MARY B Film Trailer

Via Don Sanford and the Ice Boat Foundation:

News Flash! We enlisted Madison-based filmmakers Gretta & Aarick at Downtown Dailies back in January of 2020 to help us tell Mary B’s story in a short film. They’ve plowed through hours and hours of archival film, inspected hundreds of images and shot hours of interviews. We believed there was a good story here—not just about a big iceboat, but about her hometown, Madison, WI. The preview is ready. Watch for the premier sometime in January of 2021.

In The News: Geneva’s High Speed Thrills On Ice


The boats and history of our southern friends at the Skeeter Iceboat Club are featured in the winter 2021 issue of At The Lake -Geneva Lakes Area Magazine. Check it out here. Tip of the Helmet: Jane & Susie Pegel

In the News: Steve Orlebeke @ Seahorse Magazine


Pewaukee’s Steve Orlebeke is an accomplished iceboater who always has to save room in the truck to bring home the trophies when he competes at  DN and Class A Skeeter regattas. Check out his article about DN racing in Seahorse Magazine. 

“Graciousness, attention to detail a way of life for Bill Mattison”

Bill & Mauretta Mattison. Photo: John Hart

Wisconsin State Journal
Graciousness, attention to detail a way of life for Bill Mattison
By Barry Adams

Idle is a rarely used gear for Bill Mattison.

The proof can be seen in the intricacies of miniature circus wagons that line the living-room shelves of his Madison home.

The wooden wagons, modeled after those at Circus World Museum in Baraboo, sport working brakes, tiny hinges and detailed paint jobs. One has a working steam calliope and another a series of thimble-sized cast iron bells tuned to specific pitches.
Continue reading.

“The Icing On The Lake”: More Wisdom From the Shop

“The second you think you’ve got it all figured out, somebody’s going to knock the socks right off you,” Mattison says.

“The Icing On The Lake”
Welcome to Day 4 of Bill Mattison Week at iceboat.org. Today’s feature article written by the late David Medaris ran in Madison’s local paper Isthmus in 1988 when Bill had just finished HONEYBUCKET VIII. Bill explained how he built Skeeter iceboats “to the average” and talked about his roots in Madison. Click here to read.

Previous:“Fast Forward Since Birth”
“The Hard-Water Gang” with Bill Mattison at the 2001 ISA
Shooting the Breeze with Bill Mattison
Bill Mattison Inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame
Iceboaters Fingerprints