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.
Here’s an article written for the Wisconsin Maritime Museum’s magazine about the history of ice sailing in Wisconsin and the champions, innovators, and legends who have shaped the sport. Read it here.
The Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc is absolutely worth a visit. A few years ago, they hosted a fantastic exhibit dedicated to the Inland Lakes Yachting Association, featuring scows, trophies, and a wealth of history. Perhaps one day, they might consider creating a similar exhibit for ice sailing.
Some of Carl Bernard’s scrapbook photos of his old friend, Ray Ruge.
The Hudson River Maritime Museum highlights the legacy of Ray Ruge, a pioneer in iceboat design and literature during the 1940s and 1950s. The Museum has posted his article, WAR BABY – A Simplified Version of a Bow Steering Iceboat, detailing the construction of an iceboat in 1940s Alberta using only available materials. As a premier writer on the subject, Ruge’s insights and innovations continue to inspire ice sailors today. It’s interesting to note that during WW2, Ruge spent time in Madison, sailed with our club, and became great friends with one of our most famous club members, Carl Bernard. See the article here.
From the article: “But,” said he, “no plywood, no dural, no fittings, no this and no that, how in the world can we build a decent ice boat now?” And the question certainly seemed sensible enough. But there was the lake, ready to freeze; there was the sail boat’s rig, ready to use; there were the tools and the shop to work in. So we just decided to start in and see how far we could get. Continue reading.
Oshkosh ice sailor Rosie McDonald getting ready to tap a Fauerbach beer on Lake Monona c 1955. Note the Fauerbach Brewery in the background. Photo: Carl Bernard slide collection.
After a day pulling sheet, there’s nothing quite like the camaraderie of fellow iceboaters reliving the day’s races over a cold dipper.
In 19th and 20th-century America, a unique correlation emerged among a specific industry – second-generation German beer brewers who had a passion for sports, all things fast, and ice sailing.
Besides the Vassar Brewery in New York (which had English roots), Pabst* in Milwaukee, and Madison’s favorite Fauerbach Brewery, Henry Bossett told me about another famous brewer who loved ice sailing: New York brewer George Ruppert. Furthermore, Jacob, George’s brother, owned the New York Yankees and famously signed Babe Ruth in 1919. In addition to being Vice President of the Yankees and president of the Ruppert Brewery, George was an active officer of New Jersey’s North Shrewsbury Iceboat and Yacht Club. In 1938, he organized a meeting at the brewery where 170 ice sailors attended and formed the Eastern Ice Yachting Association.
The newspapers of the time are full of stories about George and his fast, stern-steerer, PIRATE. In 1938, he jumped on the Skeeter bandwagon, one of the first in the East to acquire a front-steering iceboat from the Midwest, THE DARE. (See Skeeter Summit for Skeeter history.)
I couldn’t find any photos of PIRATE or THE DARE, but Brian Reid’s invaluable “White Wings and Black Ice” has pictures of another of Ruppert’s stern-steerers, DASH. In place of a picture of PIRATE, we’ll use a photo of Rosie McDonald getting ready for a cold dipper of Fauerbach beer on Lake Monona with the brewery in the background to represent the connection between breweries and ice sailing.
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.
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.
