Ice Boat Expo opening at FDR Museum & Library

The opening of the iceboat exhibit at the FDR library in Hyde Park was well received on Sunday. Several hundred folks came through during the day to see FDR's personal ice yacht "Hawk" and to see the display of antique ice yachts, with sails rigged, on the lawn in front of the recently renovated library.

Lynn Bassanese, Director of the FDR Library, welcomes HRIYC and the public 
to the Ice Yacht Expo at the Wallace Visitors Center at the FDR site in Hyde Park, NY.

FDR's grandson, David Roosevelt, was on hand and he admitted he wasn't too keen on actually trying to iceboat himself. Still, he enjoys the efforts made to keep the boats sailing and the stories told of ice yachting from his grandfather's era.

David Roosevelt joined us at the Ice Yacht Expo at the FDR Library & Museum. 

Historian Wint Aldrich recalled an interview he had many years ago with Erastus Corning, long time mayor of Albany. Corning spoke of his one and only meeting with FDR in the early 40s, when he was a state senator. Corning wanted Roosevelt to order the Coast Guard to keep the shipping channel free of ice so ships could get to the newly opened Port of Albany. The Port was suffering in winter as the ice locked up boat traffic. In short, FDR told Senator Corning that if the coast guard was to break up the ice, then his children and grandchildren would be unable to ice boat off Hyde Park, as he had as a child with his uncle John, because  the channel cut close to the east shore. As they gazed out over the River from Roosevelt's home FDR commented that, while he appreciated the "good senator's" presentation and efforts, 'No,' he would not order the river broken up by the ice cutters, and, he added, "the reason was strictly off the record." 

Wint has a long-standing connection to iceboating and the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club. FDR was friends with his father, Richard Aldrich, and FDR asked him to come and rescue the Jack Frost, the famous ice yacht his neighbor, Archibald Rogers, had raced. Federal troops were stationed at the Rogers estate during WWII (and rumor has it troops cut up and burned some of the boats for warmth during the cold winters stationed there) and the Frost was neglected down at the Rogers boat house. Attempts were made to move the backbone, but moving the 50' piece of timber proved difficult and it was left along the railroad tracks. Other parts of the boat were collected and taken to Rokeby, the family home. 
Fast forward 30 years: members of the HRIYC are rebuilding Jack Frost at Orange Lake;  a conversation arises, and Ricky Aldrich, Wint's brother, digs out the sail and other parts of the original Frost and donates the parts to the restoration. Rokeby is home to almost a dozen old yachts, many collected by Richard Aldrich. Rokeby was the launching point of last years amazing sailing, with boats accessing the river through the private drive at the property. Ricky and his son Ben continue the tradition of maintaining and sailing the old yachts of yesteryear.

George Buckhout's tool box, complete with rigging tools, planes and a few ice boat parts. 

The toolbox of George Buckhout was also on display at this opening.

This chest of tools was  likely on hand during the building of FDR's Hawk. It is a fine link to the creation of these beautiful works of art that still sail on the ice today. In yet another link to the past, in talking with an old friend of the club, I learned that her grandfather worked for George Buckhout, building boats. She was thrilled to see the tool box here.