Photos & Reports

TB Tuesday: 1991 Northwest Regatta Photos and Video

Time for some thrilling runner to runner Skeeter racing action for today's Throw Back Tuesday. This sequence of five photos from the 1991 Northwest regatta on Geneva Lake in Fontana, WI is a 15 second slice of time as the Skeeters rounded the weather mark. This rounding can also be seen on the video from the regatta at the 12:55 mark. The video is a long one and worth your attention, featuring Renegades, DNs, and Stern Steerers going through their paces.

• A Stern Steerer: Buddy Melges
• C Stern Steerer: Jeff Seeboth
• D Stern Steerer: Norbert Salzieder
• E Skeeter: Hans Melges
• E Skeeter Free For All: Bill Mattison
• B Skeeter: George Beukama
• DN: Lou Loenneke
• Renegade: Roger Derusha

Bootleg

Too interesting not to share, this photo was posted by Brian Champine on the 4LIYC Facebook page.

TB Tuesday: 1952- Northwest & Hearst Regattas

Back in February while I was on the road, Peter Fauerbach sent along these images he found on the Wisconsin State Historical Society website and they're too good not to share. Two are from the 1952 Northwest Regatta sailed on Lake Monona against the city skyline of Madison. In the photo of Elmer Millenbach in Renegade III, of special significance to Peter, is the Fauerbach Brewery in the background. In the second Northwest photo, we can see the Skeeter with the sail number IOU, Pewaukee's Bill Perrigo. The Hearst photo shows the May-bid, an Oshkosh stern-steerer capsized on Lake Monona. These photos were taken by local photographer Arthur Vinje.

Iceboating: You Can't Afford NOT to Do It!

Via the New England Ice Yachting Association, Commodore T's take on how the cost of iceboating compares with other types of sail boats. "Lots of talk about sailing speed lately. No question soft-water boats are going faster and faster–foils, wings, lighter structures, and endless design innovations are getting normal boats up to some impressive speeds. And impressive budgets. Which got me thinking about the price of speed. Where is the value? Lloyd Roberts touched on this subject in the phenomenal book “THINK ICE!” and I’d like to elaborate a little…. Read on, this is brilliant."

Jan & Meade Gougeon: Hall of Famers

The National Sailing Hall of Fame today announced their 2015 inductees. It's gratifying to see that the NSHOF has honored two revered iceboaters, DN sailors, brothers, and founders of Gougeon Brothers Epoxy , Meade and Jan Gougeon are among this year's chosen inductees.
Jan: "He dominated the DN ice boat fleet from 1971 to 2000, winning eleven national championships and four Worlds....Jane Pegel, who has sailed DNs beyond her 80th year, recalls the 1989 DN Worlds in Burlington, Vermont, when Jan broke his mast during a practice day. “He traveled in a small car,” Jane says. “He had no parts or repair kit with him. So we all gave him some `Gouge’ (West System), and he sat up all night in his room fixing the mast with tongue depressors. He said he worked stark naked so he wouldn’t have to wash his clothes. He got the mast fixed, and finished second in the Worlds that year.” Continue reading.
Meade: "In 1966, Jack Knights wrote this about Race 1 of Yachting magazine’s One-of-a-Kind regatta: “Meade Gougeon’s trimaran had pruned weight, aerodynamic drag, and hull resistance to a degree that it was slipping through the water, sails always close-hauled, tacking upwind and down like an ice boat while all others were becalmed. The A Scow took 3:55:20 to complete the eight mile course. Gougeon was home in 51 minutes less. It was enough to write a new chapter in the history of sail.” Continue reading.

TB Tuesday: Saturday Evening Post Goes Iceboating

In 1960, the Saturday Evening Post published this expansive article by columnist Ralph Knight. It covered all the basics of this sport (including the hyperbole). Knight gave some lively accounts from regattas he attended attended in the Midwest and East.
Winters Wildest Sport by Ralph Knight
"Iceboaters have trouble with the weather than most other people. They want ice, and they don't want snow. When a blizzard comes, they want an unseasonable thaw or a warm rain to melt the snow fast, but not to melt the ice...They want wind, but not big wind, and they certainly decry "no wind"...some Easterners drove out to a regatta near Chicago, that windy city; for two days, not a breathe of air blew and everybody went home." Continue reading.

Early Skeeter Video

In his search to learn more about a Ray Ruge built Skeeter he is restoring, Maine iceboater Bill Buchholz has inadvertently discovered some historic 16mm film in the archives of the Cohasset, MA Historical Society Francis Hagerty collection. The footage centers around the Fox Lake, Illinois Skeeters of the early 1940s. It's possible that the films are from the 1941 and 1942 International Skeeter Association regattas. Considering the ISA was first sailed in 1940, these are very early films that show the early development of the Skeeter class. Some things to look for in the video below:

• The winners of the 1941 and 1942 ISA regattas from Fox Lake, Harry Salmon and JD Graff (the first JD!)
• The A class stern steerer, Ferdinand the Bull, then owned and sailed by C.S. Jacobs of Detroit, MI
• A really cool ice car that would make a fine RC vehicle.
• Some very early DNs
• Ted Mead, designer and builder of the famous Mead iceboats, many of which are on the ice today.
• ISA trophies (with kittens!?)

TBT: Chain Reaction

Hard to believe it's been almost 20 years since Chain Reaction, an action film starring Keanu Reeves and Morgan Freeman, was released. The movie is notable to iceboaters for some of the winter background scenes filmed on Geneva Lake in Williams Bay, WI. The full movie is on You Tube and I've grabbed some screen shots. Steve Schalk provides some background: "The blue Skeeter in the first two shots is a Bill Boehmke single seat boat owned by Joel Bikowski, who bought it from Bob Mereness. It was one of four round hull boats built around 1959. Sparky Lundberg (109) is in front Captain Carl Bergersen sailing the Skeeter he bought from Fritz Button (228) in several of the shots.That is the first Bob Pegel design B Skeeter Sparky that built. The filming was done during the 1995-1996 season. The white boat is an old Skeeter maybe a Kummerline or a Palmer. I remember being out on a Wednesday setting a windward mark with the ATV and wondering if our races would mess with the shots they were taking. Watching the helicopter with the camera fly sideways ahead of the chase helicopter was much more impressive than what you see in the movie." Also interesting to note that some of the scenes were shot in the Wisconsin capitol building here in Madison.

Iceboating: The Musical

Bill Buchholz posted this wonderful video out of Russia on the Chickawaukee Ice Boat Club site and it's a must-share. Gull Lake IYC's Pete Sarelis did a little investigating and figured out the song is "One Way Ticket to the Blues" originally performed by Neil Sedaka. (Neil's version here, but sadly, no iceboats.)

TBT: The Mary B and Pink Pink

In last week's TBT photo posted below, we see young Spike Boston holding a trophy with the rest of the NIYA regatta winners. Spike had a mini-Skeeter, Pink Pink, built by his father, Howard Boston of Mt. Clemens, MI. 4LIYC's Carl Bernard is also in the photo holding the trophies he won sailing O.T. Havey's Class A stern steerer, the Mary B
This week's TBT features two photos, one of the Boston mini Skeeter, Pink Pink, sitting next to the Mary B at an early 1950s regatta in Michigan; and another photo taken at that same regatta with Carl Bernard, O.T. Havey, and the namesake of the Mary B, Mrs. Mary B. Havey, enjoying a ride on the boat.

TBT: 1952 Northwest Regatta

Another favorite vintage photo from the archives with Carl Bernard's handwriting carefully noting each trophy winner. The Northwest was sailed on Lake Monona that year, with the launch site being practically under the shadow of Wisconsin's state capitol building. Here are a couple of newspaper articles with more names and information from the Wisconsin State Journal and the Capital Times. Times change and newspapers no longer provide the extensive coverage they once used to for this sport leaving it up to us to write the stories.

The Essence of Iceboat Racing Captured in 29 Minutes

This video was worth the six month wait and worth your time. Thank you, Rejean Lemay of Kingston, Ontario. He shares his thoughts about spending three days on the ice with us at the DN Worlds:
"The DN ice boaters are nomads chasing the elusive perfect ice and wind conditions for their craft. They will travel long distances at a moment’s notice to meet venues that are dictated by sometime ephemeral ice and weather conditions to practice and compete in their winter sports....Over the past months, I compiled and edited the material to produce this video which I trust will rekindle the vibes and spirit of the Kingston DN championship in those who participated and volunteered as well as to contributing to making the sport known to a larger audience. In passing I also wanted to highlight Kingston as an attractive and welcoming venue for such events.
As an amateur videographer with limited technical means, I certainly was not fully prepared for snapping pictures and taping videos in the whipping wind and bitter cold offered by the vast expense of frozen Lake Ontario. I certainly did not expect the long waits in between races that were taken in stride by the participants which were the prelude to quick bursts of racing activities that left me little time and opportunities to collect video footage of quality. Video tracking of specific often distanced and fast moving ice boats with extended camera zoom was problematic as my weighed tripods and I could not always hold still in the wind sweeping the large expense of frozen water. So, I apologize for some of the shaking in the video that could not be corrected in post-production.
My extremities got cold from standing in the open and my fingers painfully frozen from operating the cameras bare hand even for short periods. I believe my metabolism slowed down from exposure, which was a good thing considering the number of hours I spent quite a distance off shore. Nonetheless, I was warmed by the convivial atmosphere enveloping the on-ice event. My experience was probably akin to that experienced by the race officials and volunteers who were instrumental in making the Kingston regatta not only possible but also the success it was.
The Video was Produced in HD - For best viewing, select 1080pHD and Full Screen modes from your player’s settings. Put on your headphones and enjoy."

Tom Lothian

Former Skeeter Ice Boat Club treasurer Tom Lothian of Williams Bay, Wisconsin has died at the age of 86. Mr. Lothian was also a former commodore of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club. He is survived by sons Tom and Jack and their children. There will be a visitation on Friday May 22nd at Toynton's in Walworth from 3-8pm. There will also be a short visitation on Saturday from 10-11 at the UCC church in Williams Bay followed by a memorial service. Here's a tribute to his uncle from John Lothian.

New Runner Tracks Posted

Runner Tracks, the DN class publication, is now posted.
Great story about the Worlds and lots of great photos.
Take a look.

The Song Remains the Same

"In my opinion, there is nothing on an iceboat more important than perfect runner alignment." Jane Pegel shares this 1964 Lakeland Boating magazine article about the designer of the Renegade, Elmer Millenbach. Read it here.

Too Weird Not To Share

Harken Lunch Club

Directly lifted from the Harken Facebook page:
"A reunion for the ages was held at Harken headquarters on Friday! Joining Peter and Olaf for lunch and their first tour of the new plant were: (Left to right)

• Buddy Melges, sailing legend.
• Charlie Miller: Former head of North Sails Midwest.
• Bill Mattison, Ice boating legend.
• Bob Gilson of Gilson Medical - where Peter Harken was first inspired to use plastic ball bearings in blocks for his ice boat!

The day was surely filled with more than a few good stories!"

MacGyvered Mast

Joys: Your Iceboat Headquarters

Mel Jones from the Carl Bernard Scrapbook

UPDATE 4-26:Andy Gratton writes, "Since this is Joys Brothers week, I thought I better send in a photo of the emblem, with the Viking ship on it, so everyone can see what you get with the $100 sail. This is on the mainsail for Wisconsin."
The date on the label is quite old for any Wisconsin business to have been established considering the state achieved statehood four years later in 1848. The business was established as a ship chandlery and sail maker by G.D. Norris of Boston. Capt. Jon Joys, who began working there in 1856, later took over the business and changed the name. The Viking ship on the label is a reference to Capt. Joys' place of birth, Norway.
Via Jane Pegel: "This past winter Chris Goes (son of Cuppy), mailed to Bob Pegel these pages from the Joy Brothers (Milwaukee) iceboat catalog, vintage 1940’s. Mel Jones was then the sailmaker at Joy Brothers. Most of the hardware shown is for Mead built Skeeters, though I think the shock front end was invented by Tom Jones, brother of Mel Jones. We used to refer to that as the “Jones front end”. Tom worked at Starline in Harvard, IL and lived in Fontana. Both Tom and Mel were members of the Skeeter Ice Boat Club. In the summer they raced a class A scow. Intresting to note the deluxe Skeeter sail was $100.00."
Download catalog here.

A DN Nederland Production in Conjunction with his Iphone:
Baikal 2015

This is Ray Ruge

Out in Maine, an vintage Skeeter with some Buddy Melges provenance has been restored this summer. In his post, Chickawaukee ice boater Bill Buchholz wrote, "the boat was designed by Ray Ruge, about whom we’d like to know more."
It's difficult for me to write about him because there's so much to say. He was an Eastern iceboat sailor, builder, and designer who wrote exceptional articles for sailing magazines about the sport. His papers and research are archived in museums. He was a contemporary and friend of one of the 4LIYC's most celebrated members, Carl Bernard (who won a ton of regatta titles in the 1930s-50s.) During WW2, he even lived in Madison and sailed with the club for a season. Carl Bernard's scrapbooks are filled with letters and photos from Ray, including the above magazine advertisement.
Bill is sharing some of Ray's ice boating articles on the Chickawaukee site and will post more. Read the first from December 1939 here. If Ray Ruge were around today, he would have the best ice boating website on the internet.

Around the World:
Never Ending Season

Mike Derusha, Andy Gratton, and Michael Kroll took advantage of the remaining ice on Little Bay de Noc in Gladstone, Michigan and gave people rides.

Iceboaters Heating Up the Desert

Congratulations to the top finishers at the North American Blokart championship sailed this week at the mecca of land sailing, Ivanpah dry lake on the California/Nevada border. Hard fought first place (performance class) went to last year's champion, Scott Young. 4LIYC had a good showing with Kyle Metloff second, Jim Nordhaus third, and Geoff Sobering third. We hope to see Scott Young try this stuff on ice next season!

Barging

Gretchen Dorian has posted some more amazing photos from the 2015 ISA and Renegade Championship. Look into the distance, past Mike Derusha's Renegade, to see a typical sight when iceboating on the Great Lakes, a freighter heading to Escanaba. See the photos here.

Class C Skeeters at the ISA

By Pat Heppert "Drifter" I-29
"What a great racing weekend in the Upper Peninsula! Congratulations to all who raced as well as all who judged, helped and scouted. It takes a lot of dedication from all of us to pull this off in the middle of March, and I feel blessed to be among friends." Continue reading.

ISA Video Day

Several stern steerer skippers, including Joe Terry, joined us on the ice in Gladstone (aka "Happy Rock"). Here's Joe's video.

The ISA Videos Keep Coming

This one is the A Skeeter finish from Friday's "bonus race". Thanks Minnesota B Skeeter sailor, Jim McDonagh, who we normally see in a DN and placed third in the B fleet.

Bob Pegel Memorial & Obituary

Robert Edward Pegel, 87, of Williams Bay, Wisconsin died March 5, 2015. Bob was born on May 9, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois to parents Robert Emil Pegel and Eva Louise Mohler. Bob became interested in water activities while spending summers at Boy Scout camps in Michigan which were managed by his father. He graduated from Volta Elementary School, Lane Tech High School (Class of 1945) and Wright Junior College in Chicago.

Bob was a member of Columbia Yacht Club and Chicago Yacht Club. He raced on big boats on Lake Michigan and also raced Lehman dinghies, Penguins, Stars and in other classes. Bob was a partner in Kenneth A. Nelson Sailmakers in Chicago. As a sailmaker Bob and Ken obtained a patent for “square-work”, having a pre-made luff and foot rope inside of a tape. This was the continuation of a technique originated by Harry Nye.
Bob began coming to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to go iceboating and was introduced to Jane Wiswell. On June 14, 1955, Bob and Jane were married at the home of the bride’s parents (Dr. Clifford and Beatrice Wiswell) in Williams Bay. Their only child Susie was born Sept. 13, 1956 at Lakeland Hospital in Elkhorn. Bob and Jane lived in the Edgebrook neighborhood of Chicago from 1955 until 1971 when they moved to Williams Bay. They opened a business, Sailing Specialists, which also became the new home of Nelson sails. Sailing Specialists became dealers for Laser, Johnson scows, Sunfish, Sonar, O’Day and Prindle and Hobie catamarans. Later Bob also built cold-molded scows using WEST system epoxy. These boats won many championships. Sailing Specialists was closed in 2009 when Bob and Jane decided to retire.
The Pegels were instrumental in the establishment of the Williams Bay Sailing Club which held Laser races on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings. The Williams Bay Sailing Club hosted the 1972 Laser North Americans and 1984 U.S. Laser Nationals.
During his iceboating career, Bob raced an A Skeeter and won the Northwestern Ice Yachting Association championship and finished as high as 2nd in the International Skeeter Association championship. He was a commodore of the NIYA and a president of the ISA. He was a life member of the Skeeter Ice Boat Club and a founding member of the National Iceboat Authority. He later raced a C Skeeter (winning the ISA championship) and then a Renegade. Bob was a member and former commodore of the Renegade class and member of the DN class. He served as the head race committee person at DN championship regattas.
Bob joined the Lake Geneva Yacht Club in 1955 and was member #2 at the time of his death. He raced a C scow and an E scow with the sail number I-11. The Pegels won the Inland Lake Yachting Association E Invitational regatta, E Blue Chip and finished as high as 2nd in the E Inland and E Nationals regattas. At the Lake Geneva Yacht Club Bob served on the race committee, trophy committee and supervised the race committee boats the Flagship and Flagship II. Four times he was awarded the Dr. and Mrs. Will Lyon race committee trophy. In 2014 he received the Marie Kramp Award for Outstanding Service. In 2015 he was bestowed with the title of Race Officer Emeritus.
Bob served for six years as president of the Geneva Lake Sailing School. He was a member of the ILYA Bilge Pullers and received the ILYA race committee award. He also served as a member of the Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation appeals committee. At the national level he was a member of the US Sailing Board of Directors, was active in Midwest area activities, chairman of the O’Day committee (national singlehanded sailing championship), and a certified race management officer and judge. He served as a judge for many national and North American sailing championships. In 2007 he was recognized with the title of Judge Emeritus. On a civic level, Bob served for many years as the Harbor Commissioner of Williams Bay.
Bob is survived by wife Jane and daughter Susie. A memorial service will be at Toynton’s Funeral Home in Walworth, Wisconsin at 11 a.m. March 28. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. Memorials can be made to Lane Tech Alumni Association, 2501 W. Addison St., Chicago, IL 60618. Arrangements are being handled by Toynton’s Funeral Home.

Double the Fun

"Sailing and iceboating on Lake Erie, on Presque Isle Bay in front of the Erie Yacht Club at Erie, PA.
Photos by Caitlin Niemic." See it all here.

ISA Picture of the Day

Photographer Gretchen Dorian is busy today back home in Michigan looking through the hundreds of pictures she shot this weekend for more great shots like this one from the ISA regatta. Here's Ken Kreider throwing the checkers for Nite skipper Grant Frautschi on Friday.