"In Their Own Words" - Ice Boating narratives - courtesy of Dutchess County Historical Society. Ice conditions--->

Picture image from PPLD

another boat, just south of the RR Bridge - circa 1890s ( photo via Bob Wills)

The Dutchess County Historical Society has been digitizing some of their books and putting them on line. I recently stumbled on In Their Own Words - Telling Dutchess County History.  I had seen this book in the past - Reid Beilenberg had a copy - it contains a chapter on ice boating reminiscences by various ice sailing figures from the 1800s.  There are some great first person narratives from Norman Wright, John A. Roosevelt, and Archie Rogers, along with other Poughkeepsie figures or journalists.  excerpts follow:

Norman Wright was a skilled ice boat skipper who sailed in many of the early races for the Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant, at the helm of his yacht  AEolus. He was a well known rower and sportsman in Poughkeepsie in the late 1800s: this is from 1887 on his scull on the Hudson.  Pok Library

John A.Roosevelt talks about his daughter Ellen, who is a skilled skipper. Archie Rogers talks about the challenges of downwind sailing. A journalist tells of getting a ride on Vixen on a blustery day.  

There's another short story about getting a ride with Lewis Buckhout on his boat Willie. Lewis would

set up at the foot of Main Street and give folks a ride on his iceboat (not sure if he charged!) 

I have seen ads for his services in old news clippings. A brief news report from 1886.: 

In Their Own Words

You can purchase your own copy at DCHS

Visit the Dutchess County Historical Society for more Dutchess County history. You can access some of the yearbooks that have articles on Ice Yachting.