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It’d been nearly a decade, but the ice boaters of Bellport Bay were ready

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The prolonged January cold snap made for what’s become a rare opportunity for the South Bay Scooter Club.

They actually got to glide across a frozen Bellport Bay in their beloved ice boats, called scooters.

“Today [Saturday] is the first day of ice in about eight years,” said club member David Farrell of East Patchogue, who started sailing scooters in 1965.

The club itself dates back to the earliest years of the 20th century. At first, the boats were used for winter duck hunts, then the scooters were used to deliver mail to neighboring Fire Island in the dead of winter.

Then, it became a hobby, but one that hasn’t seen much action since the 1960s and ’70s, when the bay would often freeze over, the members said.

But when the weather got cold this month, and stayed cold, the ice boaters were ready.

And they invited Greater Long Island along for the ride.

The club took their boats out of Shirley Beach, near Smith Point County Park. But first, they tested the ice. To run the boats, the ice needs to be between 4 and 6 inches deep. It took them about a mile of punching holes to determine they were good to go.

So off they went. And once that wind picks up, these boats can fly, reaching speeds of up to 70 mph.

“It’s just so exciting; it’s invigorating,” said Ed Palace, a club member from East Patchogue. “You’re out there, you have the wind blowing at you, and you hear the sound of the runners on the ice. It’s just one of the greatest experiences.”

Keep scrolling for pretty awesome photos, or watch here on Instagram:

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