The Swedish company Sail Racing has released its latest Black Ice campaign, incorporating Skeeter class iceboats to market their technical clothing. Daniel Hearn’s C Skeeter, to be specific. Pat Heppert also makes an appearance in his C Skeeter on their website video.
Some enterprising folks on Airbnb are offering an opportunity to camp in a glamorous Oshkosh, WI “ice cave.” The ad brought to mind Andy Gratton’s recent visit to Lake Christina in Minnesota, where he sailed his new blue Renegade. Andy did something he said he always wanted to do; he pitched his tent and slept on the ice. Thanks, Andy, for being a good sport and letting me have some fun with this parody ad.
Can there be any better way to introduce the new Nite YouTube channel than by starting off with this Schlitz commercial that ran in 1979? Not only that, Nite Treasurer Maureen Bohleber collected the back story on the making of the commercial. Be sure to go over to the Nite YouTube page to read it all.
Starring: Dick Slates, Will Perrigo, Tom Sweitzer and Mike Sangor
In 1979 the Schiltz Brewing Co. decided to make a series of commercials for the upcoming 1980 Winter Olympics featuring several sports that were winter related but definitely not in the mainstream of the official events. Iceboating turned out to be one of them. I’m not sure how they ended up with Nites and Pewaukee Lake but I’m guessing it had something to do with their corporate HQs being in Milwaukee at the time and Pewaukee Lake sailors’ reputation for enjoying their product. Kind of a win-win situation. Continue reading.
Black Ice from Sail Racing on Vimeo.
Explore Black IceIn January of 2020, the Swedish high-performance clothing company Sail Racing sent their crew on an expedition to Lake Pepin on the Wisconsin Minnesota border to film Skeeters for their fall 2020 advertising campaign. They have filmed Skeeters in previous years including the 2013 International Skeeter Association Regatta (ISA) on Lake Kegonsa. Skeeter sailors and the Sail Racing folks had hoped for another ISA but regatta conditions never came together. However, Lake Pepin’s ice provided conditions for C Skeeter sailors Daniel Hearn and Pat Heppert which enabled the Sail Racing folks to complete their mission. Today they released the new line fittingly called Black Ice.
This Camel cigarette ad featuring Lake Hopatcong Ice Yacht Club Commodore George J. Seger ran in newspapers nationwide in March of 1939. An internet search revealed that Commodore Seger must have capitalized on his Camel advertising fame and marketed a model ice boat. The shiny red Skeeter model and the box it came in are both lovely works of art. The model was offered for sale at an auction site in 2017. I’ve never seen one of these models before. Maybe someone out there has one. If so, send a picture!
National Iceboat Authority Web Page
Location: In person at the Elks Lodge 711 Jenifer St, Madison, WI 53703
Time: 6:30 PM
YOU ARE SKIPPER NUMBER
TO ROUND THE MARK SINCE NOVEMBER 1999.
