Michigan’s Bill Parker converted his grandfather’s 8 mm ice boating films and uploaded them to YouTube. Take a look.
My father, Bill Parker, and my Grandfather, Howard Parker, built, sailed, and raced iceboats in the Battle Creek, Michigan area. These 8mm films are from the WWII era, primarily after the war. They were scanned from very neglected originals, and the quality is really bad. The original “cinematography” wasn’t great, and Dad was good at taking film of rig or boat details. Much of the footage is relatively static in nature, but there are action shots of iceboats here and there.
The most common iceboats shown are C-class, there is an A class boat or two, and also Skeeters. Grandpa owned an A-class boat for a few years called the “Gossoon”, and later, a Skeeter named “The Duchess.” Dad’s C-Class boat was “Valkyrie”.
I am sure of the Gouguac and Crystal lake venues, but unsure if the other venue is Lake St. Clair. I know they raced there, but also in Wisconsin venues. If you have any information about the venues or the boats, please feel free to comment. [On the YouTube page.]
Joe Terry V36 at the tiller of his Class D Stern Steerer LACINDA MAE at the 2019 Northwest Regatta on Lake Pepin in MN Photo: Pat Heppert
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to February 23 and 24, 2019. The next update will be Sunday, February 17. Check back here at that time. Too much snow, shell ice, and roughness.
The people took matters into their own hands. They poured kerosene oil on the ice. The Cedar Lake Ice Company retaliated by laughing that those responsible would simply have to pay more for their unspoiled ice in the summer. And when that didn’t stop them, the ice company started spreading ashes on the ice tracks used by the ice boaters.
Here is something for the Labor Day weekend to get you thinking ice. Via stern-steerer skipper Andy Gratton who recognized his WISCONSIN iceboat but not the shoreline, though he thinks it may be Pewaukee. The image was created by Wauwatosa artist, Scott Smith, and can be purchased as a print or greeting cards on the fineartamerica website. Below is another great image of WISCONSIN in hiking mode.
