Hyde Park Ice Yacht Club sailing, early 1900

I was gathering some photo images for an upcoming talk this weekend at Frederic Church's historic site Olana, near Hudson, NY.  I found many great shots in the files I have that came from the FDR library in Hyde Park. Many of these are from Archie Roger's photo scrapbooks that are archived at the library.  Thought I would post a few of my favorites....

Boathouse at Bard Rock, circa 1900. Jack Frost center.

I think this may be posed... Allons rounds the stake with Bessie close behind. Note the Hyde Park Ice Yacht Club burgee atop the racing marker.  Allons , built in 1899, was owned and raced by H.B. Sleight of Hyde Park. She has 182sq ft of sail. Tom Gilbert acquired her at some point in the 40s. George Vengrin of Rhinebeck is current owner. Bessie was built by Samuel Rogers of Hyde Park. Rogers (no relation to Archie Rogers) built several Hyde Park boats, including the Ogden Mills yacht Beatrice.  His old tool chest is in storage with many ice yacht bones in an old barn at the Mills-Norrie State Historic Site.

Nansen. Owned and sailed by State Senator Thomas Newbold. Newbold was FDR's neighbor and commodore of the HRIYC in 1908, the year FDR was vice-commodore.
George Buckhout built this  283 sq ft sloop in 1899, experimenting with 
a marconi-like "leg-o'-mutton" sail.  (photo by J.Sterling Bird, of Hyde Park)


Lateen Rigged Yacht Dutchess;

  The Lateen-rigged yacht Dutchess was built in 1899 by George Buckhout for Albert E. Tower of Poughkeepsie. (Tower was noted in a 1907 NY Times article (about his pending divorce, of course) as being worth over $5 million.) Tower also owned the famous Great Scott, nee Robert Scott, the re-designed sloop that came down from Athens in 1881and beat Icicle. 
Thus began the design change of most all Hudson River ice yachts.
Shortly after finishing Dutchess, Buckhout built what may have been a sister ship - FDR's Hawk.  Dimensions and sail area (286 sq ft) were virtually identical for the 2 lateen-rigged boats. Dutchess raced actively through the early years of the 1900s.  On Valentine's Day 1902, Ariel, Dutchess, and Hawk raced an 8 mile course, with Archie Rogers's Ariel winning.



Archie Roger's sixth class yacht Mink.

 
Archie Roger's sixth class yacht Mink. Mink was the smallest of Archie Rogers' ice yachts at 22 ft in length and just 199 sq ft. Note the high hoist on the rig, 
(leg-o-mutton rig?) creating a marconi-style mainsail.. The Rogers' ice yacht collection as of 1909 included Mink, Muskrat and Otter. (among others...) 


Herman Livingston Rogers

Archie's son, Herman Livingston Rogers, had an ice boat even smaller than Mink.
Cyclone is 19 and a half feet in length and at the time was recorded as having 90 sq ft of sail.
Today I sail her with about 200 sq ft. I acquired Cyclone from an old timer in Kingston who got her from a
 Hyde Park auction in the 40s.  Herman, age 9 here,  looks on as Cyclone is rigged, getting ready to sail.


HPIYC Commodore Edward H. Wales'  Meteor

Meteor belonged to Edward H. Wales, of Hyde Park, commodore of the Hyde Park Club in 1909.
Meteor, built in 1899, was 21 feet with 175 sq ft of sail.
Race records show that Club measurer Frank Cleary was usually at the helm of Meteor in Club races.


topsail rig??

Last image for this post....
The only topsail rigged sail plan I've seen on a Hudson River ice yacht.
This is definitely an older design - note long boom off the stern and mast stepped over the runner plank.
Would topsail provide any better balance?