Junior Program Trailer Locked & Loaded

by | Nov 29, 2023 | 2023, 2024

Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Skeeter Sailor and Past Champions Iceboat Shop Trailer-Repair-Specialist, Ken Whitehorse

Junior Program Trailer Locked and Loaded
Submitted by Daniel Hearn

It’s an exciting day for ice sailing in the US of A! Thanks to 4LIYC’s Ken Whitehorse, with an assist from Paul Krueger, the chariot that will carry the next generation of American ice sailors into the future is ready to roll.

Can’t think of a better trailer for the job, as this one was formerly owned by the legendary, Jane Pegel, who always carried the torch for everything youth sailing. Now, the original aluminum frame, with high capacity rack system and dock box, is equipped with a new axle, bearings and leaf springs; new LED lights, a shiny new safety, new radial tires on new rims, and a new spare bias ply tire on a new rim.

Our new enthusiastic and visionary Junior Program leader, Sam Bartel, is now well equipped. He has gathered up an arsenal of DNs and Ice Optis which will ride on this trailer. And he’s got a back of newbie ice sailing kids lined up to give it a go at the Great Western Challenge. Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

Many thanks to Donny Anderson for the trailer donation for this cause. And to Dave Elsmo for the dock box donation. Think Ice! And let’s all help Sam refill the pipeline!

PK at the bench clamp

Expressing Gratitude

by | Sep 2, 2023 | 2023 Worlds & North Americans, 2024, Home Page

After the 2023 IDNIYRA World Championship, a group of participants took up a collection to recognize PRO Pat Heppert’s exceptional dedication. Daniel Hearn selected action shots of Pat, captured by Cathy Firmbach, and commissioned a company to create an awe-inspiring 3D photo montage.

Yesterday, Pat was presented with his gift at Daniel’s shop, where he joined a gathering of fellow ice sailors busy preparing Nite masts. During his visit, he also took the chance to organize the DN Western Region equipment, a significant portion of which had been generously contributed by retired PRO Dan Heaney. Pat will join us again for the North American Championship on February 25 – March 2, 2024.

Struble Extends DN season in California

by | Mar 20, 2023 | 2023, Home Page


The DN season wasn’t over yet for 2023 World & North American champion Matt Struble US183 who sailed in his home state of California yesterday at America’s Landsailing Championship held at Ivanpah. Considered the “cathedral of land sailing,” Ivanpah dry lake is located on the border of California and Nevada. He joined other ice sailors from around the country. Via Ken Smith’s Facebook page:

A brisk first day sailing ALC at Ivanpah, CA. About 70 competitors in roughly 90 land sailing yachts (sailors in multiple classes). Midwest DN iceboaters include Bob Cave, Lou Lonnecke, Pat Heppert, Pete Johns, and Daniel Hearn. Also Bill Dale and a pair from New England.
We sailed one round of five class starts. We got DN champ Matt Strubble racing in a mini skeeter, a class 3, and a DN on wheels. Wide wind range, shifty direction, and large wind holes made sailing, umm, interesting! -Ken Smith

Matt Struble replies: Absolute blast! Thanks Ken Smith, Peete Johns for a great day of sailing. I logged some wonderful miles of sailing. Felt at home in the DN, especially at the start.

Matt Struble Ivanpah 2
Matt with Pete John’s DN kitted out with a land sailing conversion kit.
Bob And Lou
Bob Cave and Lou Lonnecke

“Daniel Hearn honored by PZŻ for the Fair Play gesture”

by | Feb 6, 2020 | 2020, Home Page

Via the Polish Sailing Federation:

Daniel Hearn, an American ice sailor, received today at the headquarters of the Polish Yachting Association a commemorative diploma of recognition for the unique fair play gesture, thanks to which Michał Burczyński won the title of the world champion.

February 2019. Indian Lake in Ohio. There are only two days left to the first races of the world championships, meanwhile Polish representatives find out that their equipment is stuck at the airport in Paris and there is no chance that it will reach the venue. Some Poles resign from the start and come back to Poland, others are looking for a solution. Among the latter is Michał Burczyński, one of the best ice sailors in the world and one of the favorites for the world championship medal.

– Since I was already in the US, it was a shame to come back, especially since I felt the atmosphere of the upcoming competition. I wrote to Daniel Hearn that I don’t think I will start because I have nothing to use. Meanwhile, he told me not to worry, because I can borrow his equipment, choose what I want, I can change in skids, sails. I was very happy, but I did not think that I would be able to fight for gold on a foreign boat, I aimed at the place around 10. The equipment turned out to be phenomenal, and I was very mobilized, I did my best and won the world title on the borrowed equipment. All thanks to the amazing gesture of an American colleague – says Michał Burczyński.

– I wrote to Michał not to worry, I have a lot of equipment and I will gladly lend him my best set. At first Michał didn’t want to take my best equipment, but I told him not to be embarrassed. He is a professional, I race more for fun. He was one of the favorites of this championship, he came to fight for the title of world champion and I just wanted to enable him. And so it happened, Michał won the regatta, and now I at least know how high my speed can be – says Daniel Hearn with a laugh.

The American gesture and the Polish result were widely commented on in the sailing world. Tomasz Chamera, president of the Polish Yachting Association, decided to express his gratitude and appreciation for the attitude of the American sailor on behalf of the entire Polish sailing community. Taking the opportunity that Daniel Hearn has been in Poland for several days, he invited him to the PZŻ headquarters and gave him an occasional diploma of recognition. Michał Burczyński and representatives of the Polish Fleet DN Association also participated in the meeting.

– Taking advantage of the opportunity that Daniel Hearn stopped in Poland on his way to next week’s world ice-skating championships in Sweden, we invited him to the headquarters of the Polish Yachting Association to give him a gift, but above all to thank him for this amazing fair play gesture. Giving your rivals the best equipment is unique in sport. I would like to emphasize the importance of this event and the fact that fair play in sport is extremely important and, unfortunately, less and less common. Fortunately, sailing is different and I hope it will always be like this – says Tomasz Chamera, president of the Polish Sailing Association.

By the way, there was the opportunity to talk about the unusual atmosphere that accompanies the regatta. It is not without reason that it is said that militants are one large family.

– We have known and supported ourselves with Daniel Hearn for many years. The world championships are played in both Europe and America. When Americans come to Europe, I look after them, pick them up from the airport, organize transport, we often travel together. They, in turn, revenge the same. Bojerowcy is a cool environment, we stick together, support each other. At this point I would like to thank the Polish Yachting Association for such a nice ceremony and appreciation of Daniel’s gesture. I know that Daniel is pleasantly surprised by this and it means a lot to him, me and the boating community – adds Michał Burczyński.

Polish and American fighters are currently in Gdynia, from where they set off for the next world championships this weekend, which will be played in Sweden this time. Michał Burczyński will defend the championship title, and Daniel Hearn sets himself goals to advance to the so-called golden fleet, in which the 25 best championship players will be racing. It is worth adding that Michał Burczyński is a multimedia player at the world championships – he has won three gold medals (2006, 2010, 2019), three silver (2011, 2014 and 2016) and four bronze (1999, 2002, 2015 and 2017).

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The Amazing Doug Harvey

by | May 15, 2019 | 2019, Home Page


One of our eldest DN sailors and a former Commodore, Michigan’s Doug Harvey US1202, was recently in the news about his role in 84th Infantry Division during WW2.

“You gave me my life,” Sophie Tajch Klisman, a survivor of the Holocaust, told Doug Harvey, a World War II veteran, on the street in front of her home Monday, with media cameras recording and clicking. “You gave me a lot, and I can’t believe it!”

“Well, I was only one of thousands,” Harvey told her, recalling how the United States and its allies fought to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe more than 70 years ago. “You’re like the only one left,” he said, referring to the passing of many of the Holocaust generation. Read more.

The story prompted Daniel Hearn to remember how Doug Harvey also had an impact on his life and ice sailing.

Doug is an amazing man in many ways. I wrote the following story about Doug back in 2009.

Bands of Brothers

The #10 envelope caught my eye in the stack of mail. It was addressed with a typewriter. I only see them now in the offices of laptop-using writers who display them as some sort of romantic reflection of their craft. A dot matrix generated the return address and the postage was 14 cent Iceboat 1880’s stamps. Inside was a neatly typed letter with the formal elegance I recalled from my 7th grade typing class. It was charming in an age when most of our communication is abbreviated gibberish exchanged between hand-held devices. But right there under the author’s city, state and zip was an e-mail address. Just who was this Douglas J. Harvey, and what was with all these intriguing dichotomies?

“I met Bart in 1972 when I was in Europe with the first large group of (US) DN sailors to make the trip.” The letter explained that the two didn’t know each other yet, but they were not far apart in 1944 when Doug was in the Infantry as part of the northern-most troops of the US Army. I did the math. 2009 – 1944 = 65…so, if he were 18 when he began to serve our country, that would make Doug about 83 or 84.

Doug lives in Michigan. Bart Reedijk, who is Dutch, now lives in Germany. Both are active ice sailors. No, not former ice sailors… active ice sailors, TODAY! In fact, Doug is the 2009 Bronze Fleet North American Champion. And for the record, Doug is 84. Although on different continents, Doug and Bart have traveled and raced together on both sides of the pond for decades. They are a Band of Brothers.

The two decided they wanted to do something very special for the sport. So, enclosed was a very generous donation to the North American Ice Opti Racing Association with no earmarks. The letter simply stated, “Use this donation to promote youth ice sailing in any way your organization feels appropriate.”

This little story reminded me that my own love of the sport has as much to do with the camaraderie, the friendships, and the connections that can last a lifetime, as the racing itself. Although not unique to the DN, the size of the class and the geographic distribution tend to make the bands more pronounced. In my relatively brief time in the DN, I’ve already come to know many: the Twin Cities gang; the Lake Geneva contingent; the Pewaukee crew; the legendary Detroit group; the masters of hospitality from Traverse City; the Toledo boys; the Lake Wawasee squadron. And I’m starting to get to know some of great people from the east.

One day I hope to beat Matt Struble and Ron Sherry in even a single race. I might not ever get there, but the funny thing is that it doesn’t really matter. I’m enjoying the journey with my own Band of Brothers. And I’m grateful to Brothers such as Doug and Bart who are helping to ensure that there will be future generations of ice sailors forming bands of their own.
Daniel Hearn US5352