Ice boats zip across frozen Orient bay for first time since 2015
Ice boaters gripped the tillers as they shot across Hallocks Bay’s frozen surface, wind hammering their faces, the craft’s three steel runners carving lines in the ice at 50 mph — something that hadn’t been possible on the bay in Orient since 2015.
“Your heart kind of goes into your throat, it’s a lot of fun,” said veteran ice boater Ed Caufield, who lives in Orient. “It’s the best sport that not many people know about.”
The arctic blast that has gripped the region for the past two weeks finally froze Hallocks Bay thick enough for the age-old Nordic tradition to return.
Mr. Caufield and a few other ice boaters began checking the ice last Thursday, Jan. 30, with two vessels going out and sliding along the ice sheet. The next day, there were four ice boats. By Saturday, 10 to 15, along with about 100 gawkers, braved the bitter cold to watch and participate. There were 25 cars filling the Narrow River Road parking lot and more lining the roadway.
Mr. Caufield wasn’t able to get out there himself, but he was among the hearty souls who watched from the side. He said he will be sailing on the ice with his two nephews this week.
“What really attracted me to it, and what I like the most about it, is that it’s a community event,” Mr. Caufield said. “There’s no commercialization of it. It is, really, a historical event.”
The return of the wind-powered crafts marked the end of the longest ice boating drought on the North Fork in modern memory. In January 2024, frustrated enthusiasts resorted to a Norse ritual — dressing as Vikings and sweeping machine-made ice into the bay with hockey sticks — hoping to summon cold weather, as The Suffolk Times previously reported.
Ice boating is believed to have been introduced to the United States around the mid-1800s. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, North Fork farmers with little to do in winter built stern-steer ice boats — nearly every farmer had one hanging in the ceiling of his barn, according to local ice boating lore. Even Franklin D. Roosevelt raced ice boats on the Hudson River before becoming president.
There are several classes of boats: scooters, skeeters, stern steerers, skimmers, DNs and more. The boats can really pick up speed quickly, and the fastest can reach up to 80 mph in races. They don’t go nearly as fast while on Hallocks Bay, but even when going around 50 mph, it feels like a whole lot more.
“DNs, which are my favorite boats, go really fast. You get out on the ice, you’re really out in the open, and then the wind really hits, and you just accelerate,” Mr. Caufield said.
Karen Sauvigne of East Marion, who helped organize that 2014 ritual on behalf of the Orient Ice Yacht Club, said last weekend’s activity transformed Hallocks Bay into a winter playground.
“Iceboating, skating, pickup hockey, and simply watching the action provide joyful, healthy, and much-needed get-out-of-the-house adventures for families, friends, and visitors of all ages,” she said.
The Southold Town Department of Public Works cleared snow from the boat ramp and parking lot, ensuring safe access to the bay.
Mr. Caufield said the reason the bay hadn’t frozen in 12 years isn’t just the temperatures. It has to be in the low 20s, at least, to have the bay start to freeze, but wind also plays a big factor.
If it’s too windy, he said, any snow on the ground could be blown onto the bay. Too much wind could also make the water choppy, not allowing a smooth sheet of ice to be formed.
“That’s the frustrating part with ice boating. There are a number of things that have to come together,” Mr. Caufield said. “That’s why it’s been a while.”
