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
Western Challenge Called ON
Via Minnesota iceboating.net where you will find all the official information you need to attend this fun DN regatta:
The Great Western Challenge is called on for Dec 1-3, 2017. Primary Site is North Long Lake. 5 miles north of Brainerd, MN. The boys did a great job scouting in light air.
Do You Know the Rules?
You’ve re-familiarized yourself by now with the concepts of sailing safe. Now is the time to check your knowledge of the racing rules in a test created by Godie Gottke G-4 over on the DN Europe website.
The test is now available in English, German, Russian, Hungarian, French, Finnish, Polish, and Czech.Study for the test with the Iceboating Right of Way Rules graphic and the animated course guide created by Dave Elsmo.
It won’t be long until we meet on the ice again!
Jeff Davis
The iceboating community lost one of our most avid stern-steerer sailors, Jeff Davis, on November 18. Our deepest condolences to the Davis family. They always make the effort to attend regattas. Jeff will be missed. His funeral will be held on Saturday, November 25 in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Read his obituary here.
Andy Gratton writes:
I am sorry to report that one of our younger stern-steerer members, Jeff Davis, 42, lost the battle with cancer on November 18. He and his brother Jay restored and sailed the C boat “Flirt” for the last couple decades. Prior to that they both raced DNs. Jeff loved being on the ice and made many trips from Iowa with his brother and his dad, John, to sail regattas with us. He was looking forward to being well enough to attend the 2018 Northwest and to bring his son for the first time. He will be missed.
Finn DNs!
Just back from the beautiful country Finland only 70 km from the Arctic Circle where I attended the first regatta of the European season, the Johnny Kohler Cup and All Saints regatta. Will write more later after some catching up. In the meantime, here are some photos. More on the DN Finland website.
Safety Review
Take time to make sure you have a great ice sailing season by reviewing the Sailing Safe page of this website. You’ll find articles on “High and Dry Iceboating”, “Sailing Smart and Safe”, cold water survival videos, a link to “Think Ice Safely and Rules of the Road”, gear recommendations, and much more. Racers should review the right-of-way rules.
The Power of Wind

Google Translate sometimes misses the mark: “All You Need to Know About Sailing Cars Gliding On Ice” though it does seem fitting considering the guy in the Skeeter, Paul Krueger’s other speed passion is open-wheel racing.
Ran across this in-depth article via Facebook about iceboating from “The Power of Wind” a Russian sailing website. The MARY B even gets a mention! Google’s translation could be better but if you are interested in the history of the sport around the world and in Russia, it’s worth taking a few minutes to read.
In the minds of most people who first heard the word “iceboat”, there is absolutely no association. Yes, and the description that it is a boat, put on skates, also does not particularly clarify the already confusing picture. Paradoxical in this situation is that the iceboat is not a newfangled entertainment and not the pampering of amateur designers, but a real sport with all the attendant attributes: international competitions, division into classes, clearly stipulated regulations and, most importantly, its long history.
Continue reading. (Links to Google’s English translation.)
First Minnesota Nice Ice!
Just as I was editing the previous entry about Montana’s first ice, received this photo from Minnesota ice sailor, Mike Bloom, who has his DN rigged for the first ride of the season on Lake Christina in Minnesota, the site of many Western Challenge fun regattas.
5 PM UPDATE:
Christina provided smiling faces on Opening Day!
Fast Montana Second!
Making Nite Dust

Photo: Tim Stanton. Lars Barber and Doug Kolner taking away what is not needed for the new Nite plank.
Planers and sanders are making dust as iceboat parts are being produced in shops around the Four Lakes region. After a trip to McCormick Lumber yesterday for some Sitka Spruce, the guys at the Belle Isle Boatworks – Stanton Campus began working on a new Nite plank for Lars Barber.
FIRST!
DN sailor Mike Madge opened the North American ice sailing season in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada today. He reports on his Facebook page:
First sail of the year. Went from using FO1 in the morning to a Speed Sail then just skating.Fun day but really windy,almost had my first out of boat experience as the gusts were huge. Nice hard black ice with less the a cm of snow cover.Too windy to film sailing using an IPad.
The Ice Maker is working overtime tonight in the Midwest with temperatures of 8F tonight in western Minnesota!