100 Years on the Ice — Happy Birthday, Burly Brellinthin

by | Jul 16, 2025 | 2024-2025, Home Page

Burly removes the cover from his B Skeeter in preparation for the 2013 Northwest Regatta on Green Lake. Photo: Gretchen Dorian

Please join us in celebrating one of our southern neighbors, Skeeter Iceboat Club member Burley Brellinthin, who turns 100 years old today.

Burley has been a fixture in the iceboating community for decades. Here’s a photo from just a few years ago, with his Boecraft Skeeter ON THE ROCKS.

Happy Birthday, Burley. You’ve been showing us how it’s done for a long time.

Iceboaters Take on Chi Mac

by | Jul 16, 2025 | 2024-2025, Home Page

The photo appears in a Mackinac State Historic Parks blog post that explores what islanders did in winter, including iceboating.

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.

Mel Kishner Iceboat Painting

by | Jul 12, 2025 | 2024-2025, Home Page


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

July 4th Goes Ice Boating

by | Jul 3, 2025 | 2024-2025, Home Page

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

Photo: Gretchen Dorian

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. 

Patriotic Pete Johns

Summer Solstice: Countdown to Ice Begins

by | Jun 20, 2025 | 2024-2025, DN, Home Page

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!

New Page Added: NIYA Leadership History

by | Jun 4, 2025 | 2024-2025, Home Page, NIYA


There’s a new page on iceboat.org: the Northwestern Ice Yachting Association Officer History, listing every President and Commodore from 1922 to 2026, along with the long-serving Secretaries and Treasurers who helped steer the organization behind the scenes.

Although the NIYA was organized in 1913, the officer records begin in 1922.

Thanks to Steve Schalk, current NIYA Secretary/Treasurer, for assembling this list. His efforts have given us a centralized record of more than a century of leadership.

One standout fact: 4LIYC’s own Paul Krueger—still racing his A Class Skeeter—served as NIYA Secretary/Treasurer for an incredible 41 years, from 1975 through 2016. A testament to his dedication and lasting impact on the sport. A big thank-you to everyone on that list for keeping the NIYA tradition going strong.

Whether you’re researching regatta records or simply curious about the names that built the NIYA, this new page is a valuable and fascinating resource.
View the NIYA Officer page history here.