Ice Boat Sailing
If you live in the Midwest, especially in Lake Country, it is inevitable that you are familiar with our area’s prime winter recreation activities; ice fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, and skating. But are you familiar with one of the oldest and most unique winter sports, ice boating? Ice boating is every sailor’s favorite winter activity! If the love of wind and water gets your adrenaline running in the summer, ice boating will put you over the top, in the winter!
I’m not exactly sure where ice boating originated, but I remember hearing as a kid, that it was brought to the U.S. by the Scandinavians. In the late 1800’s, ice boats were considered the fastest mode of transportation on the planet! Huge boats were constructed and manned on the Hudson River, where, when the conditions allowed, teams of men would race the trains that ran along the river banks reaching speeds in excess of 80 mph. Years ago, Milwaukee Public TV ran a special with actual movie footage of just such an event.
For ice boating to occur, the “winter sailor gods” have to align the heavens for the perfect conditions. One needs, a frozen lake, little or no snow, and of course, wind! Because of this, some winter seasons come and go with little or no sailing, making the experience that much more coveted. The consensus is that if the conditions are right, you need to drop everything, and hit the ice. “Tomorrow snow may dump, and you’ve lost your chance!” My family has been ice boating for years. My uncle owns 3 boats, and my husband and I have inherited 2 youth boats. We’ve had years of fun, sailing on Golden Lake. As a child, we followed the regatta circuit on our local lakes, especially on Pewaukee Lake and Lake Geneva. Each winter, stories about the “perfect ride” circulate around the fireplace at family gatherings.
The boats themselves have various classes, just like water sailboats, based on hull and sail type, and typically resemble a torpedo like body with cross braces that have “skates” or “blades”…one in the front, and one on each side of the boat. The skipper steers the front blade and adjusts the sail to maximize the speed. Safety equipment consists of a helmet with face gear, warm clothes and often times, inflatable life vests, in the event of open water. It’s not for the faint of heart. The speeds are incredible, and if you hike up too far, the result can be a crash on very hard ice!
Many of my friends on Lac Labelle, sail the “Nite”. It’s the “Ferrari” of ice boats…sleek and beautiful. Opti iceboating is also hugely popular. My friend’s daughter sailed her opti ice boat at the world competition in Europe 2 years ago. One of our local Pewaukee sailors, won the North American Opti Championship, last year. There is a Wisconsin association that is dedicated to this sport, The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club. Fabulous photos and information are on their site. In addition, you can Google “ice boating” and a barrage of websites, photos, YouTube sites, etc. pop up with information on this awesome and unique sport. Click here to see a YouTube video of an ice boat in action.
Check it out…yet another awesome activity in Lake Country, Wisconsin! Ice Boating!!
Posted by:
Karen Trepton
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If you are wondering where summer was in July, it waited to arrive in Wisconsin until September! We have been experiencing some absolutely beautiful, summer-like days over the last two weeks! My 7th grade son reminded me that in fact, summer doesn’t officially end until September 23rd. So thank you “Mother Nature” for serving up summer until the last possible second!
Well, it’s been a little over a week since Oconomowoc celebrated the 70th anniversary of the 
The event must have left its mark, because within the week, two unusual events occurred. The first was this car stopping, double rainbow over the skyline of Pabst Farms, (Sorry the photo was from my blackberry). I was leaving a local grocery store, and was one of many literally stopped on the spot, trying to capture pictures with our phones. The second occurred when I was leaving 
Anyway, if you are up to an end of the summer drive in beautiful Lake Country Wisconsin, take highway 18 west to Golden Lake, and stop in to see my lovely lake cottage. You’ll never know what interesting things you will see to top off your summer vacation, somewhere “over the rainbow”.
