Let’s watch an old sail being repaired at the Hardanger fartøyvernsenter in Western Norway for MATHILDE, a fishing boat, built in 1884. The same techniques were probably used to make and repair the sails on the stern-steerers pictured below. William Bernard kept a rental fleet of iceboats on Lake Mendota. Imagine that!
Tip of the Helmet: Ann Gratton
William Bernard’s fleet of rental stern steerer iceboats on Lake Mendota c.1895
Stern-Steerer enthusiast Andy Gratton shares one of his favorite magazine covers from 1952 and the plans to build the boat. Andy even made a boat modeled after these plans many years ago for his son. 
The WSSA board has decided to cancel the regatta for the remainder of this winter due in part to the need for strict health precautions caused by the coronavirus, There is a slight chance that the regatta could be held in late December 2020. Check here for further updates at that time.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary
ACE OF SPADES & LITTLE WIND line up to race.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: 12 MARCH 2020 8 AM CT:
Via Northwest Secretary/Treasurer Steve Schalk:
Due to the travel concerns with coronavirus, the fact that locations we are traveling from and to are involved with active cases, that our group has many people who are at the highest risk, and therefore to avoid losing a good portion of our active sailors, we are going to cancel the Northwest for season.
The 2020 Northwestern Ice Yachting Championship Regatta is on for Lake Waconia Minnesota starting Friday March 13th, 2020.
Class A, B, C, and D Stern steerers, Class A, B, and C skeeters, Renegades and DNs will be racing.
The ISA is postponed for a week.
Boecraft boats that for sure will be there are I 564 and I 234. There will be two C skeeters as well so we will sail with them in a separate start from the A skeeters. Lake Waconia is just west of Lake Minnetonka. The trip is 5 hours and 28 minutes according to Google.
Steve Schalk
Andy Gratton & George Gerhardt with WISCONSIN on Lake Winnebago Friday, March 6, 2020. Notice the big and impassable ice pile. Tales to tell on this ride! Photo by Mike Kroll
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to March 21 and 22 but may well be cancelled for the season. The Northwest Regatta is scheduled for March 13 to 15 and will take precedence. The next WSSA update will be Sunday, March 15. Check back here at that time. Snow is melting quickly as well as ramps. If the NIYA regatta is called off for this coming weekend, it is because the bigger trailers will not have access to the ice, therefore the WSSA regatta will be unable to occur.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
Stern Steerer: TWIN BEDS Peter McCormick
The ISA and Northwest Championship Regattas have been postponed to March 13th, 14th and 15th 2020. Sites under consideration are still either snow covered or too thin to be viable. It is expected that more locations will become available as we melt down this week.
Steve Schalk
ISA & NIYA Secretary/Treasurer
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to March 14 and March 15. The Northwest Regatta is scheduled for the same weekend and will take precedence. The next update will be Sunday, March 8. Check back here at that time. Still too much snow though it is melting.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
