Mini Skeeter Invitation

by | Jul 18, 2019 | 2018-2019, Home Page

Not ice!

Via John Eisenlohr:

SPECIAL INVITATION TO LAND SAIL FOR ICE BOATERS
September 28 – October 6, 2019
Alvord Desert in southeast Oregon
Contact: John Eisenlohr jlsbfam@centurytel.net

If you would like to try your hand at land sailing here’s a good opportunity for fun sailing and fun racing. We have 6 Mini Skeeter guys willing to share their Mini Skeeters through out the week. We normally do some fun sailing tuning and fun racing around the marks.I’m inviting other iceboaters to go land sailing Sept 28th – Oct 6th at Alvord, a remote dry lake in SE Oregon.

We sail here every fall. Its one of my all time favorite places to camp as well as land sail.
Drive or – fly into Boise or Reno rent an RV or SUV and drive out to sail with us.

There are few amenities there so get your groceries in Boise or Reno.

Shorts to warm clothing for cold weather. It has been bellow freezing at this time of year there at night on occasion. The lake bed is around 12 miles long. plenty of room to sail for some great sailing! Natural hot springs, dirt biking, fishing and good hiking abound.

Alvord trips and info-

https://localadventurer.com/alvord-desert-oregon/
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zeeFn5FfPzA
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D6AIMaYH9i4
Soaring clubs use the dry lake as well as fly ins at certain times of year.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lkfILOD-suw
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o-helYwq_Y&list=PLHcBWc3zjK_pe_BTkTIPnxj1km8cy3q5u&index=5

Iceboat Midsummer: Gather Round the Mast Pole

by | Jul 17, 2019 | 2018-2019, Home Page, ISA

Using Lake Baikal’s spring regatta and Minnesota’s Western Challenge as data points, this week marks iceboating’s mid-summer holiday.  Ken Whitehorse and Paul Krueger celebrated by setting up Paul’s Class A Skeeter, RAMBL’N, on one of the hottest days of summer to see how the newly built boom looked. Jim Gluek stopped over to look over and talk Skeeter sails.

Yes, that’s a sail from the quiver of Bob Kau’s blue Skeeter now owned by Ken Whitehorse (and will soon carry PK’s number, 165).

Bottles Up!

by | Jul 15, 2019 | 2018-2019, Home Page, ISA

Pat Heppert, his C class Skeeter DRIFTER, and the Wisconsin Skeeter Assoc. Bottle Trophy

It took a while, but the Wisconsin Skeeter Association Bottle Trophy finally found its way to last season’s recipient Pat Heppert. Looks like Pat had the perfect bottle waiting for it! Pat writes:

 It is a great honor to be a part of the legacy of this trophy, and I am eternally grateful to be the caretaker of this for 2019. The artistry and imagination of every one of Harry Whitehorse’s creations are truly impressive. In the background you will also see the new expanded headquarters of the Heppert boat works!

Iceboaters Going the Distance

by | Jul 8, 2019 | 2018-2019, Home Page

Detail from “Great Lakes Freighter”, a painting by Harry Whitehorse.

The long distance summer sailing season is upon us and iceboaters are there. Let us know if you are sailing the Chicago to Mackinac race so you can be added to the list.

TRANSPAC
July 10, 2019
4LIYC Commodore Don Anderson will be sailing his second Transpac from Los Angeles, CA to Hawaii on MR BILL. Race tracking.

CHICAGO YACHT CLUB RACE TO MACKINAC
July 13, 2019
Race Tracking
EQUATION: (Santa Cruz 70, Section: 01) Ron Sherry, Chris Clark, Tom Dawson, Dave Elsmo
EXILE  (J88, Section 08) Andy Camarda
SHMOKIN JOE: (J111, Section: J111) Julie Jankowski
Julie is  arranging for a group photo of iceboaters immediately following the awards ceremony in front of the stage, probably around 2:30 Tuesday.

A painting from the imagination of Harry Whitehorse, a time when massive long distance iceboat freighters would rule the Great Lakes.

FLIRT with LITTLE WIND

by | Jul 7, 2019 | 2018-2019, Home Page, WSSA


Wise iceboaters know that summer time means shop time.
Via Jay Davis, originally posted on the 4LIYC Facebook page:

Summer work project at Davis boat works in Iowa on Little Wind II. Repainting the bottom and sides. Also did some fixing on the trailer.

LITTLE WIND II, right side up at the 2013 Northwest Regatta, Green Lake, WI

4th of July On Ice

by | Jul 1, 2019 | 2018-2019, Home Page, ISA

3 Nites and John Dennis’ (JD) A Class Skeeter on Lake Pepin at the 2019 ISA         Photo: Jann Klin

JD & Tom Nichols in 2012 

July 4th signals we’re climbing to the apex of the iceboating off-season (iceboat mid-summer is July 27, more on that later). It’s become an iceboat.org 4th of July tradition, ever since Tom Nichols built the boat, to post Class A Skeeter, EAGLE, in its red, white, and blue livery to commemorate the holiday. EAGLE was born in New Jersey, built and sailed by Tom Nichols. JD purchased the boat in July 2012 and brought her west. Below is a video of EAGLE’S first sail in Minnesota. Both Tom and JD have won the ISA regatta twice, Tom in 2005 and 2006 and JD in 2018 and 2019.