Although they may not gain as much attention as Badger sports, the 200-member Four Lakes Ice Yachting Club is nationally recognized for its talent both racing and manufacturing ice yachts. Their adapted title, ?Home of the Champions,? is no joke, as some of their members have won titles during the national ice yachting regattas that take place each year.
According to Tim McCormick, a 24-year veteran of the sport, Madison is the most active ice yachting area in the Midwest.
?I?ve traveled a lot with this club and from what I?ve seen, Madison definitely has the most interest in the sport,? McCormick said.
Bill Mattison, an ice yachter for nearly 70 years, said Lake Mendota and Lake Monona are prime ice yachting lakes because Madison does not get as much snow as most northern regions in the Midwest.
?Madison is one of the greatest ice yachting locations in the country, because it?s in the melt zone,? Mattison said, explaining that the ?melt zone? stretches from Chicago to Madison and it receives light snow that melts quickly and refreezes on the lake.
For sailing, the ice must be thick, in good condition without cracks and free of heavy snow. A regatta was planned in New Jersey for the weekend, but the heavy snow led to its cancellation. According to Mattison, the regattas? locations are always decided less than a week in advance, based on where the best conditions are.
McCormick races a Renegade, the third largest type of ice yacht, that can reach an average speed of 80 mph. Skeeters, the largest of the four yacht classes, can reach speeds exceeding 100 mph, depending on the ice. Twelve-mile races are over within six to eight minutes, Mattison said.
High speeds, 20-50 boats on the ice per race and the lack of breaks on boats have caused some tragic accidents in the past. McCormick recalled an I-MAX film crew?s attempt to mount a camera to an ice yacht and then take footage while the boat was in motion. Whether it was the camera or the wind that day, two boats collided and both drivers ended up in the hospital.
?The number one rule of ice yachting is to sail safely,? McCormick said. ?We can?t control everything that happens on the ice.?
Mattison said ice yachters ?can?t fall asleep? when they are sailing because the boats must ?zig-zag? and cross each other during each race. He said ice yachting is a ?finesse? sport, and yachters must develop the ability to read the wind and understand the type of ice on the lake, including soft, hard or ?honeycombed? ice.
The Madison area holds 120 specialized three-bladed ice yachting boats. Jack Ripp, another ice yachting enthusiast, said most ice yachters buy or build their own boats.
?I built my own boat, but Madison is home to some of the few professional builders in the country,? Ripp said.
Mattison said he has always built his own boats, from the time they were made of two by fours and clamp skates until today where they are made of increasingly sophisticated ?airplane-like? materials.
The Four Lakes Ice Yachting club takes its name from the four lakes they primarily race on: Mendota, Monona, Tegonsa and Waubesa. This weekend, area ice yachters will gather at a lake of their choice for a local regatta. Location will depend on snow depth and ice quality.
