The recent warm weather melted the snow on Lake Mendota this week. 4LIYC members Jim Nordhaus, Don Sanford, and Grant Frautschi took advantage of the marginal conditions before the slush became too deep and the landings deteriorated. See more photos here.
Okoboji or Spirit Lake in Iowa would be a great place to iceboat some day.
Some years the stars align for just one day. Some years for a week or even two. Some years the right conditions never come together at all.
But even just one great outing in an ice boat is enough to keep its captain coming back winter after winter. Continue reading.
The Colorado speed sport like nothing else: Ice boating
By Seth Boster
A few winters ago on the frozen shore of Dillon Reservoir, Dan Burnett was surprised to meet a sailing all-star, Buddy Melges, whom Burnett learned was on a family skiing trip here in Summit County.Burnett was even more surprised by the following interaction.
The visiting legend had just watched the local fly across the ice in the extremely niche act of ice boating. “He said, ‘Could I take your boat out for a quick ride?’” Burnett recalls.
No was the answer.
“I mean, how obnoxious could I be? It was like telling Mario Andretti he couldn’t drive your car!” Burnett says. Continue reading.
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.
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
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.
