by Deb Whitehorse | Jan 5, 2026 | 2025-2026, Home Page
How This Started
A brief glimpse of a mention of an iceboat movie, shared by a University of Wisconsin–affiliated Facebook account, sent me down the rabbit hole again. The link vanished almost immediately, but the fragment was enough to send me looking.
The Varsity Movie
The program belonged to a University of Wisconsin student silent film titled The Varsity Movie: “Not Responsible.” It was produced by the Edward Booth Dramatic Club and screened publicly in Madison theaters. It was shot on location around Madison, involved dozens of students and faculty, and was promoted at the time as something new. Link to program.
An Iceboat at the Center of the Story
What caught my attention was the plot.
YELLOW KID
According to multiple 1921 newspaper articles and the program text itself, a central element of the story is an iceboat race. When the male lead is unable to compete, the female lead takes his place, sails the race, and wins.
They did not have to search far for iceboats. William Bernard’s Lake Mendota iceboat rentals were a short walk from campus. The program indicates that filming used two Bernard stern steerers, PROM QUEEN and the better-known YELLOW KID.
Looking through the iceboat.org archives, YELLOW KID appears repeatedly, including in accounts of a race against an automobile. I have not been able to find an independent record of PROM QUEEN. It may have been renamed for the film, or it may have been a lesser-documented Bernard yacht.
What Survives and What Does Not
At that point, the question stopped being whether this was a serious production and became something else. Where does this sit in the history of iceboats on film?
Only paper appears to survive from the UW film. The program, cast lists, production credits, reviews, and newspaper coverage all exist. So far, no film elements have surfaced. I have contacted the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research to determine whether anything survives off catalog.
Even if the film itself is lost, the documentation is clear enough to establish that iceboat racing was used as a narrative device in a motion picture by 1921.
Looking for the Earliest Iceboat on Film
That discovery led to a larger question. What is the earliest filmed iceboating we can actually identify?
Rather than start from scratch, I reached out to iceboat historian and sailmaker Henry Bossett. He pointed me to an Edison actuality titled Ice-Boat Racing at Redbank, N.J., filmed in 1904.
This makes historical sense. By 1904, the Edison Manufacturing Company was actively producing short actuality films, with operations based in West Orange, New Jersey. Red Bank was nearby, and the region was a well-established center of ice yachting.
That Edison film now appears to be the earliest documented motion picture depiction of ice yachting that we can identify with confidence, at least in North America. Link to video.
Narrative Versus Actuality
Seen in that context, the UW film occupies a different and still important place because it may represent the earliest known narrative use of iceboat racing in a motion picture.
Henry also reminded me of a later silent feature, Fascinating Youth from 1926, which is sometimes mentioned in discussions of early youth or collegiate films. Fascinating Youth is a full Hollywood studio production, filled with established stars and directed by Sam Wood. There is no personnel or production connection to the UW film.
Thematically, it belongs to a popular 1920s genre of college stories, not to the experimental, institutionally supported student filmmaking seen at UW in 1921.
Why the UW Film Still Matters
The UW film appears to have been exactly what it looks like. A serious student production, endorsed by faculty, ambitious in scope, and willing to put people and equipment out on winter ice to get the shots.
One participant was Carl Russell Fish, a nationally known historian and senior faculty member. His involvement underscores that this was not treated as a joke or a stunt.
So Far, the Picture Looks Like This
In 1904, iceboat racing is filmed as actuality by Edison. By 1921, iceboat racing is embedded in a narrative student film in Madison. By the mid 1930s, Wisconsin ice regattas are being filmed for international newsreels with clear terminology and context.
The UW film tells us that iceboating was visually compelling, culturally familiar, and narratively useful far earlier than most people assume.
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by Deb Whitehorse | Jan 20, 2025 | 2024-2025, Home Page, WSSA
Photo: Oshkosh Museum
The Oshkosh Public Museum recently shared a photo on its Facebook page that immediately caught the attention of Lake Winnebago stern-steerer sailor Andy Gratton. He quickly identified the boats:
“The closest boat is the MISS MADISON from Madison and still exists at the Iceboating Foundation in Madison with two other historic boats. I am fairly certain the second boat is the PRINCESS II, also from Madison, owed by Emil Fauerbach. The furthest boat is the FLYING DUTCHEMEN, originally owned by the Van Dyke brothers of Milwaukee. John Buckstaff acquired the boat at some time and frequently raced it. That boat is currently on the ice in front of the Fond du Lac Yacht Club. owned by Dave Lallier and Dave Whealon.”
Through further digging, ice sailing history expert Henry Bossett tracked down a newspaper article that aligns with the era and context of the photo. It’s likely from the 1930 Hearst Trophy Regatta on Lake Winnebago. In this event, Buckstaff and his crew, sailing FLYING DUTCHMEN , defended and won the trophy in light air conditions. MISS MADISON appears largely unchanged and has now joined the collection of historic iceboats at the Iceboat Foundation. As for PRINCESS II, the mystery of her fate remains unsolved.
It’s amazing how these historical pieces resurface and connect in unexpected ways.
Further reading:
MISS MADISON ARCHIVES
PRINCESS II ARCHIVES
FLYING DUTCHMEN ARCHIVES
HEARST CUP ARCHIVES
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by Deb Whitehorse | Aug 20, 2024 | 2024-2025, Home Page
Ruben Snodgress with COLD WAVE. Photo courtesy of Catherine Firmbach
PREVIOUS: Ole Evinrude’s Iceboats
A small object can reignite another dive into ice sailing history. Recently, Henry Bossett sent me a photo of a sail slide with the iconic Evinrude name stamped on it. For most people, Evinrude is associated with boat motors. However, for ice yachting enthusiasts, it evokes memories of the company’s venture into ice yacht manufacturing.
The sail slide that Henry shared belonged to Ruben Snodgress, who owned the stern steerer COLD WAVE, and he sailed it on Mecox Bay in Long Island, New York. While I’m unsure if COLD WAVE was an Evinrude-built ice yacht, it certainly used Evinrude sail slides. Interestingly, there are mentions of ice yachts named COLD WAVE in old magazines, but I’m not sure of the history of Ruben’s boat. I suspect Henry can fill us in.
But the story doesn’t end there. Ruben Snodgress wasn’t just an ice sailor but a true adventurer. His adventures even took him to a Russian DN regatta before the Cold War ended. To learn more about Ruben’s trip to Russia, read the full story here:
Siberian Adventure Part One
Siberian Adventure Part Two
Sometimes, the small things, like a simple sail slide, remind us of the history and connections within the world of ice yachting.
Photos of Ruben Snodgress and COLD WAVE courtesy of Catherine Firmbach.
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by Deb Whitehorse | Dec 28, 2023 | 2023-2024, Home Page
Henry Bossett discovered a vintage cartoon panel that may only make sense to an iceboat builder. When I was a kid, my dad and his fellow 4LIYC members built Skeeters in our basement. Extracting the finished hull out of the basement was a carefully orchestrated affair requiring the removal of doors and windows to navigate the boat out to the waiting trailer. Iceboats are sometimes built or repaired in a dining or living room that has been transformed into a workshop for iceboats.
The cartoonist Quin Hall had a successful career, including a stint at the New Yorker Magazine, but I couldn’t find any connection to iceboating. Perhaps he had a neighbor who faced the same problem when living in New Jersey, near Red Banks.
Tip of the Helmet: Henry Bossett
Just like in the cartoon, these kids are having a blast in their home-built iceboats.
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by Deb Whitehorse | Dec 14, 2023 | 2023-2024, Home Page, ISA, Renegade
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.
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At that point, the question stopped being whether this was a serious production and became something else. Where does this sit in the history of iceboats on film?
