When 4LIYC Nite sailors Lars Barber and Brad Wagner hit the road for land or ice sailing events, they don’t just set the cruise control and blast down the highway. These two turn every road trip into a treasure hunt—stopping at flea markets, poking around small towns, and always keeping an eye out for something unusual. On their return from the 2025 Blokart North Americans, they pulled into a hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico—and sure enough, Lars spotted something unexpected: an old black-and-white photo of a stern steerer iceboat hanging on the wall with the caption: “Mr. Whitney’s ice boat on Cimmeron (French) Lake.”
New Mexico isn’t typically known for iceboating, but French Lake, situated in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Cimarron, is located at an elevation of about 6,300 feet. At this altitude, small lakes can freeze during the winter.
Using old newspaper and genealogy archives, I tracked down “Mr. Whitney.” He was Frederic Whitney, born in 1879 in Iowa. His father and ancestors were from Maine, so he possibly brought that knowledge with him when he moved west. During his time in New Mexico in the early 1900s, Whitney became a prominent local figure. One article even noted that he had installed a tennis court at his ranch, showing his passion for sports and outdoor life. Later in life, he moved to Alaska and died on the Kenai Peninsula in 1978 at 99.
Though I couldn’t find any specific record of Whitney iceboating, I sent the photo to iceboating sailmaker and historian Henry Bossett to get his take. Henry pointed out that Mr. Whitney appears to be sailing while standing up—an unusual style. (Perhaps a windless day?) He also noted the rig features a jib-headed topsail, a small triangular sail used on gaff rigs and set between the gaff and the mast. In the sport’s early days, some iceboaters repurposed their summer sailing rigs and mounted them on iceboat frames. Henry shared a historical example of a similar setup, included below.
While we may never learn much more about Frederic Whitney’s brief moment on the ice at French Lake, it remains another interesting footnote in the unexpected history of ice sailing.
From left: Deb Whitehorse, Michelle Dunn, Bret Hulsey, Aiden Schmeidlin, Alex Schmeidlin, Wayne Schmeidlin. Geoff Sobering, Lars Barber, Jim Nordhaus, Brad Wagner, and Don Sanford. Photo: Steve Irby
The 2025 Blokart North American Championships were held last week on the legendary Ivanpah Dry Lake in California. Known as the Cathedral of Land Sailing, Ivanpah served up classic conditions—strong wind and fast playa. The wind was shifty and puffy, much like our inland lakes in Wisconsin, demanding technical sailing and fast decision-making.
The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club was well represented, with a strong crew from the Madison area making the trek west to compete.
Results:
Aiden Schmeidlin – Performance Light, 1st
Alex Schmeidlin – Performance Light, 2nd
Don Sanford – Performance Middle, 4th
Lars Barber – Performance Middle, 5th
Wayne Schmeidlin – Performance Heavy, 4th
Jim Nordhaus – Performance Super, 1st
Geoff Sobering – Performance Super, 2nd
Brad Wagner – Performance Super, 4th
Brett Hulsey – Performance Super, 5th
Michelle Dunn – Production Light, 1st
The regatta featured 15 races across both Production and Performance fleets, with trophies awarded by weight class. Ivanpah’s tricky wind made for tight, tactical racing and provided excellent conditions for both seasoned sailors and first-time competitors.
The week before the Blokart regatta, Ivanpah also hosted the North American Land Sailing Association (NALSA) Championship. Several ice sailors competed in the Mini Skeeter class, including our own Commodore Daniel Hearn, who finished 2nd in the fleet. Other ice sailors of note included Bill Dale, who placed 6th, and Bob Cave, who finished 14th.
You can view results and media from both events at the links below:
Many of us who have attended the DN Western Challenge in Minnesota have seen the beautiful Yankee iceboat that always turns heads. It belongs to Regan Schwaen, who makes the drive from North Dakota each year. Regan gives rides, welcomes questions, and is clearly someone who takes pride in keeping the boat in top condition.
For years, I’ve wondered about the possibility of sailing on Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. Now Regan has done it—and sent in this report:
Regin Schwaen lives in Fargo, North Dakota and sailed his Yankee B-class skeeter for the first time on Devils Lake this weekend. Trailer and iceboat had already been prepared for a visit to Wisconsin and his friend Doug Anderson had just arrived from California, but ice and wind altered the plan. Still bitten by the iceboat bug they used the NDTC webcam installed at the Lakewood public boat landing on northern Devils Lake for a rough estimate regarding ice conditions. Devils Lake in North Dakota is not an easy lake to sail because it is so large, but the ramp was in perfect order, and they found 16” of excellent ice. The first day presented awesome sailing conditions that perhaps would have been acceptable for a regatta. The next day the lake was covered with 3/4 inches of snow making if difficult to evaluate the old ice beyond Creel Bay that spills into Devils Lake. Top speed on the second day was around 35 knots. Regin Schwaen is still quite new to iceboating and this year ISA presented him with the number 171 that he now sails under. This was the first time it was safe to sail on Devils Lake this season and perhaps a first for a Yankee iceboat to sail in North Dakota as well.
4LIYC Skeeter guys Paul Krueger, Bill Mattison, and Dave Rosten with a pile of hardware. From the Bill & Mauretta Mattison collection.
Mark your calendars! The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Let’s celebrate the incredible season of 2024-2025.
William Bernard’s YELLOW KID at the 1913 Northwest Ice Yachting Association Regatta in Menominee, Michigan.
While checking out archive.org for new iceboat-related content, I came across a striking February 1926 cover of Ainslee’s Magazine illustrated by Ethel McClellan Plummer. The artwork depicts two elegantly dressed women aboard a stern-steerer, the boat in a bit of a hike—yet they appear completely unfazed. Naturally, they’re improperly dressed for iceboating, and not exactly sailing the boat—but that’s artistic license of illustration.
Plummer was a well-known illustrator during the Golden Age of Magazine Illustration. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1888, she later lived in New Jersey, where she may have seen ice yachts firsthand. Her work for Ainslee’s Magazine connected her to a publication with an incredible stable of writers—W. Somerset Maugham, P.G. Wodehouse, O. Henry, and more. But there’s a deeper iceboating connection hidden within the history of this magazine.
Ainslee’s Magazine began as a humor publication called The Yellow Kid, named after the famous cartoon character in the first-ever comic strip published by Hearst newspapers. This character, created by Richard F. Outcault, appeared in Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World before William Randolph Hearst lured Outcault away to publish the strip in his New York Journal paper. This newspaper war led to the rise of sensationalized tabloid reporting, which became known as “yellow journalism”—all because of a comic strip.
Now, the Madison iceboating connection: In the early 1900s, William Bernard, Madison’s well-known ice yacht builder and sailor, owned a stern-steerer named YELLOW KID, no doubt named after that very same cartoon. And let’s not forget Hearst’s own link to ice sailing—he sponsored the Hearst Trophy, one of the most prestigious ice yacht races.
So, from a 1926 magazine cover featuring an iceboat back to a Madison stern-steerer named after the magazine’s original namesake and circling back to Hearst’s own involvement in iceboating, it’s all connected. From here to there—or there to here.
The Whitehorse family invites all ice sailors, past and present, to celebrate Walter Whitehorse’s 100th birthday on Friday, March 28, 2025, at the Ho-Chunk Branch Office in Madison, Wisconsin. Date: Friday, March 28, 2025 Location: Ho-Chunk Branch Office
4724 Tradewinds Parkway, Madison, Wi Lunch Served: 11:00 AM Grand Entry Honoring Walter’s Military Service: 12:00 PM
A Grand Entry is a Native American tradition that marks the opening of a gathering with an honor procession and will honor Walter’s WW2 military service. Veterans are encouraged to wear military attire for the event.
Walter and his brother, Harry Whitehorse, were long-time Skeeter sailors in the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club. In the late 1960s, they helped build the “Red & White” feet in Madison, spearheaded by Bill Mattison, Dave Rosten, and Paul Krueger. Walter sailed on lakes across the Midwest and beyond, including Lake St. Clair (Detroit), Lake George (New York), Pewaukee, and many others. One of Walter’s fondest memories is the ISA regatta at Pewaukee, where he recalls sailing in a pack of boats arriving at the top mark—20 deep and 10 wide!
Join us to celebrate and honor Walter Whitehorse!
1975 ISA in New York: The usual suspects – Left to Right: Harvey Witte, Gary Sternberg, Susie Whitehorse, Greg, Gary, Barb, Sandy Witte, Ken and Wally.
Many of us who have attended the DN Western Challenge in Minnesota have seen the beautiful Yankee iceboat that always turns heads. It belongs to Regan Schwaen, who makes the drive from North Dakota each year. Regan gives rides, welcomes questions, and is clearly someone who takes pride in keeping the boat in top condition.
