Welcome to iceboat.org

The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club is one of the most active iceboat clubs in North America. We’ve been building and racing iceboats for over 100 years in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Ice Is Never 100% Safe.

Our ice reports are strictly for iceboat racers. Recreational iceboaters, kite boarders, cross country skiers, and ice fishermen should not rely on our ice reports. We have safety equipment. Do you?

Buy or Sell Your Iceboat

One of the best pages in North America to buy or sell iceboats and their parts. There’s also a complete list of vendors who will supply iceboats, sails, and their components.

Common Questions:

How can I get started? How fast can they go? How much do they cost? Is it safe?

Regatta Watch

Information about the ISA, NIYA, WSSA, Nite, and DN regattas.

Iceboat Classes

Learn about Skeeters, DNs, Stern Steerers, Renegades, Nites, and Ice Optimists.

The Rules.

The purpose of iceboat racing rules is to prevent collisions.

Ice Yacht Clubs

The best way to learn about iceboating and make life long friendships is to join a local club.

Why We Sail.

“If all our ice were glass, slightly wet, and all our air reasonably steady with lifters just where needed, sailing would be perfect. Sometimes we do find this, and it is worth waiting years to have. Meanwhile we must accept the more ordinary ice conditions, ordinary weather and wind, and gracefully accept snow, sometimes for weeks. Our ideal comes from time to time, the Great Maker gives only so much of the very best.” Charles H. Johnson.

Iceboating for Kids

Ice Optimists were created specifically as a youth trainer, designed to be easily built using commonly available materials, and to keep costs to a minimum.

UPCOMING:
It’s Building Season!
4LIYC Meeting : November 2025

4LIYC Shipstore: Order custom iceboat shirts, hats, and gear. More information.
BURGEE:
 Order your 4LIYC Burgee
Pay Your Dues Online

2018 Renegade Championship Regatta Postponed


Via Renegade Secretary Ron Rosten:

The 2018 Renegade Championship Regatta has been postponed one week. We are hoping to find ice in central or northern Wisconsin. Next update is Sunday, December 9, 2018.

The DN World Descends On Battle

A boy and his iceboat

DN sailors from around the world have gathered on Battle Lake in Battle Lake, Minnesota for the Western Challenge fun-regatta. I counted about 30 masts at noon and there were more arriving. The ice is hard with a bit of snow. A couple of marks were set up and DNers scrub raced all day in the lightish air. As you can see in the photos, the visibility was low and sailors took care to sail safely.

 

 

2018 ISA Regatta Tentatively Called ON

The ISA race committee is tentatively planning for the 2018 championship
December 7,8,& 9. Tentative site Battle Lake, Mn.

The Western challenge will be held this weekend and we expect detailed scouting reports.

Next ISA Championship update will be Sunday evening. Get your gear ready for an 2018 event!

1930s Winnebago Iceboating Video

Great grandfather’s 8mm film of iceboating on Lake Winnebago in the 1930s. from r/OldSchoolCool


LINK TO VIDEO
This is an amazing video found on Reddit by Tom Lothian featuring Stern Steerers and early Skeeters in front of the Legion in Oshkosh. I’m certain there are photos of this regatta in the Carl Bernard collection. I recognize the DEUCE and at the very end, the 4LIYC’s Carl Bernard on the MARY B, I think. If you recognize any boats or people in this video, take note of the screen time and let me know. I’ll look over the photos from the Carl Bernard collection to see what I can find.
A big tip of the helmet to Tom Lothian!

Youth Movement

ICE SAILING 101
Current UW students Soren, Will and Jonathon; and recent college east coast college graduate, now Epic employee, Clark, workin’ it in the Spaight Street Syndicate lab. New steering posts and plank attachments, runners shimmed, sharpened and aligned…ready for first test of the semester at the Great Western Challenge. Tip of the helmet to Steve Duhamel at Northwind Iceboats for the donated parts to resurrect P154.

 

News From the National Iceboat Authority

Photo: Jeff Russell

The National Iceboat Authority Releases Updates to the Racing Rules and Launches a New Web Page

National Iceboat Authority
Via NIA Secretary/Treasurer Tim McCormick:

With the help of Deb Whitehorse, the NIA now has its own web page to make it easier for sailors to find information related to the racing rules. The page is pretty simple but it meets the following goals:
1. Share the purpose of the National Iceboat Authority which is to advise sailors on how to conduct iceboat races through an established set of racing rules and to provide a venue for appeals and rules interpretations.
2. Provide a location for the current version of the Constitution & Racing Rules of the NIA.
3. Provide a contact email for inquiries.
4. List current and former Directors of the NIA so sailors can easily associate a name with a face.

In addition, the Racing Rules of the NIA have been updated to clarify:
1. When and how to ABANDON a race.
2. The compensatory points which may be awarded to an assisting yacht. We’ve also added appeal decision #9 related to filing a protest in a timely manner. A detailed list of the changes can be found in the revision history on the last page.

We hope you find these updates useful and that we’ll all be a part of iceboat racing which is safe, fair, and fun!

Thanks,

Tim

Western Challenge @ Battle Lake

4LIYC sailor Lars Barber sanding Doug Kolner’s DN plank.

Dust is being made and runners sharpened in preparation for the first unofficial fun DN regatta of the season, the Western Challenge. Stay tuned to the Minnesota Ice Sailing Association website for the latest. Battle Lake has been chosen as the site. Look for final confirmation on Wednesday. The ISA regatta was sailed at Battle Lake 2 years ago and the town was very welcoming to all the sailors.

Centennials

Toledo Ice Yacht Club Renegades

From a recently published book commemorating the Toledo Ice Yacht Club’s 100th Anniversary. ‘Unknown” is Lorne Sherry from the Detroit Ice Yacht Club.

Our friends at one of the most active ice yacht club’s in North America, the Toledo Ice Yacht Club, are celebrating 100 years of iceboating in 2019. They’ve published a book edited by Ken Dickson commemorating their history. Be sure to have a look at their book if you are lucky enough to sail on Maumee Bay this winter. 4LIYC members who attended the Renegade regatta there over 10 years ago still talk about the good times they had with the TIYC.

 

Black Friday Ice

Stern-steerer fanatic Michael Kroll assembled his first video of the season from yesterday’s sailing highlights on White Potato Lake in northwestern Wisconsin.

Iceboating White Potato Lake with Andy Gratton, Dave Lallier, Mike Peters, Mike Derusha. Also Robbie and Bob Everhard from Oshkosh showed up with a Nite. We had DN’s, a Lockley Skimmer, and my small Stern Steerer. The wind came up quit nice and See if you can guess who was sailing the stern-steerer Sunshine when only 2 runners were on the ice. Fun time had by all. Great day of sailing!

College Syndicate


Via Daniel Hearn:

P154 coming back to life in the hands of University of Wisconsin sailors, Soren and Will, at the Spaight Street Syndicate shop. Thanks to the legend, Peter Burczynski, for the donation!

Online Ship’s Store

Regatta Dates 2025

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Click for 4LIYC Meeting Dates

2024-2025

  • January 2 THURSDAY Honor Roll Nominations
  • January 15 Deadline for By-Law or Racing Rules Amendment Submission
  • January 29
  • February 12 Business Meeting 
  • February 26
  • March 12 Last Meeting of the Season

Location: In person at the Elks Lodge 711 Jenifer St, Madison, WI 53703

Time: 6:30 PM

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Lake Access Permits

A year-round permit required for designated launch sites in the City of Madison and Dane County Parks. Locations include:

    • Lake Mendota Warner Park Mendota County Park
    • Lake Monona Tonyawatha Tr. Olin Park
    • Lake Waubesa Goodland Park

Purchase Lake Access Permit Online.

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