Bottles Up!

Pat Heppert, his C class Skeeter DRIFTER, and the Wisconsin Skeeter Assoc. Bottle Trophy

It took a while, but the Wisconsin Skeeter Association Bottle Trophy finally found its way to last season’s recipient Pat Heppert. Looks like Pat had the perfect bottle waiting for it! Pat writes:

 It is a great honor to be a part of the legacy of this trophy, and I am eternally grateful to be the caretaker of this for 2019. The artistry and imagination of every one of Harry Whitehorse’s creations are truly impressive. In the background you will also see the new expanded headquarters of the Heppert boat works!

Iceboaters Going the Distance

Detail from “Great Lakes Freighter”, a painting by Harry Whitehorse.

The long distance summer sailing season is upon us and iceboaters are there. Let us know if you are sailing the Chicago to Mackinac race so you can be added to the list.

TRANSPAC
July 10, 2019
4LIYC Commodore Don Anderson will be sailing his second Transpac from Los Angeles, CA to Hawaii on MR BILL. Race tracking.

CHICAGO YACHT CLUB RACE TO MACKINAC
July 13, 2019
Race Tracking
EQUATION: (Santa Cruz 70, Section: 01) Ron Sherry, Chris Clark, Tom Dawson, Dave Elsmo
EXILE  (J88, Section 08) Andy Camarda
SHMOKIN JOE: (J111, Section: J111) Julie Jankowski
Julie is  arranging for a group photo of iceboaters immediately following the awards ceremony in front of the stage, probably around 2:30 Tuesday.

A painting from the imagination of Harry Whitehorse, a time when massive long distance iceboat freighters would rule the Great Lakes.

Area Iceboat Shop Deconstructs to Reassemble

Krueger Whitehorse Iceboat Shop

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.

Triple Twins

an experimental iceboat with two masts

An experimental iceboat. Photo from the World Ice & Snow Sailing Association Facebook page.

Iceboating appeals to dreamers. This twin-masted bow steering iceboat comes from the Facebook page of the World Ice & Snow Sailing Association. One of their members in Canada built the boat. This is one of the more unusual twin-mast concept iceboats because the wings are on the plank. Here are two more twin-masted iceboats, one in the from of an oil painting by Harry Whitehorse, and the other from Brian Reed who saw it ten years ago on Orange Lake in New York.

 

 

No 4LIYC Racing Dec 30-31, However….

ENTERPRISE on Kegonsa, oil on canvas by Harry Whitehorse Note the old Sunnyside (now Springer’s) on the shore.

There will be no 4LIYC racing December 30-31. Commodore Don Anderson and a large group of ice checkers (and lunch eaters) confirmed that Lake Kegonsa is covered with hard snow drifts, some up to 5″. The drifting and Saturday’s brutally cold temperatures made it an easy decision.

The group will reassemble on Middleton Bay tomorrow, Saturday, 30 at 11 AM at the Captain Bill’s landing. Don walked on Middleton Bay yesterday and thought the ice looked good (except for one goose hole), If there are sailing conditions, club members are tentatively planning on setting up boats there Sunday, December 31 for a day of scrub racing followed by the Bloody Mary Classic 10-lapper race on January 1 with more scrub racing. If you would like to help check ice, please be at Captain Bill’s tomorrow at 11 AM.

Next update will be tomorrow, Saturday, January 30.