My Adventure: by Ron Sherry
Ron started his sailing career racing Thistles and ice boats at the age of nine. He won his first major DN race at the age of 12 in 1975 at the Northwestern Ice Yachting Association Regatta on Lake Geneva.
In 1995 Ron started Composite Concepts where he continues to successfully build ice boats and other custom composite fabrications. Ron is the 2018 European and North American Champion in the DN ice boat class, has won 5 World Championships, 3 European Championships, and 13 North American Championships. Ron won the World Championship at the ISA in 1997 in the Renegade ice boat class. Composite Concepts has manufactured over 1,000 masts and planks, and over 3,500 runners of all different types. Ron’s philosophy is to share his knowledge and technology with all sailors, “because the faster other sailors are, the faster I will be. Fast is FUN.”
The DN is the largest iceboat class in the world. DN is the name of the boat because in 1937 the Detroit News sponsored a design contest to come up with a design for an affordable, home buildable iceboat to provide winter entertainment during the depression. Carrying 60 square feet of sail, it offers spirited performance and a lot of very competitive sailing on local, regional, national and world level. Ice yachters of all ages find the DNs demands in competition a satisfying challenge. With the new flexible composite components older sailors are able to compete with the young guys even into their 70s and 80s. In addition, the DN is the only current design which offers truly international racing, with active fleets throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Russia.
Iceboating began in the 17th century as a documented means of transport on the frozen Gulf of Riga and the canals of the Netherlands into the 18th century.[1] Ice boats carried cargo on Dutch canals during the 17th century.[2]
The first iceboats were introduced on New York State’s Hudson River in the United States in 1790, where the practice flourished as a sport. The first recorded boat, built in 1790 by Oliver Booth of Poughkeepsie, was a square box atop three runners, the two forward runners being nailed to the box and the third acted as a rudder operated by a tiller. This type of craft was accessible to sportsmen of modest means.
Advice to Others:
It’s difficult to find an outfit that rents ice boats, so here’s some advice if you’re interested in trying the sport:
- Check out the website https://www.iceboat.org for advice
- Search online for ice boat clubs in your area (assuming you live somewhere cold enough)
- Go out to location at ice boat races or club outings and talk to the sailors. In the right circumstances, you might get a free ride
- A decent used ice boat can cost less than many other pieces of athletic equipment and can be portable on a car top. You could always just dive in with a purchase and resell it later if you decide it’s not for you.
- Be safe. Don’t go alone. Go with someone who knows the ice conditions and boat handling. And start in light winds.
- Have FUN!
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