iceboat.org Read on blog or Reader In The News – AFTER 135 YEARS, RED BANK ICE BOATERS RELINQUISH CUP By Deb Whitehorse on February 9, 2026 Photo: Brian Donahue for Red Bank Green ice sailors never forget! Talk about patience, this is next level. Congratulations to the Hudson River crew on winning back the Van Nostrand Cup after 135 years and for keeping this remarkable piece of ice sailing history alive. And thank you to Red Bank Green, the independent local news outlet, for giving this regatta practically play by play and for their continuing coverage of ice sailing at Red Banks. As the boat built by 19th-century architect Archibald Rogers came to a stop after their second straight win in the best of three, skipper Luke Lawrence and sheet tender Max Lopez exchanged hugs and gloved high fives with friends and family. One of several drones filming the action crashed into the sail and fell to the ice. Then, Lawrence paused for a quiet emotional moment, kneeling silently in the basket amid the hoots and hubbub. “I did this one for pop pop,” he said a few moments later, referring to his grandfather, Bob Lawrence, a boat builder and sailor. “He won a lot of stuff, but never this one. So this one is for him. Read more

How ironic that last week we sailed Sunday-Monday, and now we have excellent conditions this Sunday and Monday. The big lake got a dusting of snow; folks were skating through it. With the wind forecast it will probably all blow off.
Launch from Nasons Beach. We don’t know anything about the pressure ridge just outside the pit area, so proceed with curiosity, find a crossing, and mark it.

The latest from John Sperr of the HRIYC:

Word just in from Bob Wills who is in Red Bank —

Racing has been called of for Saturday because of the threat of very high winds and the extreme arctic cold.

Maybe Sunday, maybe Monday — we shall see.

This weekend the Navesink Ice Boat Club is hosting the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club to compete for the Van Nostrand Cup at Red Bank. Not sure which classes but there are bound to be some big stern steerers. Last time this was held was 2015 with the mighty Jack Frost and Rocket. If you are anywhere close this will be a show not to be missed.

Regarding the calendars in the previous post, the pdf’s are at the bottom. Just click and print.

John Ziermann put together these wonderful iceboat calendars for 2026. It’s not too late to print one out and put it to work.

The Ice Queen says that the snow won’t amount to much on Sebago on Saturday. Nice breeze Sunday and Monday.

Stand by for snow report.

2026 Calendar Ads.pdf

2026 Calendar Color.pdf

2026 Calendar Black-White.pdf