Icicle (yacht)

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Icicle is the name of the largest ice yacht ever built. It was built for Commodore John E. Roosevelt for racing on the Hudson River, New York state in 1869. It was 21 metres (68 ft 11 inches) long and carried 99 m² (1070 ft²) of canvas. The yacht is still, nearly 140 years later, recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as a world record.

Commodore John E. Roosevelt (Franklin Roosevelt's Uncle) had already formed the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club at Hyde Park. His ice yacht the "Icicle" required a railway flat car to move her.

In 1871 "Icicle" beats the "Chicago Express" train on a run between Poughkeepsie and Ossining. Early ice yacht clubs spent most of their time racing trains.

[edit] References

• Guinness Book of Records, 2004
• http://www.iceboat.org/ice%20boat%20timeline.htm