Paul Krueger M165, Ken Whitehorse M197, and Bill Mattison M143. Class A Skeeters, c. 1980s
The subject of sailing on Lake Koshkonong, about 30 minutes south of Madison, came up recently on the 4LIYC Facebook page. Koshkonong looks inviting as you drive past. It was a reasonable question to ask, why not Koshkonong?
Well, 4LIYC members and other ice sailors just “know,” and here’s how:
C Skeeter sailor Pat Heppert remarked, ” When I lived in WI, I spent years driving by and checking it. So tempting many times when it looked like glass ‘from the road.’ But whenever you walk it, all sorts of WTF problems show up. I finally gave up and concluded Koshkonong is just not meant for iceboats. The root source of the problem is the highly variable water level, which causes all the subsequent problems.”
The definitive proof came from a Mattison-Krueger-Whitehorse adventure on Koshkonong back in the 1980s.
Ken Whitehorse:
Ken, Bill, and PK
There was a big setup area. PK and I went tearing out to the lake. We saw spring bubbles to port and starboard. It was a gauntlet of spring water bubble-ups, like aerators. There were so many we could only turn around once we found a big area. As we sailed back to shore, we couldn’t follow our old runner tracks too closely because we had already busted through the ice on the way out. Bill Mattison said he was ready to push off and shook his head. ” I tried to tell you guys about this place, but you guys shamed me into it. “But How Would You Know”
We had a 24′ rake back mast, so we only needed 3 to set up the Skeeters. We considered ourselves so fortunate to get out of there that no one said a word about it as we went into the smoky tavern for a dipper.
Shop time with friends is a big part of iceboating and a long tradition with the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club. Last weekend, a group of friends invaded Daniel Hearn’s shop and laid up a composite C Skeeter iceboat mast under the direction of C Skeeter maestro Pat Heppert. Want to build a C Skeeter? Plans here.
Inaugural 4LIYC C Skeeter Trophy, awarded to Pat Heppert
We don’t have many photos from the banquet, and here’s why that’s a good thing. This banquet was unique, a return to normalcy. Ken Whitehorse said it best: “everyone was just relaxed and enjoyed the evening. And not scripting the photo opportunities.” Breakwater Restaurant’s service and food were above average. Rather than collect money at the door, we asked club members to throw cash and checks in a trophy box to cover their banquet cost. Treasurer Jerry Simon reported that the system worked and the books were balanced. Thanks, Don Anderson, for organizing this year’s banquet, Damien Luyut for rounding up trophies, and Commodore Daniel Hearn for sharing the highlights from the season. Speaking of highlights, Daniel Hearn is now a 4LIYC red blazer club member. Ken Whitehorse handed over his jacket to Daniel in a red blazer ceremony.
Pat Heppert received a special award from the club. Daniel Hearn wrote the following to Pat on Monday, “We missed you at the banquet, but celebrated you nonetheless! You were awarded our club’s most prestigious trophy–The Jim Payton Service and Sportsmanship Award. The 4LIYC greatly appreciated your many contributions this season. We consider ourselves fortunate to have you as a member. Your spirit of volunteerism is second to none.
And speaking of “second to none,” you also won the first-ever 4LIYC First Place C-Skeeter Season Award. The new trophy, crafted by Ken Whitehorse and Damien Luyet, features a yacht that will look very familiar to you.
On behalf of the entire 4LIYC, thank you and congratulations, friend!”
Madison or Minnesota? Minnesota C Skeeter sailor Pat Heppert posted the photo and question on Facebook over the weekend. Unfortunately, the Madison area must live vicariously through our Minnesota friends for some time. This Wednesday’s forecast of 64F will not help with ice making in southern Wisconsin, but it’s all downhill temperature-wise from then.
The former Jerry Simon boat SIMONIZED IV belongs to Mike Maloney. Pat and Mike sailed on some beautiful ice north of Brainerd, MN, on Round Lake while the MN DN crowd crossed the highway to sail on 4″ of black ice at Gull Lake.
The Swedish company Sail Racing has released its latest Black Ice campaign, incorporating Skeeter class iceboats to market their technical clothing. Daniel Hearn’s C Skeeter, to be specific. Pat Heppert also makes an appearance in his C Skeeter on their website video.
