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
Evolution of a Mast Project
The sanding crew, from left Paul McMillan, Jerry Simon, Steve Holtzman, Stefan Schmidt, Lars Barber, Don Anderson, Mike Ripp.
Just as changing a light fixture in a house frequently evolves into a room renovation, replacing a broken sheave on the mast of MARY B became a more extensive project.
In August, the Iceboat Foundation showcased two boats – the MARY B and the Class A Skeeter INSANITY – at Marshall Park during the E Scow Nationals. While both boats impressed the onlookers, the crew encountered an issue with a faulty sheave when they tried to take down the sail.
Mike Ripp, paint specialist
As they were replacing the sheave, the crew decided to take the opportunity to give the mast a fresh coat of paint. Mike Ripp, volunteered to do the entire paint job and will apply two coats of the traditional white paint, one side at a time over the course of the week.
Regatta Causes Lake Geneva Traffic Jam
Evron Kline, Battle Creek Ice Yacht Club, photos
PREVIOUS: Evron Kline’s 1947 NIYA Photos
Northwest Regatta Page
Here’s a scrapbook page filled with 1948 Northwest photos from Lori Klein-Clossen’s grandfather, Evron Kline. Evron was a member of the Battle Creek, Michigan Ice Yacht Club.
The 1948 NIYA was likely the first time an iceboat regatta caused traffic jams as spectators hunted for parking spots between Fontana, Williams Bay, and Lake Geneva. The FRITZ, a 4LIYC Class A Stern Steerer, was the boat to beat. A young Bill Mattison crewed on 18-year-old Jim Lunder’s FRITZ to win the A-Class title. New Jersey’s Art Siebke won a tie-break with Elmer Millenbach to take the Skeeter championship. Menominee, Michigan’s Dick Sawyer, and Sam Wells took Class B honors in RITA. Class C championship went to Bud Stroshine of Oshkosh, WI, sailing SUSAN JO, and Don Ward’s ROSEMARY won Class D.
Renegade Newsletter Published
Via Renegade Secretary Ron Rosten, the annual Renegade class newsletter is out. Click here to read the newsletter.
Skeeter Summit Presentation – Now on YouTube
If you missed last night’s presentation on the history and future of the Skeeter iceboat class by Henry Bossett, Dan Clapp, and Pat Heppert, don’t worry! The entire session has been recorded and is now available on our YouTube channel. Whether you want to relive the insights or catch it for the first time, dive in and increase your Skeeter iceboat knowledge. Watch it at this link: Skeeter Summit
The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club thanks Henry Bossett, Dan Clapp, and Pat Heppert for sharing your expertise and passion for the Skeeter fleet with our ice-sailing community. Your dedication to preserving and advancing the Skeeter class will have a lasting impact on future iceboaters.
Friendly Reminder – Skeeter Summit Wednesday @ 6:30 PM CT
1991 ISA Regatta. Notice there’s only one cockpit-forward Skeeter on the line.
Henry Bossett, Dan Clapp, and Pat Heppert have created an exceptional production that covers the past and future of the Skeeter class.
The photo above from the presentation displays the first cockpit-forward “bubble-boat, ” COMING ATTRACTIONS, which marked the beginning of a new phase in Skeeter design. In 1991, Dan Clapp towed this boat from New Jersey to Lake Geneva and emerged victorious in the International Skeeter Association regatta.
If you’ve registered, we’ll email you the Zoom link Wednesday morning. If you have questions during the presentation, we encourage you to ask them using the chat option, and the Skeeter specialists will answer them at the end of the presentation. Or you can email your questions ahead of time to to debwhitehorse@iceboat.org.
What To Know
SKEETER SUMMIT
Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Time: 6:30 PM CT / 7:30 PM ET
The Zoom link was emailed on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.
Regatta Watch: 2023 Northwest Cancelled
Northwest Regatta Home Page
The Northwestern Ice Yachting Association 2023 race committee has not located any location suitable for the regatta for next weekend. With holidays filling the following two weekends, the 2023 Regatta is cancelled.
The 2024 NIYA Regatta is scheduled Friday January 19 – 21, 2024.
Steve Schalk
Northwestern Ice Yachting Association
Secretary/Treasurer
Historical Photos from the 1947 Northwest
A55 is TAKU, currently owned by the Schloemer family of Lake Geneva, WI. Photo colorized by Photoshop.
Thanks to Lori Klein-Clossen for sharing two captivating photos from her grandfather’s collection from the 1947 Northwest at Oshkosh. These photos are a welcomed addition to the 1947 Northwest history page.
In 1947, after a five-year hiatus due to World War 2, the first post-war Northwest convened at Oshkosh. Among the notable triumphs, the 4LIYC’s FRITZ, under the new ownership of the Lunder brothers with Carl Bernard at the helm, clinched the A Stern Steerer trophy. Ed Rollberg, a future bearer of the Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant, secured the E Skeeter title.
The post-WW2 era brought a wave of innovation, with returning iceboaters, like the visionary Elmer Millenbach, designer of the Renegade.
A noteworthy read from the start of the 1946-1947 season: Yachting Magazine published a comprehensive article by eastern iceboater Ray Ruge, offering an in-depth exploration of iceboating in North America. Dive into the past and read it here [insert link].
Tip of the Helmet to Lori Klein-Clossen for connecting us with these historical photos.
UPDATE: Stern-Steerer skipper Mike Peters weighs in:
The only boat I can identify in the Skeeter picture is the left hand skeeter WILLY built by Al Ziebell of Oshkosh. I think the boat was new that year.
In the Stern Steer picture, from left is the FLYING DUTCHMEN owned by John Buckstaff, A-55 PHANTOM owned by Jimmy Kimberly, then sold to my Dad and Harvey Hayes. The boat is know TAKU out of Lake Geneva. Number 9 is FERDINAND the Bull from Detroit. Now owned by the Melges family from Lake Geneva. A3 is a mystery, looks like a Johnson Boat Works A Class. C12 is a bow steer CRAZY Craft owned by Bud Stroshine of Oshkosh. The last boat is a B from Pewaukee that won her class that year as noted in one of the most recent articles on iceboat.org.
Regatta Watch: 2023 NIYA Postponed to December 15 – 17
Photo: Will Johnston
Via Steve Schalk:
The 2023 NIYA was postponed to December 2023 last spring. The Race Committee as of today has not found ice suitable for a Northwest Regatta anywhere in our range of travel.
The Committee will confer again next Sunday to make a final decision on 2023. If on Sunday December 10th, there are no feasible locations for December 15th the 2023 Regatta will be cancelled.
Steve Schalk
Northwestern Ice Yachting Association
Secretary/Treasurer
We Meet Again – 4LIYC Meeting Dec 6 @ 4LYC
We are pleased to announce that our in-person meetings will resume on a limited schedule at the Four Lakes Yacht Club in Monona, WI. We will alternate between meeting at the Four Lakes Yacht Club and on Zoom.
The 4LIYC is grateful to the 4LYC for using their facility and recognizing our long-shared history as people who enjoy and treasure our Four Lakes.
Our first in-person meeting is on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at 6:30 PM at the Four Lakes Yacht Club.
FOUR LAKES YACHT CLUB
6312 Metropolitan Ln, Monona, WI
Parking: There is a public parking ramp across the street from the Yacht Club
FOOD AND BEVERAGE OPTIONS
Pizza & Bev: Pay $20 for pizza and beverages.
We will order pizzas for delivery and purchase beer and soda from the club refrigerator. Please keep track of your purchases by noting them on the beverage list.
Bev Only: $10 for beverages only. Please keep track of your purchases by noting them on the beverage list.
Bottle Bringers: BYOB
Ways to Pay
Please bring cash or write a check to the 4LIYC. Deb can accept credit or debit card payments on-site.
2023 – 2024 4LIYC MEETING SCHEDULE
December 6 – Four Lakes Yacht Club
December 20 – Zoom
January 3 – Four Lakes Yacht Club – Honor Roll Nominations
January 17 – Zoom – Deadline for By-Law or Racing Rules Amendment Submission
January 31 – Four Lakes Yacht Club
February 15 – Zoom – Business Meeting
February 28 – Four Lakes Yacht Club
March 13 – Zoom
Wisconsin Stern Steerer Association Newsletter
The Stern-Steerer class is planning for the upcoming season. Wisconsin Stern Steerer Association Secretary Andy Gratton has shared the WSSA annual newsletter, providing a perfect reason to hang on tight and watch Dave Elsmo’s epic Deuce video.
Online Ship’s Store
National Iceboat Authority Web Page
4LIYC Governing Documents
Click for 4LIYC Meeting Dates
- 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
YOU ARE SKIPPER NUMBER
TO ROUND THE MARK SINCE NOVEMBER 1999.
