Historic ice boat race returns to frozen New Jersey river after two decades; plus, extreme speed skiing

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Since the winter Olympics are going strong in Cortina, Italy, I've got sports on the

brain today.

But the sports I'm talking about in the next few minutes are not ones that you'll find

in the Olympics.

At least not yet.

The brutal cold that is gripping the northeast this winter set the stage for a rare and storied

spectacle on the frozen Navasink River in Redbank, New Jersey.

After more than two decades, the Van Nostrand Cup, one of the oldest grudges in all of sport

according to the New York Times, returns to competition this week as ice boat crews

from New York and New Jersey battled for the prized silver trophy organized by the historic

North Shrewsbury Ice Boat and Yacht Club and challenged by the Hudson River Ice Yacht

Club.

The Van Nostrand Cup had not been sailed since 2003 and only four previous matches have

been held since its inception in the late 1800s, that's according to redbankgreen.com.

Petiphany and company Crafted Silver Cup first produced back in 1886 is widely regarded

as the sport's most prestigious prize.

Well, on Monday morning, under a crisp winter sky and brisk winds, the Hudson River crews

sailed their 130-year-old wooden ice yacht called Ariel to two straight winds in a best

of three contests, returning the historic trophy to its originating club for the first

time since 1891.

Ice boating itself has deep roots in American history, what began as a Dutch colonial

mode of winter transport along the Hudson River evolved into a competitive winter sport

by the early 1800s, wealthy enthusiasts including members of the Roosevelt family built and

erased some of the fastest wind-powered craft of the era, with traditional ice yachts

regularly reaching speeds of up to 75 miles per hour, despite the rarity of conditions

suitable for racing the frozen Navasink Drew crowds this week to witness a living

piece of maritime and sporting tradition.

With the cup now back up the Hudson, clubs on both rivers are already eyeing the next

opportunity to sail this historic challenge once again.

Well, when speed skier Simon Billy squeezes into his skin-tight ski suit and puts on his

aerodynamic helmet, he hears nothing and his sense of sight is severely limited.

Despite losing two of his senses, he has one goal on his mind to simply go as fast as

he can on two skis down the steepest hills he can find.

While not a part of this year's Olympic competition, there is hope that maybe it will

be a metal sport at some point, possibly when the Olympics return to France in 2030.

Speed skiers regularly go at speeds over 120 miles per hour in competition, and Simon

Billy is currently the fastest human on skis, realizing a dream back in 2023 when he

blazed down a French mountain topping out at 158.76 miles per hour.

The sport is both physically demanding and mentally taxing to overcome the fear of

traveling so fast with no easy way to stop.

Whether or not speed skiing does become part of the Olympic program in the future, Billy

focuses on his ultimate goal of breaking the world record once again.

He wants to become the first man to break the 260 km per hour barrier, which would be

a little more than 161 miles per hour.

That's all for now.

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Enjoy the rest of your day.

Be safe.

I'll be back tomorrow with more from AcuWeather.