Paul McMillan is doing his thing for the Iceboat Foundation. This time he is restoring all rigging and upper deck structures on the MISS MADISON. A couple weeks ago we moved the booms, mast and gaff to his workshop. Yesterday we met and discussed the last major item before we can set up the MISS MADISON and rig her for the first time since 2016. We hope to show the boat before ice season a local regatta. Can’t say enough about Paul’s work.
The 116th Chicago to Mackinac Race will soon be underway, and once again, several familiar names from the ice sailing world are taking on the soft water challenge.
Returning competitors include DN and Skeeter sailors Steve Orlebeke (aboard the J/125 CALLISTO), Ron Sherry and Skip Dieball (crewing on the TP52 USUAL SUSPECTS), and Dave Elsmo and Ben Witman (on the TP52 LEGACY). Joining them this year is Rick Hennig along with crew Todd Knopp and Richard Sawyer, racing on MEDICINE MAN. All are seasoned iceboaters who bring their tactics and toughness to the big lake.
UPDATE: DNer Gail Turlock will sail on VAGABOND.
Just last weekend, another Great Lake offered a sobering reminder of its power. During the Port Huron to Mackinac Race, a sailor fell overboard and was rescued in a dramatic operation. Read the harrowing account here.
Let us know if you’re racing this year so we can add you to the list of ice sailors taking on the Mac! If you’d like to follow along, here is the tracking link.
Now that’s a crowd! Here’s a striking iceboat print by Mel Kishner (1915 – 1991) that I haven’t seen before. Kishner was a prolific artist and served as the art director for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel from 1940 to 1978. It’s unclear whether he created this piece to illustrate an article about ice sailing for the newspaper or simply for his own enjoyment. Many of you know Kishner’s grandson, grandson Mark Walters. If anyone knows the whereabouts of the original, let us know. Tip of the Helmet: Damien Luyet
Ice Riders on the Chesapeake Bay by Charles Wysocki
Here’s our collection of July 4th ice sailing photos, another opportunity to remember that two of the founders, Ben Franklin and John Adams thought about iceboating. Ben even ordered a set of plans! But one ride in the Netherlands was quite enough for John Adams. He wrote to a friend, that iceboating “as again endangered my Health and my Life.” Enjoy the holiday and Think Ice! When Ben Franklin Ordered Iceboat Plans Ben Franklin’s Iceboat Drawings
JD’s EAGLE, Class A Skeeter. Photo: Gretchen Dorian
Shown here from left to right doing their best to make the ordinary extraordinary are: Don Ermer, Don Sanford, Steve Arnold, Lady Liberty, Ty Reed and Ken Kreider.
Sunset over Lake Mendota, early 1970s. Bill Mattison’s HONEYBUCKET DN, built for his children and photographed by Bill himself.
As we mark midsummer this weekend, iceboaters know we’re one step closer to ice-making.
In about 20 weeks, DNs will gather in Finland for the annual Week 46 regatta. Just four weeks later, the DN Western Challenge kicks off the North American season on the first weekend of December in Minnesota.
That’s less than five months until we line up on the ice again. The season is turning. Time to check your gear—winter is coming.
If you are new and want to try ice sailing, get in touch with us!
