Think Ice, and Remember the Man Who Wrote the Book

With the summer season in full swing with work, sailing and other fun, I have been negligent about putting fingers to the keyboard. But like many of us, even in the middle of summer, I find myself looking at lakes and rivers and thinking about their upcoming frozen state. While racing on the Hudson and other soft-water venues, my thoughts inevitably turn toward the coming ice.

This summer ice rally post has been delayed, but recent happenings have finally pushed me to put fingers to keyboard.

I recently drove past Chickawaukie Pond on my way to the Rockland Boat and Harbor Show. As I passed, I thought about my old friend and fellow iceboater Lloyd Roberts, whose house sits at the top of the lake. There was no time for a side trip that day, but fortunately I had seen Lloyd twice over the past two years.

I had known Lloyd since 1992. The last Summer I saw him, at the estate auction of fellow iceboater John Eastman, I told Lloyd that I had known him for half my life. And he had been a positive influence on many aspects of my life.

The winter before, in 2024, I had pulled up on Lloyd’s beach in my DN. Seeing me approach, he came out on the porch and we had a long chat about iceboats, our mutual iceboating friends and life in general. He was pleased that the NEIYA was continuing to bring people to the ice. Eventually we walked out onto the ice where my boat was parked, like we had done so many times at his beach and other ice venues. This would be the last time we stood on the ice together.

It was one of those simple encounters that did not seem particularly significant at the time, but means a great deal now.

At Eastman’s estate auction, Lloyd mentioned that he was bidding on one of John’s cameras because he wanted something to remember him by. In much the same way, the work I put into assembling Lloyd’s Cheapskate plans and manual on iceboat.me will now serve as am eternal reminder of Lloyd for me.

Lloyd’s contributions to iceboating stretched across decades. Whether you came into the sport in the 1970s, 80s, 90s, (as I did in the early 90s), or in the 2000s, 10s or 20s, his influential hand touched us all.

His kind, gentle and methodical approach to solving problems, including the problems of iceboating, followed him throughout his life. When Lloyd saw something that could help the sport, he did something about it.

Wanting to introduce people to our beloved sport, Lloyd wrote Think Ice, the all-in-one how-to iceboating manual, available through the Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club:

Recognizing the need for an iceboat that could introduce newcomers to the experience, Lloyd developed the Gambit, a boat particularly well suited to giving rides. There are official plans out there somewhere, and I will try to locate them and update this post in the future.

And recognizing that cost could be a barrier keeping people from getting into the sport, Lloyd created the Cheapskate, a simple iceboat that could be built from commonly available materials, a little plywood and some determination.

The Cheapskate plans and manual can be found here:

Think Ice, the Gambit and the Cheapskate all say something about Lloyd. He did not just love iceboating. He wanted other people to discover it, experience it and become part of it.

Information about a remembrance gathering for Lloyd should be posted on iceboat.me in the next couple of weeks.

Farewell my friend and may you find endless black ice and a steady breeze rocket you down the plate.

Think Ice, and remember the man who wrote the book.

John
DN5023
john@neiya.org