UPCOMING:
4LIYC Spring Social: April 25 @ Breakwater More Information
4LIYC Meeting: November 2026
4LIYC Shipstore: Order custom iceboat shirts, hats, and gear. More information.
BURGEE: Order your 4LIYC Burgee
Pay Your Dues Online
Mini Skeeter Invitation
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.netIf 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
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.
Bottles Up!
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
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.
FLIRT with LITTLE WIND

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.
4th of July On Ice
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.
Harken Photo Contest
Heads up Stern-Steerer and Nite sailors and crew! Our friends at Harken are conducting a photo contest and the winner will receive a “Pewaukee The Way Locals Do It Weekend” which includes round trip airfare, lodging, a Harken 150 Cam-Matic cleat and a Harken Carbo Block, social gatherings, spectating the E Scow Blue Chip Regatta, and much more.
The photo must be taken from the boat in order to qualify for the contest. The rules state:
The most serious contenders will transport viewers, placing them in the middle of the activity on board, engaging the mind’s eye to help us feel the moment(s) your have selected.
It is certain, AT THE FRONT of sailing is a mental space much broader than a champagne-soaked awards ceremony or blasting down a 10 meter wave in the Southern Ocean. THE FRONT of sailing can be in an ice-packed harbor in Spitsbergen or diving to check an anchor placement in the Red Sea. AT THE FRONT…anywhere sailing at its most stirring is practiced.
“The Inspector”: Spaight St. Syndicate C(bd) Skeeter Update

Previously:
“Building In The Big City”
“New Ways to Shave”
“Heavy Metal Lightweight”
“It’s a Bubble”
“Simon Says”
“Frosting For Frozen Fun”
“When Your Plank Needs Work”
“A Weak Moment”
The Inspector
I imagined it would be like Frank Lloyd Wright stopping by to check out our Convention Center. He’d be wearing the half circle reading glasses occasionally glancing over the top and then returning to the precise plans which captured his vision. The pockets of his finely tailored suit coat would be filled with measuring devices—a digital caliper, a laser guided tape measure, an atomic plumbometer—all calibrated by NASA. He’d pace around the structure, all too frequently grumbling a seemingly agitated “hmmmm,” which could only be interpreted as, “did this epoxy sniffer really think THIS is what I had in mind?” I was prepared for a tirade.
The night before, I had that dream where you’re supposed to be taking the final exam, but you realize you never went to class. Not one time. Or read any of the books. I needed something to relieve my anxiety. As luck would have it, a CBD store opened in my neighborhood. The proprietor is an old hippie, who goes by the name “Moon Dart.” He somehow rationalized that cashing in on people’s physical and mental struggles didn’t make him “the man.” Looks and smells like a capitalist to me, but in my hood we’re even left of Bernie, so that’s worse than calling someone the other “c” word. Yeah, that one. I went right for the highest potency, figuring it was like DN runners—more is always better.
Turns out, my anxiety was completely unnecessary. Inspector Heppert was very kind. At least in-person. When he gets a few beers in him, he might have the entire bar giggling like 7th grade girls at a slumber party, showing pictures of my incompetence on his iPad. But at least I won’t be around to hear it. After I slap a bunch of carbon on the outside, most of my infractions will be hidden anyway. And I know a good painter. So, I’m counting on at least “looking” fast. By the way, Moon Dart says the CBD oil is great for stoning runners. He advises stopping at 420. Makes sense.
Historic Iceboats on Display at White Bear Lake, MN
If you are anywhere near White Bear Lake, MN on Saturday, June 22, you won’t want to miss the 14th Annual White Bear Lake Classic & Vintage Boat Show (10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m – Lake Ave. at White Bear Shopping Center) where a vintage Skeeter and Stern-Steerer will be exhibited.
In conjunction with the boat show, the White Bear Press has published an entertaining write up about the Skeeter restoration and a historic Stern-Steerer that will both be on display.
(We’re glad you didn’t burn the boat! – ed.)
Old ice boats: not for faint of heart
By Debra Neutkens/Editor Jun 12, 2019
When he brought the project home, fellow ice boaters urged him to burn it. “I said, ‘no, we can’t really do that,'” Driscoll recalled. Then three people “put up their hands” and agreed to help in the restoration: John Taylor, Steve Wiberg and Steve Johnson. Steve is the grandson of Johnson Boat Works founder J.O. Johnson, a Norwegian immigrant who built his business on the shore of White Bear Lake. Continue reading.
UPDATE: Take a quick ride on Bald Eagle Lake in the PHANTOM Stern-Steerer. Tip of the Helmet: Pat Heppert
Steve Arnold: Celebration of Life June 29
Download Steve Arnold Celebration Of Life flyer.
UPDATE: Please make your reservation with Don Sanford by Wednesday, June 12!
Please join family and friends celebrating Steve Arnold
Saturday, June 29 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Steve campaigned his Nite, Nite Nite and his A-Skeeter, Intrepid all around Wisconsin, the Midwest, Canada and New Jersey during the late 1970s and early 80s. He passed away unexpectedly in November 2018.
We will gather at:
Wisconsin Aviation, Dane County Regional Airport
3606 Corben Ct.
Madison, WI 53704
(608) 268-5000
• Buck and Honey’s will cater hot and cold appetizers, beer, wine and soft drinks.
• Share stories and photos from Steve’s wide circle of iceboating and flying friends and family
• Share in a special “Gone West” toast from the Quiet Birdmen – an aviation organization that Steve supported for over 25 years. RSVP by June 15, 2019
Because we’re holding this celebration in an airport hangar, security requires a firm list of all registered guests prior to the event. Please send your name and the names of all guests in your party, along with your phone number and e-mail address to: Don Sanford
dpsanford@charter.net by June 15, 2019












