A Note from Ron Sherry: Meade Gougeon

by | Aug 23, 2017 | 2017-2018, Home Page

 

Meade Gougeon at the 2011 DN Worlds. Photo by Gretchen Dorian.

Via Ron Sherry:

Meade Gougeon is about to sail his longest race, where he will join his brother and other great friends in paradise on miles and miles of black ice. Unfortunately melanoma has returned to Meade’s body with a vengeance. Time is short and Meade would like to give everyone the opportunity to send him a note at [deleted] . Meade knows exactly what is going on and is very happy with the life he has led and all the friends he has made. However, the oxygen he is on makes it hard for him to talk, so he would appreciate an E-mail or letter with good wishes and stories of all the good times we have had together.

ECLIPSE on Monona

by | Aug 21, 2017 | 2017-2018, Home Page, NIYA

ECLIPSE on Lake Monona. Photo: David Travis

Now here’s an eclipse you can look at without damage to your eyes! It’s not hard to tie just about anything into ice sailing. Here’s the Class A Stern Steerer, ECLIPSE, sailed by Eric and Chip Sawyer at the 2004 Northwest on Lake Monona in Madison.

 

Celebrating 50 Years of Harken

by | Aug 14, 2017 | 2017-2018, Home Page, ISA

Photo borrowed from Holly Nelson’s Facebook

 

Class A Skeeter Sighting in Pewaukee
Peter Harken’s Skeeter, the Bill Mattison built HONEYBUCKET XIV, was set up at the plant over the weekend to celebrate Harken’s 50 years in business. Olaf and Peter are long time iceboaters and do much to support the sport.

An Amazing Day for the Mary B in August

by | Aug 5, 2017 | 2017-2018, Home Page

 

MARY B on exhibit at Madison Wooden Boat Show at Christy’s on Lake Waubesa

August 5, 2017 was an amazing day for the Mary B Foundation at the Madison Area Wooden Boat Show on Lake Waubesa yesterday. A crew of the usual suspects, some in flip flops quickly set of the Mary B in the parking lot with not a glove or mitten in sight.

The B looked great on display, the glint of her varnish and reflection from her chrome inspired a wooden boat owner and kindred spirit of keeping living history alive to step forward and pledge to match any monies raised to support the Mary B Foundation during the boat show. This fantastic opportunity inspired someone else to match funds raised during the boat show leveraging this pledge even more.
Well this got the fundraising firm of Frautschi, Holtzman, Whitehorse, and Simon in full remote fundvraising mode. The alert went out on the internet, Facebook, and through the crowd at the show and people responded. After Don Sanford’s historical talk about the ‘B, the helmet was passed through the crowd and people were very generous. The  Lake Waubesa Sailing Club started the ball rolling with a $50 donation and by the end of the day the helmet was full of money and pledges.

Wish You Were Here: Glenn’s Summer Vacation

by | Aug 5, 2017 | 2017-2018, Home Page

Where it all began in America, “Ice boating on the Hudson River.”

Today’s installment combines themes from the off-season of 2017, postcards and what ice sailors do on summer vacations. Michigan/Toledo ice sailor Glenn Betzloldt is touring and sailing the northeast with his replica miniature schooner. (Ask to see a photo next time you see him.) Glenn sent photos of a historic Hudson River Stern Steerer built in 1908, STORM KING, on exhibit at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vermont.

As far as postcards go, above is the only Hudson River ice yachting postcard in my collection. There surely have to be more of them because the Hudson River is where ice yachting began in America.

Here’s what an internet search revealed about STORM KING. The incomparable historic ice yachting blog  “White Wings and Black Ice”, has posted several pages from a book, Hudson River Ice Yacht Club Member Book 1908, with a fleet roster that included STORM KING, listed as owned by Silas Lane of the Poughkeepsie Ice Yacht Club in New York. Silas Lane’s family, under the name Lane Motor Vehicle Company, manufactured early steam powered cars.

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