Chicago to Mackinac started early this year when retired Renegader Glenn Betzoldt decided to organize his own race—not by iceboat or soft water sailboat, but with his glider plane.
Well, I never did the sailboat soft water race to the Island, so I decided to start my own race, first ever Michigan Sailplane “air sailing” race to Mackinac. So Memorial Day, I finally got the forecast I needed to go.
I started west of North Cape Yacht club and another Sailplane came out of Ann Arbor to join me. So, we had 2 classes, Open& 18 Meter, but the 18 Meter ended up dropping out.
So, then it wasn’t a speed race, this time just distance, about 275 miles start to finish. I guess you could say I was in the Cruisers Class.
It worked out great, and had enough altitude to cross the straits without any sweat. My biggest concern of the trip was all the landing lights I had to deal with since I have a 70’ wingspan. (144 sq feet sail area) The lights on the island were about 2 feet tall with an additional 2 feet for flags on top of that – to help find them in the winter under the snow.
To get the glider off the Island, I didn’t want to use horses to pull the trailer off the ferry and get it to the airport $$$. So, after spending the night on the island, I did a self-launch off Mackinac to move the glider to Cheboygan. My wife, Laura, drove up with the trailer and we de-rigged and drove back home.
It was a once in a lifetime Sailplane flight!!
Glen
Another way to sail the Great Lakes, a concept painting by Harry Whitehorse titled “Great Lakes Freighter.”
If you drop in on the Current Champions Fast Iceboat Shop, best to be prepared for anything, as Menekaunee Iceboat Club member Mike Derusha discovered yesterday.
Ken Whitehorse shares, “It was a momentous day at the Current Champions Iceboat shop. Our Renegade Champ Mike lent a hand with repairs on the DN Western Region ATV and equipment trailer, then loaded up 100 feet of Sitka Spruce, and finally, joined forces with Skeeter Champ Ken to construct a wigwam.”
Speaking of wigwams, I’m going to take the opportunity to plug what’s been keeping me from posting here as much as I’d like —helping to organize the first Harry Whitehorse International Wood Sculpture Festival, which will take place June 14 – 22 at San Damiano on Lake Monona. During the week-long festival, twelve artists from around the world will create wooden sculptures. Ken and Mike began constructing an educational longhouse frame that will serve as an exhibit space for Ho-Chunk cultural demonstrators and a wooden canoe. Hope to see you there!
Greg Whitehorse in his Renegade BLADE RUNNER on Lake Monona.
Previous: Drawing Blade Runner
Lifetime 4LIYC member Greg Whitehorse has followed in his father, artist Harry Whitehorse, footsteps. Greg’s been honing his artistic talents in the past couple of years by sketching open-wheel midget race cars, another Whitehorse family tradition. Last year, Greg shared his first sketch of his Renegade, BLADE RUNNER. The cold weather must have inspired him to have another go at it; here’s his second sketch.
BLADE RUNNER’s new owner, Chad Atkins, and trailer partner, Chris Gordon, who bought a former Simon Renegade, have been tuning them up in Rhode Island for the past few weeks. They are in the trailer and will return to Four Lakes soon.
Dejope (Four Lakes) is the territory of the Ho-Chunk Nation, the indigenous people who always have and continue to live here. The Whitehorses are Ho-Chunk Nation tribal members and long-time Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club members, including my late husband, Harry Whitehorse. I’ve always thought Native people had the technology to make iceboats. Harry told me that his uncle George Seymour built traditional snow sleds using deer antlers for the runners. Indigenous people could have made an iceboat using deer antlers for insert runners, woven rush mats for a sail, and a dugout canoe for the hull.
Yesterday, November 2, 2021, archeologists carefully removed an ancient dugout canoe from the bottom of Lake Mendota, where it had been resting for 1200 years. Looking closely, one could imagine a mast step and a steering chock hole.
Via Tom Kneubuehl posted on the Historic Madison, WI Photo Facebook page:
“This dugout canoe was pulled out of Lake Mendota around 1:00 p.m. today. It could be the oldest known sunken boat/shipwreck in Wisconsin. It is about 1200 years old and was discovered by a diver in June when it happened to catch their attention. Apparently the diver contacted the State Historical Society and a chain of events happened which led to today. A cache of fishing weights were found in the canoe so apparently it was used by the inhabitants of that time to fish with weighted net. Note how small the canoe looks. They must have had great balance and were obviously smaller. The canoe is undergoing a lengthy preservation process to make sure it survives. I live close to the lake location where it was brought ashore so this information is from conversations with people at the scene. The number of people involved is long. City and state had a lot of archeologists and other key personnel there to direct and help the extraction. The Mayor was there along with other key city department leaders. Divers did the underwater work and brought the canoe to shore including from the Sheriffs Department. Anyone else who knows more details can add to the story in the comments but in summary it was a pretty amazing sight.”
Greg Whitehorse grew up racing iceboats and, along with his brother, Gary, joined their father, Harry, campaigning open-wheel sprint car and midgets on the Midwest dirt-track racing circuit. Greg also watched his father create stunning oil paintings of race cars and iceboats. A few months ago, Greg picked up colored pencils and began sketching his favorite classic race cars. He posted them on the Badger Midget Facebook page, where they have been well received.
Greg has turned his attention to iceboats with the first sketch of his boat, the Renegade BLADE RUNNER, and posted it on the 4LIYC Facebook page. Let’s hope this is the first iceboat sketch of more to come!
