Iceboat facts for kids
An iceboat is like a sailboat, but it's built to glide over ice instead of water! Instead of a hull in the water, it has special skis or runners (like skates) that let it zoom across frozen lakes and rivers. The sport of riding and racing these boats is called ice yachting. When people talk about ice sailing, they call solid ice "hard water" and liquid water "soft water."
Iceboats are usually for one person, especially in races. But some iceboats can carry two or more people. Some even have a "side car" so you can bring a friend along for the ride! A similar sport, land sailing, uses a boat with wheels instead of runners to race on land.
History of Iceboats
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Iceboats have been around for a long time! Before the late 1800s, people used them to move goods and for racing. Some of these early boats were very long, up to 50 feet (15 m)! Sometimes, they were even moved between places on rail cars.
The sport of ice sailing first started in Europe. Later, it became popular in America, especially in northern states and Canadian provinces where there's lots of ice. Many ice sailing clubs are still active today.
One of the oldest iceboat races is the annual regatta sponsored by the Northwest Ice Yacht Association. This event recently celebrated its 100th anniversary!
The first iceboat in America is thought to have been built by Oliver Booth in 1790. He made it in Poughkeepsie, New York. This early boat was a small triangular box with two runners at the front and a steering runner at the back.
Images for kids
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An iceboat at the 2011 DN European Championships in Nasva, Estonia
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Classic iceboats on the Hudson River at Barrytown, NY
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Ice Boating in Toledo, Ohio
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Diagram of apparent wind (VA) on an iceboat on different points of sail
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IceOptimists
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International DN class iceboats at the start of a race in Znin, Poland
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Monotype XV
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See also
In Spanish: Trineo de vela para niños
