The sport continues to this day with a club of dedicated sailors who have lovingly restored, maintained and continued to sail the antique ice yachts of yesteryear.
Interest in ice boating waned again, and the ice yachts were gradually stored in barns and sheds all over town.
Only with minor changes this ice yacht is still built according to the original drawings.
This expedition is a logical sequel of the exploration of the great Asian lakes by ice yachts.
The design is somewhat different from the faster ice yachts that were soon to be built.
In the best of years, the ice yachts can sail from Staatsburg to Catskill - nearly 30 miles.
Ice sailing began in Europe in the mid 17th century, and ice yachts were long the fastest vehicle known.
This exhilarating sport has been enjoyed by the happy owners of ice yachts this week.
To sail an ice yacht is a fantastic experience and many are surprised that it is so easy to learn!
Well ironically, that was on an ice yacht in Antarctica, and that would have been in 1971, and of course I was able bodied then.
The stern-steering ice yachts of the day were rather large compared to today's designs.
The antique ice yachts can weigh up to 3000 lb, span 50 ft., and do 80 miles an hour with a good wind.
It was designed by J. A. Roosevelt, the uncle of FDR, and was considered to be the fastest ice yacht of its time.
There are now several classes of ice yacht which vary in size, sail area and performance.
He is producing a television documentary on ice yachts and was interested in further information on the ice yachts at Mawson.
We now have all seasons covered, sailing in the summer, land yachts in the spring and fall, and ice yachts in the winter.
The ice yacht was built by Trevor Taylor who was one of the diesel mechanics at Mawson in 1995 / 6.
Antique ice yachts are all about speed, but getting the clubs that sail them to actually race can be glacially slow.
Antique wooden ice yachts are typically ‘stern steers’, thirty to forty feet long with gaff rigged sails over 250 square feet.
The specific construction of the boats and the runners offering strong sideward resistance, allow ice yachts to travel at speeds greater than the real wind.