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.
Elmer & Cora Lee Millenbach ready for the next regatta.
Via IRIYRA Secretary Ron Rosten:
The 2025 Renegade Championship has been postponed until December 2025. The Boulder Junction area is expecting to receive snow followed by cold temperatures. Time to plan your summer Renegade projects. Next update: December 2025.
ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION – FAKE NEWS – CLARIFICATION
CLARIFICATION #2: UPDATE: Upon further consultation with the Renegade board, the 2025 Renegade Championship is postponed until March 28 – 30, 2025. Stay tuned for the next update.
I want to clarify a mistake in the previous post regarding the ISA and Renegade Championship postponement. While the ISA has officially postponed until December 2025, the Renegade class is still keeping their options open for a regatta at Boulder Junction this weekend, March 21-23, 2025.
A final decision will be made tomorrow, Thursday, March 19; and there’s even a possibility of postponing for just a week rather than all the way to December. The regatta site, Trout Lake near Boulder Junction, currently has 28 inches of ice, so conditions are still under consideration.
Stay tuned for updates.
Mattison’s ISA fleet: Just six of the many Skeeter iceboats that Bill built. From the Bill & Mauretta Mattison collection.
The ISA Championship Regattas are postponed to December 2025.
The main snow is forecast to miss Trout Lake, but little or no wind on Saturday followed by snow all day on Sunday looks like a single racing day on Friday, and that is if 47 degrees does not soften the ice too much that day. The long term forecast is for temperatures in the 40’s and a normal melt off.
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.
