by Deb Whitehorse | Jun 3, 2019 | 2018-2019, Home Page
Skeeter Ice Boat Club ice sailor Jane Wiswell Pegel.
Via Susie Pegel:
Williams Bay, Wisconsin (“Iceboat Center of the World”) is celebrating its Centennial in 2019. It has been 100 years since being incorporated as a village. Four booklets are now on display at the Barrett Memorial Library in Williams Bay:
1)”Iceboating and the Skeeter Ice Boat Club”
2)”Jane Pegel—Iceboat Champion”
3)”The Williams Bay Sailing Club”
4) “Dr. Clifford Y. Wiswell—Town Doctor”
A series of special events will be taking place during the year culminating on October 19 with the big blowout celebration including food, beverages, entertainment, bike parade and more!!
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by Deb Whitehorse | Apr 15, 2019 | 2018-2019, DN, Home Page
Jane Wiswell Pegel Hall of Champions Dedication Ceremony
Via the Lake Geneva Yacht Club:
On the 16th day of February 2019, Jane Wiswell Pegel was recognized for her service from 2011 through 2018 as Chief Judge of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club and for her decades of work on our behalf in Race Management as Senior Judge, Principal Race Officer, Regatta Chair, and Race Committee Member.
To honor Jane Wiswell Pegel, LGYC will be hosting a dedication ceremony on May 4th at 5:00 pm. Come show your support for her longtime dedication to the Lake Geneva Yacht Club. Light appetizers will be served. This event is open to all.
The Details:
What: Jane Wiswell Pegel Dedication Ceremony
When: May 4th – 5:00 PM
Where: Lake Geneva Yacht Club
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by Deb Whitehorse | Feb 5, 2019 | 2018-2019, Home Page
JR Francis US807 Photo: JH Peterson
Pick up a print or digital February issue SAILING Magazine for a feature story with high quality photography by JH Peterson about our favorite sport. Steve Orlebeke, Harken, mentions of the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club and Skeeter Iceboat Club, Jane Pegel – I could go on but the author has covered all the bases on the Wisconsin and Minnesota iceboating scene.
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by Deb Whitehorse | Jul 26, 2018 | 2017-2018, Home Page
Here’s some content for the doldrums of ice sailing, technology that never caught on. As I’ve stated before, iceboating appeals to dreamers. Some of their ideas became standard equipment but most didn’t.
In the 1930s and 40s, yachting author J. Julius Fanta must have taken a fancy to the idea of a four-runner iceboat and wrote at least two articles about them. In a thoroughly detailed article in Yachting Magazine about a four-runner Skeeter developed on Geneva Lake, he predicted “the four-runner iceboat is the coming thing in ice yachting and not a fly-by-night experiment.” Four-runner iceboats never became popular because they were not an improvement upon a standard three-runner iceboat. Download the Yachting Magazine article in pdf.
In a 1940 Popular Science article, he presented detailed plans for a four-runner stern steerer.
A four-runner Skeeter was photographed by Carl Bernard at the 1947 Northwest on Lake Winnebago.
Ben Lampert’s 4 Runner Skeeter at the 1947 Northwest Source: Carl Bernard Files
UPDATE: July 30, 2018: Via Skeeter Iceboat Club member, Jane Pegel:
Skeeter Ice Boat Club member Bob Ferris built and raced a 4-runner Skeeter. I believe this was in the 1950’s.
This boat had a springboard at the bow and also at the stern with a runner on the end of each springboard.
My recollection is that the runners at each end were steering runners and could be turned via cables and foot pedals.
The runner plank was located approximately half way between the two ends of the boat.
The runner plank was shorter than customary. When sailing, the bow and stern runners were on the ice
and the runner on the leeward end of the runner plank was on the ice. The runner on the windward end
of the runner plank “floated” slightly above the ice surface.
The idea of the design was to be able to turn “on a dime”. The boat could make a tight turn at the
leeward mark (occasionally spun out.) Bob won some races with the boat but basically the boat was not as fast as her
competition sailing on the “straight away”. Only the Bob Ferris design would turn on a dime. Only three of his runners were touching the ice, what ever runner that was on the windward end of the runner plank was floating above the ice. The 4 runner boats that essentially were a rectangle would not be able to turn on a dime.
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by Deb Whitehorse | May 8, 2018 | 2017-2018, Home Page
Photo: August Greidanus
Via SIBC member Jane Pegel:
The Skeeter IBC 85th annual trophy dinner took place on May 5th.
Winner of the various completed series were presented their trophies.
Boe Craft B Skeeter:
Championship Series – Steve Schalk
Saturday Morning Series – Rick Pappas
Wednesday Series – Steve Schalk
DN Saturday Series – Pat Fitzgerald
The Nite fleet did not have a completed series, but Kyle Navin was recognized
as the winner of the races that had been sailed.
Two former Commodores were granted Life Membership status –
Chuck Kaye and Steve Schalk. They both have performed outstanding
service to the Club as equipment maintenance men, ice checkers, rescue team, and as members of the sailing committee.
The current existing Life Members who were present to express their welcome to Chuck and Steve included
Burly Brellenthin, Bud Melges, and Jane Pegel. Life Member Spark Lundberg was unable to attend the event.
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