ICE YACHTS AND ICE YACHTING. The amusement or sport of sailing yachts over the ice has reached its highest development in the United States. The sport abroad is con fined to Russia, Sweden and Norway. Boats of the Russian River Club are sailed over a portion of the Gulf of Finland. In 1901 the Stockholm Ice Yacht Club of Sweden built a fleet of fast-racing ice yachts from American designs by Ashley.
The first authentic ice boat in the United States was built by Oliver Booth at Pough keepsie, N. Y., in 1790. It was a square box mounted on three runners, shod with rough iron, with a rudder post and tiller of wood. In 1850, on the Shrewsbury River, in New Jersey, George D. Allaire constructed an ice yacht of the box order, equipped with rough square iron bars for runners, sharpened with cutting edges. In 1855, on the same river, Nathan B. Clark built a three-cornered platform boat, having sharpened runners, and added a jib to the sprit sails previously carried. The type of side-rail boat came into use alai:nit 1871. Jacob Buckhout of Poughkeepsie was the pioneer designer of this type and at the Centennial Exhibition (1876) exhibited the side-rail yacht Whiff, built for Irving Grinnell of the New Hamburgh, N. Y., Ice Yacht Club. She carried 347 square feet of canvas and measured 40 feet from the top of the bowsprit to the end of the main boom. The sloop-rigged Icicle built on these lines carried 1,070 square feet of sail, but this excess of canvas was found impracticable and the building of large boats was abandoned. The revolution in ice yachting began in 1879, when H. Relyea of Poughkeepsie built the Robert Scott, having a single backbone and an elliptical steering box. This boat carried 499 square feet of canvass and easily outsailed boats of twice her size. In 1883 the Jack Frost was built by Archibald Rogers of Hyde Park-on the-Hudson and the famous racing yacht Haze was built the same year. The Jack Frost won the world's pennant in 1883 and the Haze in 1884 and 1885. About this time the Shrewsbury Ice Yacht Club of Red Bank, N. J., built a large lateen-rigged boat, the Scud, carrying over 600 square feet of duck in a single sail.
The Orange Lake, N. Y., Club built at the same time the catboat Shadow, carrying 800 square feet of sail and said to be the strongest ice yacht ever constructed. Both of these vessels proved unsuccessful as prize or pennant win ners. The Icicle, owned by J. A. Roosevelt, took the American pennant in four races out of five in the years between 1888 and 1899. The Jack Frost, owned by Archibald Rogers, won the pennant in 1887, 1893 and 1902. In March 1904, the Wolverine won the Stuart In ternational Trophy, over a 20-mile course. In the last heat the time made was 42 minutes. On 24 Feb. 1907, the same yacht broke all world's records for a two-point course, at Kal amazoo, Mich., making the 20 miles in 39 min utes and 50 seconds, which remains as a record.
Racing Rules.— For class racing, ice yachts are divided into four classes: (1) Yachts carrying 600 square feet of sail area and over. (2) Yachts carrying 450 square feet and under America is open to any American or foreign built yacht.
Ice Yacht Construction.— In the modern ice yacht the centre timber or backbone may be made of two pieces joined, or of one solid stick or as a hollow truss. To this is joined at right angles the running plank, which is supported by the two principal runners; the third runner is placed aft on a pivot and operated by a tiller as a rudder. The cabin, steering box or cock pit is attached at the aft extremity of the back bone. The mast is stepped two or three feet forward of the running plank. The backbone running plank, mast and bowsprit are con nected and braced by wire ropes. The best material for the main beams is seasoned bass wood, which is very light and stiff. The central objects in construction are lightness and 600. (3) Yachts carrying 300 square feet and under 450. (4) Yachts carrying less than 300 square feet. Handicap or tune allowance for mixed classes is made as follows: One second per square foot for every foot of canvas car ried over the smaller boat, providing the race is sailed in one hour. If the race is sailed in 30 minutes one-half second per square foot is allowed and proportionately in accordance with the time of the race.