Iceboaters glide over Great South Bay for first time in a decade

On the smooth sheet of Great South Bay ice, a roughly 13-foot wooden iceboat accelerated as a wind gust propelled it from the Sayville shore.

Brandon Popp, 26, leaned back in the cockpit, his left hand gripping a rope to control the sail, his right hand steering with a lever known as a tiller.

"It's cold out!" he said, guiding the vessel on a frigid, gloomy afternoon as the clouds and white snow-capped ice blended as one on the horizon.

At least six decades earlier, Popp's great grandfather, Wesley Kempf, assembled the iceboat — known as a DN class — from a kit before adding his own hand-crafted modifications. He would use it on Lake Ronkonkoma and South Shore bays every winter when an extended cold spell froze the water bodies. It was plenty cold Saturday with wind chill values between -5 and -10, according to the National Weather Service. An extreme cold warning took effect in the afternoon.

Popp, who grew up in Hauppauge, recalled seeing the boat in the rafters of his garage as a kid and questioned his father, who told him the boat originated with his great grandfather, an avid ice boater. Popp's grandfather, Walter Kempf, helped fill in the gaps for the youngster.

On Saturday, Popp joined his father, Dave Popp, his uncle, Thomas Popp, and others to test the iceboat for the first time in at least a decade. Launching from the Sayville Beach & Marina early Saturday morning, the Popp family rotated turns either in the cockpit or sidecar that accommodates a passenger. The side car's carpeted interior dates to the '70s or '80s.

"He kind of put little touches of his own onto it," Popp said of his great grandfather.

Popp tried to get the boat out in recent days, but the wind didn't accommodate. So even with a forecast that called for strong gusts Saturday and dangerous cold, he figured it was worth a shot.

"You don't really get too many chances to come out here," he said.

He spent about an hour assembling the iceboat to prepare it for sailing. While iceboats have been spotted across Long Island's frozen water bodies in recent days, the Popp's wooden vessel stood out as unique.

Thomas Popp, of Hauppauge, said most iceboats now are made from fiberglass or other similar lightweight material.

This boat, though, was "old school wood," he said.

The iceboat can reach speeds of around 60 mph, Brandon Popp said, although he prefers to keep the boat under control and not test its limits. On Saturday, he estimated the boat reached speeds of around 30 mph or more.

His great grandfather kept a scrapbook with pictures and notes of the iceboat in use over the years.

"I like the history behind it and how it's connected to my whole family," Popp said.

Antonio Leoni, 28, of Bay Shore, joined his longtime friend for his first spin on the iceboat. The two have spent plenty of time on the bay over the years, whether fishing or riding powerboats.

But this time was unlike anything he's experienced.

"This is just mind-blowing," he said. "Once you get a little past the dock, the wind gets you and you start going."