1, 2020 | 2020-2021, Home Page

Old school stern-steerer hand protection: Big leather mittens.

What type of mittens do you wear while ice sailing? Sports and Product designer Emily Guerra would like your feedback.

My name is Emily Guerra. I am a graduate student at the University of Oregon in the master’s in science in Sports Product Design program.

I am working on researching hand protection in Iceboat Racing and Winter Sailing. I came across your website during my research and would love to ask you some questions related to iceboat sailing, winter sailing apparel, and hand protection in the sport.

I have a form with questions related to my research subject and it would be great if you could fill it out and/or pass it on to other fellow iceboaters. The link is https://forms.gle/c45MyAH1txXBGjR46. Feel free to answer some or all of the questions. I am conducting my research using this form as well as through phone calls so if you would like to speak more over the phone that would be great as well.

If you are interested, please let me know and we can set up a day and time. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you!

Best,
Emily Guerra
emilyguerradesign

Iceboating’s Spookiest Story: The Strange Tale of the Ice Soar

by | Oct 31, 2020 | 2018-2019, 2020-2021, Home Page


Pulling this one off the shelf again for a repost….
Today is Halloween which brings to mind iceboating’s favorite (and only) ghost story, “The Strange Tale of the Ice Soar“, by Greg Whitehorse. Make it part of your Halloween tradition!

Outside the windows of the South Side Ice Yacht Club, the Skeeters, Renegades and Nites were effortlessly gliding over the dark gray ice sheet. Suddenly, sailing into view came a chilling blast from the past. A huge stern-steerer, its yellow stained, canvas sails straining against the twenty mile per hour wind. Behind its sheer size, the Skeeters, Renegades and Nites disappeared for seconds at a time before appearing again on the other side.
Two, no three burly men steered and cranked and pulled, trying to tame the unruly beast. Moving in a southerly direction, its left (port? starboard?) runner gently lifts off the ice, a few feet at first, and then quickly shoots skyward. The runner plank is at an impossible angle to the ice. Surely the beast is going to capsize, but no, the three burly men continue to steer and crank and pull and the ice yacht slowly regains a more proper stance on the frozen surface. A slight change in direction to take advantage of a felt, but unseen wind shift, and the beast sailed away from view.

Continue reading.

FIRST!

by | Oct 31, 2020 | 2020-2021, Home Page

The 2020-2021 ice sailing season has officially begun. Lowell Ross up in Alberta, Canada posted this video on his Facebook page today.

Well, up here in Northern Alberta we really have an early start to the season after a long drought of years of bad ice or heavy snows. Feels great to see that shoreline come up in 3 minutes that normally takes 30 minutes to reach. Ice sailors are awesome–we even walk on water

Tomorrow: Green Lake Swap Meet October 24th

by | Oct 23, 2020 | 2020-2021, Home Page

B Skeeters on Green Lake in 2013. Photo: Gretchen Dorian

SWAP MEET
Green Lake Ice Yacht Club
Saturday, October 24, 2020
10 AM – 2 PM
Green Lake Town Square

UPDATE: Just a friendly reminder, the Green Lake Ice Yacht Club Swap Meet is tomorrow, October, 24, 2020.

Some breaking news from our friends to the northeast. Green Lake Ice Yacht Club’s Joe Norton called to let us know to save the date of Saturday, October 24, 2020 for an iceboat swap meet that is jointly being hosted by the GLIYC and the area ice yacht clubs of Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, and Neenah. Joe explained that their swap meet is in “honor of the Skeeter Iceboat Club” and is a one-time event. The swap meet will take place in Green Lake, WI at the Terrace on the Town Square.  Stay tuned for more details to come.