ICE YACHTING ON THE HUDSON RIVER THE PouGHKEEPSIE IcE BoAT AssocIATION-PART
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As a boy I was fascinated with the exhilarating sport of ice yacht ing. When only twelve years of age I coaxed my parents to allow me to stay out of school in order that I could escort my two cousins, Walter and Edgar Briggs, to witness the race for the Poughkeepsie Challenge Pennant, February 1, 1887. We skated from Hyde Park to Poughkeepsie. It was very cold, with a strong, keen north wind, and all went well on our way down, as the crack at Crum Elbow was closed. However, when we returned the tide had changed and the crack was so wide that we did not dare an attempt to jump it. We had to find a place where we could go ashore on the west side. Then, removing our skates, we picked our way to land and walked along the railroad tracks to the north side of the crack and back onto the ice. This was dangerous as the broken pieces of ice along the shore were lia!ble to give way under our feet. When we were back on the ice we replaced our skates and continued our trip to the ·Hyde Park dock. We walked up the river hill road to my home and arrived with very good appetites. This was the first race between the yachts of the Poughkeepsie Ice Boat Association and the new Hudson River Ice Yacht Club (known for a short time as the Corinthian Ice Yacht Club). The new club had been formed when some of the members of the Pough keepsie club were dissatisfied over a decision made by the regatta committee relative to a race held February 14, 1885. The race which my cousins and I had seen was won by the new yacht Reindeer, owned by George Bech, over a 24-mile course, in 1 hour, 5 minutes and 40 seconds, representing the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club. The Reindeer was later owned by Robert P. Huntington of Staatsburgh. Poughkeepsie was unquestiona!b ly the birthplace of the American ice yacht. There is a difference of opinion as to who built the first ice boat in_ this neighborhood. The late George Buckhout said that Willet Southwick had built an ice boat in 1790; the late Wellington C. Lans ing stated that it was Zadock Southwick in 1807. In a number of
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