Philatelic First


As we wait for the first “first” (ice), here’s some philatelic news. The U.S. Post Office released the 14-cent Iceboat stamp on March 23, 1985, at ROPEX, the annual stamp show in Rochester, New York. The postcard and envelope, featuring a Nite, was one of 324,710 first-day covers cancelled and was in a collection of postcards and ephemera mailed to me by Don Fischer of Michigan. The stamp’s artist, William H. Bond, created 58 U.S. postage stamps, including a series of 50 World War II commemorative issues.
Tip of the Helmet: Don Fischer

Previous: Ice Sailing Goes Postal

Regatta Watch: 2021 WSSA Called ON for March 6-7

Jay Yaeso and Eric Sawyer

Via WSSA Secretary Andy Gratton:
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Regatta has been called on for Oconto City Park which is about 2 miles south of Oconto, Wisconsin on the bay  shore. The intersection to Hwy 41 is at Frog Pond Road.

LAUNCH
Ice access is from a 400′ beach with the ice close to shore frozen to the bottom. It is not recommended to drive more than a few truck lengths onto the ice. A four wheeler will be available to pull trailers onto the ice. Heavy trailers can park on the ice next to shore to off-load. The wind forecast is not great but this may be the last chance for WSSA this season. First race is scheduled for Saturday, March 6 at noon.

LODGING
There is an EconoLodge in Oconto with rooms at $70 with pool, hot tub, and continental breakfast.
600 Brazeau Ave, Oconto, WI 54153 Phone: (920) 834-5559

That Time On Little Bay de Noc

An example of a lateen rigged stern-steerer with an A-frame style mast.

Wisconsin Stern-Steerer Association Secretary Andy Gratton passed along this story from Steve Maniaci of Michigan about Little Bay de Noc and a stern-steerer with an unusual mast.

That capsizing photo (see “Who Did It Better?“) brings back memories on Little Bay de Noc, back in January of ‘69. My girlfriend and I were in my dad’s four-place stern steerer, going east and west along the leeward south shore of Gladstone’s waterfront with a strong north wind. Things were going well until I went beyond the power plant point and caught the full broadside blast of wind coming unimpeded from Rapid River.

 

We went up and over in a heartbeat. Thankfully, my girlfriend was wearing an insulated snowmobile suit that cushioned the blow. I was never so thankful for my old motorcycle helmet as that day.

 

I don’t know what the technical name is for that type of mast. We just called it a wishbone mast. The two parts of the wishbone were anchored to a metal bracket on the cross plank and were quite a ways out towards the runners. They came together with a metal bracket that held a large pulley for the mainsail halyard. The masts leaned forward and were held in place by two metal bars anchored to the nose bracket that also anchored the guy cables to the plank to the nose.

 

My dad bought it in the mid-’60s from Atley Peterson, an old Swede from Escanaba. Atley and his family built it, and he said they had clocked it at 90 mph back in the ’40s. The solid wood beam that makes up the body that everything attaches to has weakened with age and is no longer safe. The last time I sailed, it was on Little Traverse Bay in the late ’80s.

 

Iceboating is exciting and exhilarating, but it is so loud. I much prefer sailing my Boston Whaler Harpoon 5.