We Have a Ball Game!

....That's what Bob Lawrence would say when it all came together and it was time to drop everything and sail.  And has it ever come together.

The River has shaped up amazingly since the snowstorm and we are looking at an incredible bunch of days sailing from Rhinecliff to..... Germantown??? (that's over 15 miles)

As of Tuesday, Reid Bielenberg has sailed Vixen from Cruger Is to Rhinecliff. Dock Shuter sailed Floater on the west side of the channel from Glasco to Turkey Point. Tivoli Bay is being sailed again with Steve Schwartz on Boreas and Hal Hahn on Puff.  The plan is to carry those boats over the tracks to the River later this week. Rick Lawrence has brought up Ariel, Ice Queen & JACK FROST. They are setting up boats at Astor Point off of Rokeby, in Barrytown. Glen Burger sailed Hound from Magdalin Is. south to Rhinecliff on Wednesday. There is 12" of river ice and we are still looking at 2 nights in the single digits. Here's to hoping more area ice boaters dust off their varnished boats and pull them out of the barn. Lots of hands will be around to help assemble. 

It is very likely that 4-5 'A' boats will come up from the North Shrewsbury Ice Boat and Yacht Club, Red Bank, NJ. Not only that, there is talk of the possibility the Shrewsbury sailors bringing up their big boat Rocket -

What a sight that would be - Frost and Rocket speeding across miles of ice.  This is shaping up to be a once in a ...long,long,long time... opportunity to sail distances on the Hudson River.

I will plan to post possible access locations by Thursday night. There is access to the Hudson River in Barrytown, near the Red Hook Boat Club. More details to follow.

Some of the boats that should be sailing this weekend:

Jack Frost - built 1892 by George Buckhout. This was Archibald Rogers 1st class ice yacht and was 4-time winner of the Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant of America.  Rebuilt by members of the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club in 1972. The 50' backbone and 27' plank are made from Sitka Spruce. It has 750 sq ft of sail.  

Ariel: Also an Archie Rogers boat, built by Buckhout. Rogers sailed serval versions of Ariel, including a lateen rigged version. It was a favorite smaller yacht that Rogers often raced in club races. In one oft-reported story in 1903, he and his wife - Anne Coleman Rogers - were rescued after the Ariel broke through thin ice off of Hyde Park and they were both pitched into the river. There is actually video footage of Ariel in the Hudson and Mrs. Rogers, cloaked in heavy furs, walking back to the boathouse after the rescue. 

Ice Queen - Built   by Buckhout for Commodore H.C. Higginson of the Orange Lake Ice Yacht Club. It appears as early as 1900 in lists from the OLIYC, though I am not certain it is this same version of Ice Queen. She was restored by the Lawrence family about 15 years ago. They increased its sail area to almost 350 sq ft. She has a hollow backbone and spars. It is one of the fastest boats in the club, often winning club match races.    

 

Jack Frost flanked by Sweet Marie (r) and Kriss (l) north of the Kingston Bridge. Feb. 2004
(photo courtesy of and copyrighted by Chris Kendall)

Ice Queen, prepping to race Vixen, off Astor Point, 2004.

Ariel hiking on Great South Bay. Photo courtesy of Glen Burger.

An early version of Ariel, lateen-rigged, at Rogers Boat House, Hyde Park, circa 1888.  

Jack Frost, 1902, sailing off of Hyde Park.

Jack Frost, with Dan Clapp's Now Then, off of Rokeby, 2004.

Jack Frost, left, followed by four old stern steerers from the North Shrewsbury Ice Boat & Yacht Club,
from Red Bank NJ. Hudson River, 2004.
You can be sure that there was no wind that afternoon  when you see the boats lined up  for this sort of photo op....