UPCOMING:
4LIYC Meeting : November 19, 2025 @ Fast Champions Iceboat Shop More information.
4LIYC Shipstore: Order custom iceboat shirts, hats, and gear. More information.
BURGEE: Order your 4LIYC Burgee
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February Runner Tracks Posted

The February issue of the DN class magazine, Runner Tracks, has just been published. Check it out here.
1950s Lake Monona Ice Sailing Photos
Our club had an unexpected visitor at last week’s meeting who brought us some classic photos. Long time Madisonian Dick Brandt shot these on Lake Monona back in the 1950s. Many thanks to Dick and to Peter Fauerbach for taking the time to scan these important historic photographs. My guess is that many of these were from the 1952 Northwest Regatta which was sailed on Lake Monona.
UPDATE: Skeeter Iceboat Club’s Jane Pegel has helpfully identified some of the boats. The skipper sitting in the MICKEY FINN Skeeter is in question. Jane writes, “I think Mickey Finn may be Buddy because his sail number is I-180 (Harry C. Melges, Jr.) but perhaps his father was sailing the regatta in Mickey Finn.”
Click here to view more photos
The Two Mr. M’s

From left to right is Ivar Steffner, Gustav Lindén, Wilhelm Alness, Axel Steffner, Oskar Svensson, Rasmus Söderman.
From Ron Rosten, just returned from the Junior World Championship:
Parallel Universe. The gentleman standing behind Team Sweden is Uppsala’s Kjell Mattsson. Every DN in Uppsala, Sweden has been built, repaired, or upgraded in Mr. Mattsson’s shop. Does this sound familiar to anyone in Madison with an almost identical last name?
Regatta Watch: ISA & NIYA Postponed

Photo: Chris John Sailing legend Buddy Melges takes a first place finish in his Skeeter at the 2007 Northwest sailed on Green Bay in Menominee, Michigan
The International Skeeter Association (ISA) and Northwest Regattas are postponed because all of Wisconsin and Michigan are snow covered. Next update for both regattas is Sunday, February 18.
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4LIYC Scoring & Banquet Update
Tim McCormick has tabulated the club scores to reflect last weekend’s racing. See results here.
Trophy Chair Jori Lenon has made arrangements for the club’s annual spring awards banquet to be held at Springer’s. Please save the date of April 21, 2018.
2018 Junior Worlds Video: We Sail
While ice sailing is on temporary hold here in Wisconsin because of too much snow, here’s a video to brighten your day. Despite the snow, these kids at the 2018 Junior World Championship are eager sailors having fun.
4LIYC Racing Update for Feb 10-11: The “S” Word
Ice sailing in the Four Lakes area is on hold until the Great Zamboni© descends to take away the 7″+ of snow covering our beautiful ice. There will be no 4LIYC racing for the weekend of February 10-11, 2018.
On Thursday, the MARY B group towed her from the Edgewater to the Brearly Street launch via snowmobile. Paul McMillan reported it was a fast ride.
2018 Junior Ice Sailing World & European Championship Update

Photo: Andrius Repšys Thor Rosten US888 raises the flag at the opening ceremony of the DN & Ice Optimist World Championship in Lithuania
The Junior DN & Ice Optimist World Championship regatta has been completed with 7 races in the DN fleet and 6 in the Ice Optimist fleet. Congratulations to Estonian sailor Rasmus Maalinn who sailed nearly a perfect regatta with 6 firsts and one second. 2017 JWC Eddie Klemets of Sweden was second. Zuzanna Rybicka of Poland was the highest placing female with an 8th. Estonia’s Karl Ader took first in the Ice Optimist division and another Estonian, Lisbeth Taggu, was the highest placing female with fifth place finish.
The show isn’t over yet as the fleets are making a two hour move (because of snow in Lithuania) today northeast to Riga, Latvia to complete the European Championships tomorrow.
Results
Monotype-XV European Championships 2018
The Monotype-XV is a one-design stern-steerer class popular in Europe. “Designed in 1932 by the legendary Erik von Holst of Estonia”, the boat has an interesting history. The class held regattas held before WW2, followed by a long period with no international regattas, and then a reorganization in 1993. The Monotypes are sailing their regatta this week in Estonia. 28 stern-steers on the starting line is pretty impressive! Results
“What Do We Do In The Winter?”
Sailing the Great Lakes with Tim McKenna
What Do We Do In The Winter?
GREAT LAKES BOATING
PUBLISHED IN THE FEBRUARY 2018 ISSUE FEBRUARY 2018 FEATURE
Some Great Lakes sailors head south for the winter looking for blue water and sunshine in the Islands. Others do things like get a new hip. There are some who go outside in the cold weather and shoot ducks. Then there are the ones who head for the ice and sail really fast…these are the ones who race on iceboats. As this article is being written, the 2017 – 2018 winter season is just beginning. So-called “hard water” sailors have begun the task of pulling their boats down from the rafters and getting the cobwebs of summer cleared away.
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