Welcome to iceboat.org

The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club is one of the most active iceboat clubs in North America. We’ve been building and racing iceboats for over 100 years in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Ice Is Never 100% Safe.

Our ice reports are strictly for iceboat racers. Recreational iceboaters, kite boarders, cross country skiers, and ice fishermen should not rely on our ice reports. We have safety equipment. Do you?

Buy or Sell Your Iceboat

One of the best pages in North America to buy or sell iceboats and their parts. There’s also a complete list of vendors who will supply iceboats, sails, and their components.

Common Questions:

How can I get started? How fast can they go? How much do they cost? Is it safe?

Regatta Watch

Information about the ISA, NIYA, WSSA, Nite, and DN regattas.

Iceboat Classes

Learn about Skeeters, DNs, Stern Steerers, Renegades, Nites, and Ice Optimists.

The Rules.

The purpose of iceboat racing rules is to prevent collisions.

Ice Yacht Clubs

The best way to learn about iceboating and make life long friendships is to join a local club.

Why We Sail.

“If all our ice were glass, slightly wet, and all our air reasonably steady with lifters just where needed, sailing would be perfect. Sometimes we do find this, and it is worth waiting years to have. Meanwhile we must accept the more ordinary ice conditions, ordinary weather and wind, and gracefully accept snow, sometimes for weeks. Our ideal comes from time to time, the Great Maker gives only so much of the very best.” Charles H. Johnson.

Iceboating for Kids

Ice Optimists were created specifically as a youth trainer, designed to be easily built using commonly available materials, and to keep costs to a minimum.

UPCOMING:
4LIYC Racing is On Hold – Waiting for colder temps
4LIYC Meeting :
Feb 25 @ Breakwater  More information.
4LIYC Shipstore: Order custom iceboat shirts, hats, and gear. More information.
BURGEE:
 Order your 4LIYC Burgee
Pay Your Dues Online

4LIYC Racing Update: No Racing for Feb 11-12, 2023

Class A Skeeters hiking out at the 2016 Northwest on Lake Monona, Madison, WI. Photo: Joe Stanton

There will be no club racing this weekend Feb. 11-12. Ice checkers found 2-3“ of stiff snow with a layer of water underneath before reaching hard ice. Hopefully the warm temps and sun will turn the top snow to liquid and then we’ll get a hard freeze. Keep’m sharp!
4LIYC Commodore Daniel

University of WI 2023 Winter Fest, Feb 11 – 12

Bucky Badger on the MARY B at the Frozen Assets Festival on Lake Mendota.

The Wisconsin Memorial Union is having a winter fest this weekend, February 11 – 12, 2023,  and the 4LIYC has been invited to display iceboats. The MARY B will be there, and I believe, INSANITY. Looking for others who would be willing to display boats from other classes. This will be excellent exposure for our club and sport. Not to mention, that there will be many attractive coeds looking to meet a big, strong, iceboatin’ man. As an added incentive, there’s a free case of beer chilling for the skipper of every displayed boat. You’ll probably meet several coeds with whom you could share it. Wow! Please let me know if you’re willing and which boat(s) you’ll bring. Thx! Commodore Daniel

The Iceboat Tourist

Swedish Skeeter

Results
DN Sweden Community Facebook Page for Live Reports
I’ve been in Rattvik, Sweden, on Lake Siljan, helping with the fourth annual 2023 DN Grand Masters Regatta, a three-day event for sailors 60 years and older. Hal Bowman US1277 and Mike Bloom US123 are the first Americans to ever participate in the regatta.

Lake Siljan is 137 square miles, formed 377 million years ago by a meteor. It’s almost as big as Lake Winnebago at 215 square miles.

There were three Skeeters that came out to watch yesterday. I was too busy to be able to get a closer look. I’ll try to get better pictures today, the last day of the regatta.
-Deb

Ice Sailing Speed Symposium

A group of top DN sailors gathered at 4LIYC Commodore Daniel Hearn’s office during the recent World Championship to answer questions about iceboat racing. Thanks Sam Bartel for shooting the vide, editing, and posting to YouTube.
Link here.

Navins Nab Nite Nats

Via the Nite Facebook page, Kyle and Dave Navin.

2023 Nite National Results
Congratulations to father and son Dave and Kyle Navin for their one and two finishes at the Nite Nationals sailed on Lake Geneva February 4-5, 2023. (I’ve been waiting over 20 years to write that alliterative headline, “Navin Nabs Nite Nats – even better having to add the s to make it Navins -Ed.) 4LIYC Commodore Daniel Hearn took 4th in the Gold fleet, while Brett Hulsley took 7th in the Silver fleet.

Regatta Watch: 2023 Northwest Postponed to Feb 17 – 19

The 2023 NIYA Regatta has been postponed one week to February 17th, 18th and 19th 2023. The potential sites are Lake Winnebago, Green Bay and Petenwell, with melting making for a number of possible locations.

Steve Schalk

Secretary/Treasurer

NIYA

4LIYC By Laws Proposal for Feb 15 Business Meeting

 

Joe Norton flags Damien Luyet at the 2023 Renegade Championship on Lake Kegonsa. Photo: Will Johnston

Proposal to Change the 4LIYC Bylaws & Racing Rules
Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club scoring chair, Tim McCormick,  has submitted a proposal to change the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Bylaws and Racing Rules. Tim’s proposal will “alleviate the confusion we had last year in the Skeeter fleet and clarify scoring classes with multiple fleets at regattas.” The changes are marked in red in the pdf document and affect the following:

  1. Bylaws: Article 6, Section 6
  2. Racing Rules, Part III Race Management, 7. Scoring, h. Fleets
  3. Racing Rules, Part III Race Management, 8. Stay-At-Home-Series & Regattas, c.

Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club members in good standing will vote on the proposal at 4LIYC Business Meeting on February 15, 2023. Please review the proposal.

Online Ship’s Store

Regatta Dates 2026

  • DN Western Challenge
    December 5 – 7, 2025
    Information
  • 2025 International Skeeter Association Regatta
    December 2025
    Information
  • DN Western Region Championship
    January 3-4, 2026
    Information
  • International Skeeter Association Regatta
    Scheduled January 9–11, 2026
    Held on first good ice, week-to-week updates as conditions allow.
    Information
  • DN NA Championship
    January 24-31, 2026 Information
  • DN World & European Championship
    February 14 – 21. 2026 Information
  • DN & Ice Optimist Junior Championship
    Information
  • Northwest Regatta Information
  • Nite Nationals Information
  • WSSA Championship Regatta
    Information.

Subscribe

Enter your email address to subscribe to iceboat.org and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 294 other subscribers

National Iceboat Authority Web Page



Click for 4LIYC Meeting Dates

2024-2025

  • 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

Web Analytics

TO ROUND THE MARK SINCE NOVEMBER 1999.



Lake Access Permits

A year-round permit required for designated launch sites in the City of Madison and Dane County Parks. Locations include:

    • Lake Mendota Warner Park Mendota County Park
    • Lake Monona Tonyawatha Tr. Olin Park
    • Lake Waubesa Goodland Park

Purchase Lake Access Permit Online.

Search