In The News: Bill Bucholz

Bill Bucholz and Pat Heppert at the 2017 ISA in Battle Lake, MN

Our good friend, Maine iceboater and iceboat builder Bill Bucholz, was recently featured in an article in the Portland Press Herald. Bill made the long drive to the ISA in 2017 with his C Skeeter and we look forward to his next regatta visit.

Maine’s only commercial ice-boat builder has a passion for his craft

In the fringe sport, Bill Buchholz enjoys making boats.

BY DEIRDRE FLEMING

CAMDEN — Bill Buchholz builds ice boats for a living, a trade that sets him apart.

He built his first in 2007, and in the subsequent years turned his Camden company, Apache Boatworks, into a business that specializes in ice boats, sleek usually one-person crafts that can skate across frozen ponds and lakes at speeds of up to 50 mph.

In a boat-building community of some 5,000, Buchholz is the only full-time commercial ice-boat builder in Maine, and one of a small number – some estimate it around 200 – in the country. Continue reading.

In The News: Toledo Ice Yacht Club


Happy 100th to the Toledo Ice Yacht Club where they are hosting Winterfest today. If you are in the area and want to see what iceboating is all about, this is the place to experience it. Check out the article and accompanying video. 

Ice boat racing a pastime in Point Place

JAY SKEBBA
Blade Staff Writer
jskebba@theblade.com

Mr [Kent]. Baker said ice boaters and racers have created a sense of community with each other.

“I’ve been in the club over 20 years, so I’ve known a lot of these people that long,” he said. “You make friends and end up traveling together with random people. The guy I went to Maine with, we’ll call each other up and talk about going somewhere to race. A lot of times we’re the only ones nutty enough to do it.” Read more.

“What Do We Do In The Winter?”

Photo: gretchendorian.com

Sailing the Great Lakes with Tim McKenna
What Do We Do In The Winter?
GREAT LAKES BOATING
PUBLISHED IN THE FEBRUARY 2018 ISSUE FEBRUARY 2018 FEATURE

Some Great Lakes sailors head south for the winter looking for blue water and sunshine in the Islands. Others do things like get a new hip. There are some who go outside in the cold weather and shoot ducks. Then there are the ones who head for the ice and sail really fast…these are the ones who race on iceboats. As this article is being written, the 2017 – 2018 winter season is just beginning. So-called “hard water” sailors have begun the task of pulling their boats down from the rafters and getting the cobwebs of summer cleared away.
Continue reading.