Happy New Year 2025

Fair Winds and smooth ice in the New Year!

 

Keep them mowing blades sharp!

A few more days left - Jan 2-5 to see the ice yacht display at FDR museum. 

Hyde Park Ice Yachts at FDR Museum & Library

Boats from the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club are currently on display at the Wallace Center through January 5. 

 Allons, 1899; Owner Henry Sleight was out sailing Allons on February 10, 1903 off Hyde Park when Archie Rogers ( FDR's neighbor to the north), sailing his yacht Ariel, broke through the ice, tossing him and his wife, Ann Coleman Rogers, into the open water. As they struggled to stay on the capsized yacht, Sleight sailed up, cut the halyards from Allons, and tossed them to Rogers. Together with another ice boater, Sterling Bird, they hauled the Rogers onto firm ice and safety. They were wet, though unscathed.  A copy of the telegram Mrs. Rogers sent to her son Edmund Pendelton Rogers, away at Groton with FDR,  describes the incident and that "all is fine."  The Gilbert family acquired Allons from Henry Sleight in the 1930s.  She is owned by George Vengrin, of Rhinebeck.

      Comet, Archie Rogers fleet, circa 1903. Comet was sold at the 1943 auction of items from  the Rogers' Estate, including several iceboats.  She sailed in NJ for many years. Tom Gilbert saw an ad that it was for sale, and located in Claverack, NY. He acquired it in the 60s. Only the second cat-rigged ice yacht still around (Dash is also cat-rigged). There were many small cat boats in the clubs in the early 1900s. 

               Hound, Vincent Astor boat?? circa 1905.                                     Burger family boat. 

Burgees of the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club (founded 1885) (top) & the Hyde Park Ice Yacht Club (founded 1899)

 

Club member Eric Jappen dropped off the nameplate for ice yacht North Star. North Star was 36' in length with 440 sq ft of sail, built by George Buckhout. North Star belonged to George Ruppert, of the Ruppert Brewery family. His brother Jacob Ruppert was president of the NY Yankees; George, as I read, was more interested in the brewery than in baseball. He often raced his cat rigged boat Dash in Club races in 1908-10 seasons.  Another cat boat - Dare - was in his collection sailed by brother-in-law Adolph Schwartz.  His estate was in Rhinebeck, on the River.  It was burned down in 1967 by local Fire companies to make way for the Linwood Spiritual Center that exists there today. Eric helped remove several boats and parts prior to the burning. He still has Ruppert's Dash, and he got this nameplate as well.  North Star & Dare ended up at the State Museum in Albany where they are buried somewhere deep in storage....) 

On display in the Museum this week in the basement section: some of John A. Roosevelt's iceboat collection.

Hudson River Ice Yacht Club Pennant - JAR acquired this after winning the pennant three times in races. 

Tiller to ICICLE (?) perhaps an earlier small version? 

Commodores Flag of the HRIYC. This flew on JAR's yacht   Icicle 

I love how JAR had his name embroidered on his pennant. 

Nameplate for the ICICLE.  

The painting is the final study of the Ice Yacht panel for the Hyde Park Post Office, done by Olin Dows. Roosevelt is one of the men working on the ice yacht in the panel. The mural is still there in the HP Post Office. 

Ice Yachts on display again at the Wallace Center at the FDR Museum & Library

The Hudson River Ice Yacht Club is again displaying several ice boats at the FDR Library & Museum this holiday season. After a few frustrating days of uncertainty, due to the threatened Government shut down, the compromise agreed upon kept the Museum open. We have set up Hound, Comet, and Allons in the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home. This trio of yachts are all from Hyde Park. 

 Allons was built by Samuel Rogers in Hyde Park, N.Y. in 1899 for Henry B. Sleight.Sleight was a charter member of the Hyde Park Ice Yacht Club, established in 1899. Allons raced frequently in Club races from their inaugural racing season in 1900 through 1910.  Allons is owned by George Vengrin.

Comet was part of Archie Rogers collection of Ice Boats. It was built for his son, William Coleman Rogers, in the early 1900s. Comet is Cat-rigged – It sails with just a mainsail, no jib. Comet raced frequently in Club races, taking a first place trophy for sixth class yachts, beating Allons in the race of February 12, 1909.   

Hound  came from the Huntington estate in Staatsburg It was likely built in the early 1900s. Robert Huntington had several ice yachts that he raced, and his daughter Helen Huntington also sailed the family ice boats. Helen married Vincent Astor, who also owned and raced several ice boats, and was a member of the Hyde Park Ice Yacht Club. It is speculated that Hound may be one of Vincent Astor’s ice yachts, which may have been stored at Helen Huntington’s barns in Staatsburgh. Hound is maintained & sailed by the Burger family.

Boats will be set up by Sunday 12/22 and will be on display through January 5, 2025. This follows last years exhibit at the Wallace Center which was well received by many visitors that came to the site over the holidays. A video of the exhibit was the most viewed video in the FDR channel on You Tube! The boats can be seen -- with full rigging -- in the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home, during regular operating hours (9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.), with free admission. The facilities are closed on Christmas and New Years Day. Come to Hyde Park - the display is free at the Wallace Visitor Center. 

                         Setting up at the Wallace Center, Hyde Park.