Jay Armour, left, of Gardiner, N.Y., and Steve Schwartz of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., sail an ice boat on the Hudson River on Saturday, March 1, 2014, in Barrytown, N.Y. More than a dozen boats hit the ice last weekend on a wide stretch of the river about 100 miles north of New York City. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
March 06, 2014 - 11:05 PM
BARRYTOWN, N.Y. - This year's frigid winter has created excellent conditions for ice sailing on the Hudson River in New York.
More than a dozen boats hit the ice last weekend on a wide stretch of the river 160 kilometres north of New York City.
Among them were two reconditioned 19th-century ice yachts, made of heavy lumber and fitted with tall sails.
The ice sailors were the rare Northeasterners who welcomed the polar vortex.
The crews navigated a 30-kilometre patch of sailable ice on the river near Poughkeepsie, recalling a winter tradition that once brought thousands of people out to watch ice boats race.
John Sperr of the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club says the mission is to keep the old yachts going instead of sitting in silence in a museum.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014