Profiles in NJ Ice Yachting History – 1902 South Shrewsbury Ice Boat & Yacht Club

Mr. Local History Jersey Ice Boat Time Machine Series
Join us as we look back at stories written about great ice yachts and those who made them iconic names in the sport. The theme of this story is the growth and organization of ice yachting on the South Shrewsbury River, highlighting club leadership, friendly rivalry, and competitive racing for silver trophies and pennants during the 1902 winter season.

“Branchport, where the South Shrewsbury Ice Yacht Club’s clubhouse was located, was a historic riverside landing on the South Shrewsbury River; that area today corresponds to the waterfront between Long Branch and North Long Branch, New Jersey.”

The South Shrewsbury Ice Yacht Club would later morph to the nearby Long Branch Ice Boat & Yacht Club

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ICE YACHTING ON THE SOUTH SHREWSBURY RIVER FOR SILVER TROPHIES AND CLUB PENNANTS, THE MID WINTER ATTRACTION OF THE NORTH JERSEY COAST

ASBURY PARK DAILY PRESS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1902

Personalities: Benjamin P. Morris, Charles P. Irwin, J. J. Manolt, L. B. Egbert, Warner Snyder, James Throckmorton, H. P. Bennett, George Lippincott, E. E. Taber, Charles L. Edwards, W. A. Seaman, E. W. Price, E. W. Reid, J. E. Green, Thomas V. Arrowsmith, Elisha W. Price, William A. Seaman, William C. Price, E. H. Green, Samuel G. Mullen, F. H. Newman, William B. Riddle, T. Fraser Price, A. E. Patterson, H. L. Seaman.
Yachts: Mildred, Le Roy, Red Rover, Ray, Harold, Shrewsbury, Florence A, Eagle.

History of the Two Clubs and a Complete List of the Races Sailed During the Season
The Mildred Champion Yacht of the South Shrewsbury Club
The Harold Winner of the Greatest Number of Races in the Shrewsbury Club

Ice yachting on the South Shrewsbury River has been one of the winter sports for many years, but not until 1896 was there a concerted effort made to make the ideal outdoor sport attractive. A number of ice boat enthusiasts conceived the idea of forming a club and promoting the building and sailing of ice boats.

They were incorporated in 1896, with an encouraging number of charter members. Thus the initial step was taken in what has since grown to be a prosperous club, furnishing amusement for its members and friendly rivalry in sailing competitions.

The season of 1902 will go on record as being the best in the history of ice yachting on the South Shrewsbury. Had Monday’s blizzard been detained a week later, the third week in February would have witnessed the best racing of the season.

Arrangements had been completed for a race between the North Shrewsbury yachts and the home flyers for the Interstate Cup. A race was scheduled for Monday, but the snow blockade prevented it. The main attraction with the South Shrewsbury ice yachtsmen has been the contest for the Commodore’s Cup, a silver trophy presented by former Mayor Benjamin P. Morris. The trophy was open to boats of the third class. The boats eligible to compete for the cup were the Le Roy, Red Rover and the Mildred.

The Le Roy, until recently, held the championship pennants of both the North and South Shrewsbury clubs. On February 12 last the Commodore’s Cup was decided, the winner being the Mildred, B. P. Morris’ speedy yacht. The Le Roy finished second and the Red Rover third.

On February 11 the race for the Goin Cup, for fourth class boats, was decided, the winner being Charles L. Edwards’ Ray. The Rice Cup and the Blue Ribbon pennant were drawing cards at the Shrewsbury Club at Pleasure Bay. The ice yachtsmen allowed no grass to grow under their feet, racing every day the weather would permit, either for the Rice Cup, Blue Ribbon or twenty four hour pennants.

The Blue Ribbon pennant has been sailed for a dozen times. Vice Commodore W. A. Seaman’s Harold crossed the line in the lead six times. E. W. Price’s Shrewsbury three times, Commodore E. W. Reid’s Florence A twice and J. E. Green’s Eagle once. Six legs for the Rice Cup have been sailed. The Harold won three times. The Eagle, Shrewsbury and Red Rover each have a win to their credit.

THE SOUTH SHREWSBURY CLUB

The South Shrewsbury Club is the promoter of ice yacht contests in this section and every year they have taken in new members until now they have one hundred names enrolled and twenty boats listed. The club house at Branchport is admirably situated and two meetings are held monthly. The room is open daily and yachtsmen gather and discuss the merits of the various yachts. The Old Club, as it is designated, is in a good financial condition and the membership roll is increasing.

The club has participated in numerous races this winter and not a few new boats were added to the fleet.

The officers of the club are:
Commodore, Benjamin P. Morris
Vice Commodore, Charles P. Irwin
Treasurer, J. J. Manolt
Secretary, L. B. Egbert

Committee, J. J. Manolt, Warner Snyder, James Throckmorton, H. P. Bennett, George Lippincott

Measurer, E. E. Taber

SILVER TROPHIES PRESENTED

After the regular meeting of the South Shrewsbury Club Wednesday night a lunch and smoker was enjoyed at Snyder’s Branchport Hotel. Two silver cups were presented to the successful yachtsmen.

Vice Commodore Irwin presented the Commodore’s Cup to the Mildred, which was accepted by her owner, Commodore B. P. Morris. The latter afterward presented the Goin Cup to the Ray. Charles L. Edwards, the Ray’s owner, accepted the trophy.

THE SHREWSBURY CLUB

The Shrewsbury Ice Boat and Yacht Club was incorporated February 28, 1901.

The incorporators were:
Thomas V. Arrowsmith
Elisha W. Price
William A. Seaman
William C. Price
E. H. Green
Samuel G. Mullen
F. H. Newman
William B. Riddle
T. Fraser Price
A. E. Patterson
H. L. Seaman

The object of the club is to promote yacht and ice boat building and racing. The first meeting was held January 27.

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The World’s Ice Sailing Epicenter – Red Bank, New Jersey

Down on the Navisink River just off the shores of Red Bank. Iceboating on the Navesink River was a vivid winter tradition that turned frozen water into a racetrack and social gathering place for river towns like Red Bank and Fair Haven. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, when winters were colder and ice stayed thick for weeks, local sailors adapted their yachting skills to sharp steel runners and towering sails. Iceboats with names like Icicle, Snowbird, Jack Frost, and Swallow skimmed across the river at astonishing speeds, often faster than any sailboat could manage in summer.

Historic Ice Boat Video Collection

Check out the Mr. Local History Collection and the beauty of ice boating in New Jersey as well as a few other spots that honor the beauty, history, excitement, and yes, the speed of these great frozen machines.

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New Jersey Iceboating Authors

New Jerseyans have been experts in the field of iceboating for generations, so much so that they helped define the sport by writing some of its classic books. S. Calhoun Smith drew on countless hours spent racing and studying iceboats to explain how speed, balance, and design truly worked on frozen water. His writing reflected hard won experience and became a trusted reference for sailors not only in New Jersey, but across the United States and internationally.

Jack Andresen brought the same depth of knowledge to iceboating from the sailor’s perspective. Having lived the sport during its postwar rise, he understood the excitement, technique, and danger that came with sailing on ice. In Sailing on Ice, he captured what it felt like to rig a boat in the cold and fly across a frozen lake, turning personal experience into enduring guidance. Together, their work shows how New Jersey’s iceboating tradition produced experts whose influence reached far beyond the state.

Author	Cover	Book Title	Year First Published	Link
S. Calhoun Smith		Ice Boating: A Complete Guide to Ice Boat Development, Design, Construction and Sailing	1962	https://archive.org/details/iceboatingcomple0000scal
Jack Andresen		Sailing on Ice – An introduction to the fast sport of ice sailing.	1961	https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Ice-Jack-Andresen/dp/0498012417