UPCOMING:
November 4: Skeeter Iceboat Club Swap Meet in Williams Bay, WI More information
November 7: 4LIYC Nite Fleet Meets at Dave & Buster’s. More information
November 14: First 4LIYC Meeting of the 2018-2019 Season Info
Area Iceboat Shop Deconstructs to Reassemble
Ken Whitehorse
In 4LIYC iceboat shop news, the Krueger-Whitehorse shop is being torn down and the contents relocated 50 feet north of its present location. This all began in the 1950s when Walter and Harry Whitehorse needed a place to work on their open-wheel sprint and midget race cars. Iceboats were added to the mix in the 1960s when Harry and Walter discovered a way to keep going fast in the winter. Paul Krueger has been in the shop since the beginning when he was a teenager, first turning wrenches on midgets and then working his magic on Skeeters.
MST3K Discovers Iceboating
If you are an iceboater and a fan of the cult classic Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) , here are your worlds colliding with the usual commentary served up by Joel and the Bots.
Tip of the Helmet: John Bushey
Mad Men On Ice: The Motor City & Iceboat Advertising
Geoff Sobering emailed a link to this old favorite, a Chevrolet advertising newsreel from 1935 featuring a car racing a stern-steerer. A few days ago, Bob Rast posted the Oldsmobile magazine ad below in the 4LIYC Facebook group. (DN class records don’t indicate who owned 289)
Both got me thinking about how much Detroit’s auto industry and iceboating have been intertwined, not only in advertising, but in boat development and iceboat skippers who have ties to GM, Ford, Chrysler, etc. Detroit has given us the DN and Elmer Millinbach, iceboat innovator. Renegader Lorne Sherry (Ron’s father) designed and tested trailer hitches for GM, DNers Paul Goodwin, Jim Grogan, Ted Flack, Rob Holman, and Leon Lebeau work in the industry. Photographer Gretchen Dorian’s family owned a GM dealership in Detroit.
Iceboat ads have been featured on this website previously but they are always fun to revisit to help get us fired up for the upcoming season. I’ll post a few more in the coming weeks. If you have a favorite and want to share it, let me know.
Runner Tracks Magazine
Check out the latest edition of the DN online magazine, Runner Tracks, for an article by 4LIYC member Ron Rosten about junior ice sailing in Europe and North America. Ron and his son, Thor, have traveled to compete in the Junior World championship for several years now.
2018-2019 4LIYC Meeting Dates Announced
Your attention, please!
Mark your calendars for all upcoming Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club meeting dates! Same place (Angelo’s Italian Restaurant), same time, and same great all you can eat pizza buffet for only $10. Look for a Notice of Dues postcard in your mailbox soon or click here to download the membership dues form. Note that there are two Thursday meeting on the schedule as well.
2018-2019 4LIYC Meeting Dates
Location: Angelo’s Italian Restaurant
5801 Monona Drive
Monona, WI
Time: 6:30 PM alternate weeks
We meet downstairs and all are welcome.
- November 14
- November 29 THURSDAY
Elections, Elect Fleet Captains. Vote on ISA & NIYA Agenda Items - December 12
- December 27 THURSDAY
- January 9
Honor Roll Nominations - January 23
Deadline for By-Law or Racing Rules Amendment Submission - February 6
- February 20
Business Meeting - March 6
- March 20
2018 SIBC Swap Meet: November 4, 2018
Get them fresh and hot!
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).
WISCONSIN: Fine Art in America
“Iceboat” by Scott Smith
Here is something for the Labor Day weekend to get you thinking ice. Via stern-steerer skipper Andy Gratton who recognized his WISCONSIN iceboat but not the shoreline, though he thinks it may be Pewaukee. The image was created by Wauwatosa artist, Scott Smith, and can be purchased as a print or greeting cards on the fineartamerica website. Below is another great image of WISCONSIN in hiking mode.
Photo: Gretchen Dorian
Jack Ripp: A 4LIYC Champion Is Honored
One of our most esteemed members, Renegade champion and Honor Roll member, Jack Ripp, was celebrated recently with a big bash thrown for his 90th birthday. Jack still attends our bi-weekly club meetings during the season and has a wealth of knowledge about Renegade sailing and iceboating history. Several 4LIYC members attended the party and enjoyed catching up with Jack and eating a JACK FROST birthday cake. Happy birthday, Jack!
JACK RIPP CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES
- International Skeeter Association 1961
- Western International Skeeter Association 1981
- Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant of America 1964 1966 1967
- International Renegade Ice Yacht Association Regatta Championship 1987 1988 1991 1996
Northwest Ice Yacht Assocation (NIYA)
- NIYA Skeeter Titles 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1966
- NIYA Free For All 1962
- NIYA Renegade Titles 1988 1989 1992 1998
- Triple Crown 1967
Dog Days & Good Iceboaters
Stern-steerer news in this morning’s inbox from an undisclosed source – somewhere around Suamico, WI.
Sawyer Mafia “Erik & Ritch” working on runners for the ‘Gander @ the 311 skunk works… Good iceboaters as the dog days of summer are here.
Iceboat Tech That Never Caught On: Front-Seater Junior Iceboat
Illustration From Mechanix Illustrated, undated, c.1940s
These Mechanix Illustrated plans for a front-seater junior ice yacht never caught on but you can still “make your youngster the envy of every kid on the pond” with a modern Ice Optimist iceboat. The illustration reminds me of the 2008 video of the Stern-Steerer Kid, embedded below the plans.
