A Winter the Media Noticed

by | Feb 28, 2026 | 2025-2026, Home Page


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.

February 28, 2026: DN Components, Covers, and Masts in WI

by | Feb 28, 2026 | sell

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

No 4LIYC Racing for Feb 28 – March 1

by | Feb 27, 2026 | 2025-2026, Home Page

Unseasonably warm weather across southern Wisconsin has taken a toll on the ice. Many lakes, including Lake Mendota, are now candled with shoreline loss and unsafe for racing. (Some of our members have had firsthand experience with candling on Mendota recently.) As a result, there will be no 4LIYC ice sailing on February 28 or March 1.

Candling occurs when solid ice breaks down into vertical columns and loses strength, even if the surface still appears intact. Learn more about candled ice here: LINK

In the meantime, here is an ice sailing sighting from an unexpected place.

This video captures the Range Rover campaign featuring Daniel Hearn’s C Skeeter running inside the Oculus at the World Trade Center in New York City. The Oculus serves as the main transportation hub for Lower Manhattan, with thousands of commuters passing through each day.
LINK TO VIDEO