Ice sailing kicks off in Minnesota on Lake Minnewaska

Ice sailing's Great Western Challenge is being held this weekend in west-central Minnesota on Lake Minnewaska. It’s open to sailors of all skill levels and offers them a chance to fine tune their vessels before the start of competitive racing next weekend.

Samuel Bartel is the race director at the Lake Minnetonka Sailing School. He’s also the junior sailing coach and director for the International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association. He said an international field of about 60 vessels is expected to participate in the annual event. 

“It is the first ice boating event of the season for our region and for the U.S.,” Bartel said. “There's been a few guys that have gone up north to Canada for some ice boating so far, but this is really the first major meetup of all the ice boaters for the whole year.”

Bartel said ice boats are like traditional sailboats but pair large runners and sails to reach up to four times typical wind speeds.

“If you're sailing a Sunfish [sailboat] on a lake next to your cabin, you might go 5 miles an hour, 10 miles an hour,” he said. “In the ice boats, it's 20 miles an hour, 40 miles an hour, maybe as high as 60 or 70 miles an hour, which can be a lot of fun.”

A Maryland state flag flaps in the wind near a group of iceboats on Lake Minnewaska near Starbuck on Friday. The Great Western Challenge draws enthusiasts from around the world. Organizers expect around 60 vessels to take part in the event.

Courtesy of Deb Whitehorse

Deb Whitehorse, executive secretary and treasurer for the International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association, said Minnesota experiences some of the first lake freezes in the nation. 

“They tend to be especially in the maybe central, north central kind of the prairie lakes. They're not as deep as some of the lakes, so they freeze quicklier,” said Whitehorse, who is also webmaster for iceboat.org — one of the most popular ice boating websites in the world. “So that's what makes Minnesota just perfect for ice sailing.”

However, Whitehorse said the state’s recent mild winters have forced ice sailors to travel farther than usual to find ice conditions suitable for the sport. And she added, snow can make the integrity of ice unreliable.

The Great Western Challenge ends Sunday. If weather conditions permit, competitive races will pick up next weekend in Battle Lake, Minn.