Wish You Were Here: Heading West for Vintage Iceboat Postcards

by | Jul 21, 2017 | 2017-2018, Home Page

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Let’s head west for the next set of vintage iceboat postcards. The most unusual of this series is the card from Middle Des Lacs Lake in Kenmare, North Dakota, 30 miles from the Canadian border as the crow flies. A long and narrow lake, Middle Des Lacs is only .5  mile wide by 2.5 miles long. The wind would have to be just right for a Stern Steerer sail on that lake!

Iowa has a well documented history of ice sailing. Traveling ten hours southeast from Kenmare, our next stop is Spirit Lake, Iowa,  home of the Okoboji Yacht Club. Our Iowan tour continues two hours east of Spirit Lake to  Clear Lake, Iowa home of the Clear Lake Yacht Club.

This postcard trip concludes on Wisconsin’s west coast (or Minnesota and Iowa’s east coast), Lake Pepin.

Wish You Were Here: Vintage Iceboat Postcards from Madison

by | Jul 18, 2017 | 2017-2018, Home Page, WSSA

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A new summer series begins today featuring the original “Short Message Service”, vintage postcards from around the world. Let’s start right here in the Four Lakes area of Madison, Wisconsin with these five postcards.

Bernard’s Fleet recalls the time when the Bernard family kept a rental fleet of Stern Steerers on Lake Mendota. “Princess” World International Racer was a famous Stern Steerer built by William Bernard for Emil Fauerbach (Peter Fauerbach’s great great uncle).

I’ll post more in the coming weeks. If you have any to share, please let me know.

 

Our Summer Vacations: Chicago to Mackinac Race

by | Jul 13, 2017 | 2017-2018, Home Page

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7 13 5Chris Berger sailing on BANDIT
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7 13 4Dave Elsmo sailing on DENALI
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7 13 3Rick Hennig skipping DENALI
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7 13 2Griffin Sherry sailing on EQUATION
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7 13 1Ron Sherry on DYNAMIS

The middle of July signals that we are halfway through the off-season and time for one of the most important soft water races of the summer season, the Chicago Yacht Club’s 109th Race to Mackinac. Follow the race tracking on the website.

Your ice sailing roster this year includes:

  • DENALI (Turbo Division), owned by Rick Hennig of the DEUCE fame. Fellow iceboaters joining him on DENALI are Dave Elsmo, Todd Knop,and Eric Tobias.
  • Via Renee Sherry: IMPORTANT UPDATE: due to technical difficulties, Equation will NOT be participating in the Chicago Mackinac regatta. Ron Sherry will be sailing on DYNAMIS.
    EQUATION (Section 1), with Ron Sherry at the helm, son Griffin Sherry, and fellow Michigan DNer Chris Clark on board.
  • BANDIT (Section 2), with DNer Chris Berger. BANDIT’S owners Arvid Eiesland and Joe Kestler have  DNs, Arrows, and an old Palmer Skeeter.
  • WINDSONG (Section 8) has DNer Andy Camarda on board.
  • CHAYA DOIN (Cruising Division) has DNer Marci Grunert on board.
  • GAUNTLET (Section 5) has DNer Gail McCarthy Turluck on board.

Drop me an email if I missed you and I’ll add you to the list. Good luck and safe sailing to all competitors.

Christmas in July

by | Jul 5, 2017 | 2017-2018, Home Page


The 4LIYC has a new DN sailor in the fleet. Over the weekend, Ron Rosten picked up a Meade Gougeon DN that won the 1997 North Americans from Ron Sherry for son, Thor. On his way back to Wisconsin, Ron also visited with Menekaunee ice sailors Mike Derusha and Ken Kreider. Thor is sporting the latest Menekaunee baseball cap.