UPCOMING:
It’s Building Season!
Wisconsin Iceboat Swap Meet: Oct 19, 2025 @ Lake Geneva Yacht Club More information
Midwest Hardwater Sailors Swap Meet: November 8, 2025 @ Delavan Yacht Club More Information
4LIYC Meeting : November 2025
4LIYC Shipstore: Order custom iceboat shirts, hats, and gear. More information.
BURGEE: Order your 4LIYC Burgee
Pay Your Dues Online
Western Challenge @ Battle Lake
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

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
Silver Potato
The ice line is creeping south. The Minnesota sailors opened their season over the weekend on Silver Lake, 20 miles west of ‘Tonka. Mike Bloom reported, “4 inches of ice with 1/4 inch dusting of snow. Short course racing. Multiple races. 7 boats.Great day.” The Menekaunee sailors also opened their season on White Potato Lake, 30 miles west of Menominee/Marinette in Wisconsin. It won’t be long before the runners hit the ice here at Four Lakes!
First Meeting of the Season Tonight Nov 14
Please join us tonight for the first meeting of the 4LIYC ice sailing season. Same place (Angelo’s Italian Restaurant), same time, and same great all you can eat pizza buffet for only $10.
Location: Angelo’s Italian Restaurant
5801 Monona Drive
Monona, WI
Time: 6:30 PM alternate weeks
We meet downstairs and all are welcome.
First, Eh!
Thunder Bay, Ontario DN sailor, Mike Madge is once again the first to ice sail in North America (as far as we know). Last year, he was sailing on November 9. Another box ticked!
Just back from Whitefish Lake
4″ of Black ice with maybe 1/4″ covering of Snow.Wind 15 gusting to 20 made for a fast ride
Meanwhile in Minnesota, lakes are coming online in the usual places near Alexandria and with tonight’s low at 10F, it will only get better! Stay tuned to the Minnesota ice boating website for the latest.
Steve Arnold
Some sad news to share, Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club member Steve Arnold passed on over the weekend. Steve served as 4LIYC Commodore for several terms from the late 1980s to early ’90s. He started racing in the DN class, then moved onto Nites and Skeeters, and was very competitive in club races. Steve also helped run our club races and regattas. He was an avid pilot and in the last 20 years, we’d see him circling above us in his plane while we raced and often landing on the ice for a visit.
2018 SIBC Swap Meet: November 4, 2018
Another milestone that brings us closet to the season! If you are looking to buy an iceboat, don’t miss this important event.
Via Jane Pegel:
Skeeter Ice Boat Club: 33rd Annual Swap Meet
Date: Sunday, November 4, 2018
Time: 9:00 to noon
With a free raffle at 11:30 a.m.There is no charge for participating.
Location: Lucke’s Cantina
220 N. Elkhorn Rd. (WI Hwy 67), Williams Bay, WI.
Map
For more info, email sailing19@charter.net
This is the day to swap, buy, and sell new and used iceboats and equipment. Boat builders & hardware manufacturers will display new products. Breakfast and/or lunch will be available at Lucke’s.
Display area:
Items for sale can be set up on the black top parking area at Lucke’s
and in the vacant lot to the south of the old Sailing Specialists building.
Please do not park your cars in the display area.
Please do not park or set up your displays adjacent to neighboring businesses. A short distance to the north there is a municipal parking lot located at the intersection of Elkhorn Rd. and Stark St. (on the north side of Stark St., opposite Burrough’s Floor Coverings).
Først/First!
The iceboating season began in Norway today!
Are your runners sharp? Ice is just around the corner for all of us here in North America. Get ready for the season by attending an iceboat swap meet in your area this coming weekend. The Skeeter Iceboat Club is holding theirs in Williams Bay, WI on Sunday morning, November 4. More information.
Here’s a list of swap meets across the country taking place this weekend.
From the Norwegian ice sailing Facebook page Isseiling Salten
Then ice sailing season is open! Beautiful “Black ice” About 7 cm on kosmovatn. It blew fresh breeze lake on rognan, but almost too small to sail on kosmovatn. Further out on the lake, the wind came from all sides and very uneven….. I’m glad I took the day off and took the chance to try valnesfjord the ice for thaw set in now tonight.