Ice yacht racers from all over the world trickled into Starbuck last Tuesday through Friday to take part in the DN North American Western Challenge. Racers from as far away as Sweden, Germany, Denmark and Poland flew in at the drop of a hat to get a piece of Lake Minnewaska’s “Hollywood Ice.” 

“Our Minnesota group saw this location on Monday, our group from Minnetonka was out here on Tuesday to walk the ice, I was here Wednesday and the race is today (Friday). We search for the perfect conditions and things happen quickly,” said Secretary/Treasurer of the International Detroit News Ice Yacht Racing Association (IDNIYRA) Deb Whitehorse. “This is some of the nicest ice we’ve ever seen. It’s epic!”

The DN ice yacht is the most popular iceboat in the world. Each yacht is built to specifications with a length of 12 feet, a width of 21 inches and a weight of 100-150 pounds. It sits on three runners similar to ice skate blades. The front blade steers the boat as it runs at speeds of up to 100+ miles per hour.

“Lake Minnewaska’s ice was exceptional, and it just doesn’t get any better than what we had. There was plenty of it, no real hazards or cracks, it was hard and smooth. The way the people of Starbuck and Glenwood welcomed us was well worth the trip alone,” said Whitehorse.

The race this weekend was the first race of the IDNIYRA season and a lot of the participants first time on the ice for the year, so there were no official results. There were several racers that are international champions that attended. There were rave reviews about the hospitality and welcoming spirit of the Pope County area.

The wind advisory for the area allowed for some perfect conditions, but with the perfect ice, winds over 30 mph made for some high-speed racing.