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The origins of ice boating or ice sailing are not clear; some have argued that this form of transport was invented over 2,000 years ago. There is firm evidence, however, that the Dutch were running regular "soft water" boats with blades or runners strapped to the hull, although it is believed that these crude ice boats were used to transport goods during the cold winter months rather than for recreational use. It wasn't until the mid 19th century that ice boating found its way to the United States, where the well-heeled and adventurous would sail giant rigs of around 60' (18 m) in length and 1,000 sq ft (93 sq metres) of sail along the Hudson river. When not racing each other, these intrepid sportsmen would race the locomotives that would regularly travel along the banks of the river, reaching speeds of up to 70 mph (112 km/h).
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