RESULTS
The photos tell the story. This looks like one of those events people will regret missing, with a lot of “you had to be there” stories coming out of Jungo Yacht Club.
After three days of racing in a variety of wind conditions, 5-time DN World Champion and 14-time DN North American Champion Ron Sherry claimed victory in the A Fleet with 12 points. Daniel Hearn, who invited Ron and Leon Lebeau to Nevada and supplied the boats they sailed, finished second with 16 points. Not bad for Ron’s first attempt at land sailing and his transition from ice to dirt was clearly successful.
When Daniel called and suggested the trip, Ron didn’t need much convincing. “Leon and I have been wanting to try that forever,” Ron recalled.
Daniel arrived with a trailer full of land yachts. Scott Dale provided the venue, having purchased the property and developed Jungo Yacht Club into one of the premier land sailing destinations in North America. During the day, sailors raced. At night, everyone gathered around campfires, shared meals, and traded stories.
Forty-six boats competed, divided evenly between A and B Fleets, with 23 boats in each fleet. In B Fleet, Reed Lorimer took top honors. The Mini-Max team competition, which paired one A Fleet sailor with one B Fleet sailor, added another dimension to the regatta. Augie Dale and Reed Lorimer captured the team title, while Ron Sherry and Leon Lebeau finished second.
One of the highlights came Saturday evening during a night sail under the full moon. Sailors raced a relay course using giant glow sticks as marks, creating the kind of scene that sounds almost too good to be true until you see the photographs.
Congratulations to Scott Dale and the Jungo Yacht Club crew for creating what appears to have been an unforgettable event.
Something tells me a few ice sailors just added Jungo Yacht Club to their bucket list. For Daniel Hearn and several others, the adventure began months ago in Damien Luyet’s shop, where the gang has been logging long hours building a fleet of Mini Skeeters in preparation for this event. Kudos to Daniel Hearn for putting people in boats, no matter what the surface!
Daniel Hearn, North America’s top recruiter in ice and land sailng.
Sherry Opens with Three Bullets at the Mini-Max Regatta Results
Yesterday, Friday, May 29, was the first day of racing at Jungo Yacht Club near Winnemucca, Nevada.
After rain flooded the playa earlier in the week, conditions improved quickly as expected. The water disappeared, the surface dried, and sailors were able to get in some training on Thursday afternoon before racing began on Friday.
Last night, Leon Lebeau called in with a report from the playa.
The wind was blowing around 30 mph, and you can hear it in the videos. Speeds were impressive. Leon reported that Daniel Hearn recorded a run of 60 knots. (i’ll post a short video in the 4LIYC Facebook group.)
Leon and Ron Sherry were both highly complimentary of Jungo Yacht Club, the land sailing facility created by Scott Dale. Iceboaters will recognize the family name. Scott’s father is Bill Dale of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, a longtime Skeeter sailor.
The fleet self-selected into A and B divisions. In addition to the individual competition, sailors are also competing in a team event. Each team consists of one A Fleet sailor paired with one B Fleet sailor, with their combined scores determining the team standings. Leon is competing in B Fleet while Ron is sailing in A Fleet. Leon said the format adds another layer of fun to the regatta and keeps sailors engaged throughout the fleet. (Ron and Leon are hot-bunking a Mini-Skeeter, provided by Daniel Hearn.)
While Leon was on the phone, Ron stepped into the motorhome, giving me a chance to ask how land sailing compares to iceboating.
“The vibration,” Ron said. The constant vibration as the tires roll over the playa surface was one of the biggest differences to get used to.
Whatever the adjustment, it didn’t seem to slow him down. Ron opened the regatta with three bullets in the A fleet and leads the standings after the first day. Daniel Hearn stands in second place. Reed Lorimer is in first in the B fleet.
One thing noticeable in the photos is that everyone is wrapped up in jackets. Winnemucca sits in Nevada’s high desert, and temperatures can be surprisingly cool, especially once the sun begins to drop behind the mountains.
Leon also spoke highly of the sense of community that land sailing creates. Unlike many racing venues, everyone is essentially living together out on the playa. Campfires, shared meals, stories, and bench racing become a big part of the experience.
Last night, the sailors gathered for a group dinner before preparing for another day on the desert.
Sitting around the imaginary campfire
Leon said the course took a little getting used to compared to an ice sailing course but was easy to figure out.
Some people just can’t get enough of what iceboating brings.
The waiting for weather to cooperate. The endless discussions about runners (tires in this case), alignment, wood, ice (dirt), and speed. The camaraderie that comes from chasing conditions with friends who understand why any of this matters in the first place.
Several ice sailors, including 4liyc Renegader Damien Luyet, 4liyc sails-one-of-everything Daniel Hearn, DN Champ Ron Sherry, DN and Skeeter sailor Leon Lebeau, DNers Pete Johns, Ken Smith, Tim Ballard, and long time Montana dirt and ice sailors John and Scott Eisenlohr, and likely others I’ve missed, arrived near Winnemucca, Nevada yesterday for land sailing at the Jungo Yacht Club playa.
But Mother Nature had other ideas.
Rain turned the playa into an actual lake and served as a reminder that a dry lake bed is still a lake when enough water shows up. Photos from the scene looked more like an iceboat regatta venue than a land sailing site.
The good news is that desert conditions usually work fast. If the weather cooperates, the standing water should dry quickly and could leave behind the dirt equivalent of Hollywood ice. Maybe “Hollywood dirt.”
Sailors spent the lay day camped out in motorhomes, swapping stories and waiting for the playa to come back to life. Reports this morning suggest they’ve now found a way into camp and may be racing soon.
Hopefully we’ll be getting more reports from the gang out west as the playa dries and the wheels finally start turning.
Wisconsin Skeeter Association Trophy. Photo: Gretchen Dorian.
Ashwaubenon, WI iceboater Jay Yaeso doubled his racing time and fun by bringing his Class A Skeeter and Stern-Steerer to Menominee, Michigan, on March 5-7, 2021. Jay sums up the weekend in this report. Scroll down below his recap to see a few of Gretchen Dorian’s Skeeter photos.
Skeeter sailing and Stern-Steering haven’t been exactly easy these past two winters. Mother Nature and COVID19 tagged teamed and put a beat down on us. That all ended abruptly the weekend of March 5-7, 2021, when a total of nine Class A Skeeters and eight Stern-Steerers landed at Menomonie, Michigan, courtesy of world-famous Renegade sailor Mike Derusha.
Mike spent countless hours evaluating the local conditions and determined it was green light go for all involved. He nailed it! Perfect landing and ice conditions.
The threat of the Mackinaw icebreaker coming through had us on red alert; however, the Coasties held off their icebreaking efforts the remainder of the weekend.
Day one Friday was all about the Skeeters. Conditions were perfect, a light 5-10 mph southeaster, and we completed four races.
John Dennis (JD) in the U194 and Ken Whitehorse piloting the M197 were the boats to beat. Both displayed blistering speed in this light condition. Most impressive is watching the legend Paul Krueger M165 sail at 81 years young! A true inspiration for any iceboater! Class act! The ice stayed hard all day with full sunshine. Rounding out the Friday fleet was Tom Hyslop V738, Leon Lebeau D888, and Jay Yaeso U311.
Saturday brought out three more Skeeters, Mark Isabell V30, Steve Orlebeke V500, and Alex Peterson V137. The day started with a light northwesterly, and Skeeters and Stern-Steerers shared a racecourse.
The Wisconsin Stern Steerers Association started race one of their championship regatta series. This race was by far the longest iceboat race I have ever experienced. My Stern-Steerer, HAYWIRE, was the only yacht to finish, and what a weird finish it was! She completed the race upwind as a 180-degree wind shift hit on the final leg. It was a grueling race that the Race Committee declared abandoned because of time limit infraction. The incredible wind shift made it easy on the Race Committee because the 180-degree wind shift flip-flopped the course.
The Skeeters sailed downwind and commenced race five of the weekend. Ken Whitehorse was hooked up and won the race. The fresh breeze locked in again from the southeast at 5-10 mph, which made it another great day. U194 and M197 were the boats to beat, with the M165 securing second place in race five and V30 showing much speed in race seven.
The Stern-Steerers plugged away throughout the day and managed to race three more races with the Class A boat MICHIGANDER sailed by Erik and Ritch Sawyer acing every race. Once again, proving a Class A Stern-Steerer is the ultimate ride! HAYWIRE chased the MICHIGANDER, followed up by the remainder of the fleet. Dave Lallier, Mike Kroll, Mark Weiner, Max Runge, Joe Terry and Class D winner Andy Gratton.
Upon completing the day’s racing, Wisconsin Skeeter Association’s morale Officer Ken Whitehorse presented JD the Bottle Trophy. All participants consumed some of Jameson’s whiskey bottle, which capped off a glorious day of Skeeter and Stern-Steerer racing. Following the Bottle Trophy celebration, the WSA gathered at Jozwiak’s Bar and Grill, home of the delicious and delightful hamburger know as the “Wabash” and killer homemade pizza.
Sunday arrived with light conditions with a forecasted south southeast wind at 10-15 mph. The light air gave the fleet leisure set up time. When the clock read 11 AM, we had 11 mph of wind which kept building all day. The Skeeters finished their series with the final race deciding who won the weekend series. JD prevailed with Kenny on his heels. Great to see newcomers Leon Lebeau and Alex Peterson join the Skeeter fleet! We are all looking forward to racing with these guys!
The WSSA wrapped up their championship with the MICHIGANDER winning race five, and HAYWIRE launched and sailing on two runners most of race six for the final race win. Great to see all the familiar faces with lots of new ones. We now can put the Skeeters and Stern-Steerers away fast and ready for the 21-22 season.
A weekend like this happens with a lot of behind-the-scenes help. Special thanks to Deb Whitehorse for all her support, to WSSA Race Committee Ann Gratton, and Mary Jane and Steve Schalk for tabulating and posting all results. Thank you to Mike Derusha for inviting us all up to Menominee. Thank you to Schoelgels Bayview restaurant for letting us drive through their parking lot and lawn to access this great sheet of ice, and Ken Whitehorse for all his work as WSA morale/trophy officer. Not to forget all competitors, thank you to everyone who showed up put in a tremendous effort to make this a most excellent weekend of sailing. Thanks for the incredible memories!
Jay Yaeso U-311 C-47
The Skeeter group toasts JD for winning the “Bottle Trophy.” From left, Jay Yaeso, Steve Orlebeke, Mark Isabell, Ken Whitehorse, Paul Krueger, John Dennis (JD), Eric Hyslop, Tom Hyslop, Leon Lebeau.
As told to the Editor by Ken Whitehorse
The Madison-based Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Skeeter Fleet of Paul Krueger M165 and Ken Whitehorse M197 relentless search for ice finally paid off this past weekend at Menominee, Michigan, where they enjoyed 3 days of racing and camaraderie.
Earlier in the week, they set up on the west end of Lake Mendota on Tuesday in 40 mph winds and a 20f temperature. They checked ice with the 4LIYC ATV, and Ken sent out the word to the other Skeeter guys that “all systems go, ice looks great” in anticipation of Wednesday racing.
Tom Hyslop V738 arrived Wednesday morning to find the launch quickly disintegrating. The lake ice was still holding, and Ken proposed that they take turns at the wheel in his boat. 4LIYC Commodore Don Anderson arrived with the orange marks and the club’s Nebulous flotation device. The Dane County Lakes Patrol warden visited the landing, and Ken said, “a long talk ensued.”
Ready to leave for Oconto and adventure.
Rather than trying to sail, Ken and Paul decided to pull off the trailer. Tom Hyslop and son Eric Hyslop assisted with boat disassembly and loading. When Ken hauled the trailer off the lake with his Mule ATV, the 8000# Bulldog trailer jack was damaged and bent. Ken remarked that “seven sets of Skeeter runners in the trailer might have been a bit much.” That afternoon, word came from Iceboat Central U311 Jay Yaeso about ice on Lake Michigan near Oconto, Wisconsin.
Bright and early Thursday morning, Ken went to the Past Champions Iceboat Shop and fired up his blowtorch to heat the trailer-crank cherry-red and fixed the roller wheel. Paul and Ken shoved off for Oconto to rendezvous with Tom Hyslop. Oconto’s ice was tremendous, but ice fishermen blocked access to the lake because the fish were hitting there.
Thankfully, Mike Derusha R188 called Paul and reported that Menominee, Michigan had plenty of ice and told them to “come on up.” The three ice seekers didn’t waste time making the 30-minute drive to Menominee. Mike met them at the landing with a big smile and welcoming arms. They thanked Mike for taking care of the Skeeter fleet. Ken said Mike’s response was, “M fleet helps us; we help you.” Ken texted Jay, informing him to spread the word that Menominee was the place to be. Tom ended the evening by holding up a PBR nightcap and uttered, “we ride tomorrow.”
The conditions at Menominee were perfect for three days of Skeeter racing. The Skeeters are grateful for Eric Hyslop’s help setting up the marks and helping the fleet. Thanks to Mike Derusha for providing trees. JD and Tom were instrumental in setting our racing courses. Thanks to Steve and Mary Jane Schalk in Fontana, WI for tabulating the scores.
The week started with just three Skeeter sailors getting together on Lake Mendota to sail before the ice went terrible. We chased ice, and we were lucky to find it in Menominee, where we experienced a club-racing-like atmosphere. We just happened to have a bunch of trophies to make it more fun. No one is in charge of the Wisconsin Skeeter Association. If there’s ice, the Wisconsin Skeeter Association racers will be there.
