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When Bellport Bay turned to glass last winter, these ice boats wasted no time. Watch them roar.
As another Long Island winter rolls in, we’re sharing out a video project that’s been a year in the making.
Back in January 2025 — during the deep freeze that briefly locked up Bellport Bay — our team joined the South Bay Scooter Club as they took their historic ice boats out for their first true ride in nearly a decade.
The result is a mini-documentary that captures a rare moment on the Great South Bay, when the ice was thick enough, the wind was right, and these scooters hit speeds up to 70 mph across a frozen mile off Shirley Beach. Tap play to watch:
Original coverage
Ice boats and ice boaters fashion scooters for sailing on Bellport Bay in January 2025. (Credit: GLI/Nick Esposito)
ICE BOATING: For the first time in nearly a decade, the South Bay Scooter Club was able to go out and glide across the Great South Bay. ⛵️🧊 pic.twitter.com/rObos1Wjfa
— Greater Long Island (@Greater_LI) January 31, 2025
