by Deb Whitehorse | Feb 6, 2026 | 2025-2026, Home Page, WSSA
Photo: Red Bank Green
Iceboats returned to the frozen Navesink River and Red Bank, New Jersey reacted like Taylor Swift was in town. Fences were treated as optional, everyone wanted a front-row view.
Our good friends at the historic North Shrewsbury Ice Boat and Yacht Club and the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club are back racing for a Tiffany silver cup first made in 1886, while the public presses toward the ice like it’s the pit at Madison Square Garden. When iceboats appear, winter suddenly has a main event.
RED BANK: ICE BOATING “AMERICA’S CUP” ON TAP, WITH WARNINGS
By BRIAN DONOHUE
Stay out of the way of the ice boats. And stay off the construction site.
Those are the messages being sent by dual entities as Red Bank gets set to host the Van Nostrand Cup, an ice boat contest the NY Times in 2003 called possibly “the oldest and longest-deferred grudge match in sports history.”
For a second straight weekend, the frozen Navesink River is likely to draw not only ice boat race spectators to see it, but visitors looking to skate, frolic, or shoot selfies. Continue reading.
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by Deb Whitehorse | Feb 5, 2026 | Home Page, Regattas, WSSA
Stern-Steerers at the 2025 Northwest- Photo by Rob Resnick
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to February 14 and 15 due to lack of wind for this weekend. The next update will be Sunday, February 8. Check back here at that time. The Northwest Ice Yacht Association regatta takes precedence.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
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by Deb Whitehorse | Feb 4, 2026 | 2026 Northwest, Home Page, NIYA, Regattas, Renegade, WSSA
Photo: Rob Resnick
The NIYA is postponed one week to February 13 – 15. This upcoming weekend’s weather looks like a 1-1/2 day regatta at best or 1 day that may or may not have some am freezing rain. Next update is Sunday, February 8.
Steve Schalk
NIYA Secretary/Treasurer
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by Deb Whitehorse | Feb 2, 2026 | Home Page, Regattas, WSSA
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta for 2026 has been tentatively called on for February 7 and 8. The site selected is Green Lake. Final confirmation will be made by 1 PM Thursday, February 5. Check back here after that time. The Northwest Ice Yacht Association has scheduled their regatta for the same weekend and place, that regatta takes precedence.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
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by Deb Whitehorse | Feb 1, 2026 | 2026 Northwest, DN, Home Page, NIYA, Regattas, WSSA
Renegade sailor Ron Rosten at the 2026 Renegade Championship on Green Lake. Photo: Will Johnston
Received word from NIYA Secretary Steve Schalk as we left the ice today that the 2026 Northwest Ice Yacht Association regatta is tentatively called on for Green Lake, Wisconsin, FEBRUARY 6–8.
The Northwest Ice Yacht Association regatta was first sailed in 1913 as a Stern steerer event and remains one today, with Stern Steerers at its core and the addition of A, B, and C Skeeters, Renegades, and the DN class.
NIYA home page: LINK
The Nite Nationals are tentatively called on, also at Green Lake.
Final confirmation for both events will be posted Wednesday, February 4.
Nite-specific details are available on the Nite website. LINK
Green Lake has strong ice and clean sailing right now. These windows do not last. If you want good conditions, this is the moment to use them.
More photos and reports from the DN North Americans and the ISA are coming tomorrow.
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by Deb Whitehorse | Jan 26, 2026 | 2025-2026, Home Page, Regattas, WSSA
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to February 7 and 8, 2026. The next update will be Sunday, February 1. Check back here at that time. The Northwest Ice Yacht Association regatta takes precedence.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
Speaking of stern-steerers, Lake Winnebago stern-steerer sailor George Gerhardt shared the above photos a couple of weeks ago. I asked Andy to explain exactly what are we looking at:
Sorry for the delay, I was at my brother’s in Costa Rica for a week. It’s very bad iceboating there, I wouldn’t recommend trying.
Years ago when I first saw the Pirate Boat, as George calls it, I noticed the reefing points at the top of the sail. I have never seen a reef like that. All the other reef points I have seen for gaff rigs have been for taking in sail at the foot. This is the first time I have seen the Pirate Boat reefed and it is interesting. I wonder if the reef points also allow the upper portion of the sail to fly by rolling up the sail from the reef points down. That would show just the gaff area, even less sail than exposed here. I can see an advantage with the area shown in the photo – there is a lot of sail area remaining down low, which will produce a lot of force to get through rough ice and deeper snow yet not creating a lot of heeling moment to cause a capsize like Jay’s boat “Frosty’ shown below. The reefed sail isn’t a rig that will produce high speeds as it creates a lot of drag, but it will allow sailing more often due to the power.
I have plans to make the original Fritz backbone into a 38′ gaffer. I don’t need it to go fast, it will go fast enough for me, I just want to be able to sail more often.
Andy
Woops!
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