December 05, 2008

The Ice Man Cometh...and goes with the wind!

Posted to Area Attractions & Events, Julie Sarton

“ICEBOATING: the sport of sailing a specially prepared boat equipped with runners over ice.” A calm, methodical definition for a sport that its devotees consider the most exhilarating sport of all. When talking with an iceboater, words like “speed, addiction, adrenalin rush, invigorating, complex, and demanding” punctuate their speech. Their eyes light up and their body language twitches with excitement at the mere thought of flying across the ice, pushing the edge of control.

Ice boat design either places the steering mechanism on one of the two rear blade runners (“stern steerers”), or on the single front blade (“bow steerers”). Traditionally, iceboats are hand-built, according to specifications within the classes. Most of the stern-steerers racing on Lake Geneva today are older boats up to 55 feet long, loud on the ice, boasting sail areas of 250 square feet and more. The more contemporary bow-steerers are smaller, lighter, with much smaller sail areas, and have been clocked at 143 miles per hour and more.

Not only does the lake area of Walworth County historically have some of the best ice in the country for the sport, sometimes it has the only available ice in the country suitable for iceboating. The wind and the temperature here are often conducive to forming the perfect ice conditions. The bigger boats need 8-9 inches of thickness, while the smaller boats can operate on as little as 4 inches of ice. The ideal ice surface has a little texture to it for control, a wind speed between 5 and 25 miles per hour, and a minimum temperature of no less than 10 degrees. Ice boats on good ice will travel five to seven times faster than the speed of the wind. By December or sooner the small and shallow Lake Como is usually ready for iceboats, followed by Lake Delavan, and finally Geneva Lake in January. The timing is dependent on finding the perfect ice before heavy snow storms render it useless for the winter. The local Skeeter Iceboat Club in Williams Bay has a careful system of checking the ice conditions in different locations daily so that information is always available before anyone ventures out. The club also sponsors races weekly, and frequently hosts international, national, and Midwestern iceboat regattas; many spectators can be seen putting on their ice skates and visiting all the guest boats on the ice for fun.

So, if life seems a little too predictable and unexciting lately, think about suiting up and literally casting your fate to the wind on one of our lakes. You might find that stinging wind chills, the sound of blades ripping across the ice at high speeds underneath you, and the simultaneous tastes of fear and joy are irresistible!

Posted By: Julie Sarton

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