巴里敦阿斯特角附近冰冻的哈德逊河上的古董冰船, 纽约 Antique iceboats on the frozen Hudson River near Astor Point in Barrytown, New York (© Mike Segar/REUTERS)

巴里敦阿斯特角附近冰冻的哈德逊河上的古董冰船, 纽约 Antique iceboats on the frozen Hudson River near Astor Point in Barrytown, New York (© Mike Segar/REUTERS)

Sailing on thick ice

New York's Hudson River, winter of 2014: Temperatures were so cold for so long that sailors were able to take their antique wooden ice yachts out for a sail on this 20-mile stretch of thick ice. It was a rare sight for the area. Global warming meant that the Hudson River hadn't frozen thick enough for safe iceboating in years.

But beginning in the 1850s and lasting into the early 20th century, when average winter temps were colder, the Hudson Valley was the iceboating capital of the world. Speed was much of the allure. Supported by metal blades ('runners'), like skates, an iceboat encounters little forward resistance, enabling it to glide over the ice at thrilling speeds. In iceboating's heyday, wealthy yachtsmen raced their iceboats over the frozen Hudson as thousands of spectators watched along the riverbanks. In 1885, John Aspinwall Roosevelt, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's uncle, founded the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club, which still exists today. It maintains these beautiful antique wooden iceboats, and if the area is lucky enough to have another long, cold winter, they'll again take to the ice.

在厚厚的冰上航行

纽约哈德逊河，2014年冬天：气温持续寒冷，水手们能够带着他们的古董木制冰游艇在这片20英里厚的冰层上航行。这是该地区罕见的景象。全球变暖意味着哈德逊河多年来的冰层厚度还不够安全。

但从19世纪50年代开始，一直持续到20世纪初，当冬季平均气温较低时，哈德逊河谷是世界冰封之都。速度很有吸引力。像溜冰鞋一样，由金属刀片支撑的冰船（滑冰者），前进阻力很小，使它能够以惊人的速度在冰上滑行。在冰船运动的全盛时期，当成千上万的观众沿着河岸观看时，富有的游艇手们在冰冻的哈德逊河上竞相驾驶冰船。1885年，富兰克林·D·罗斯福总统的叔叔约翰·阿斯宾沃尔·罗斯福创立了哈德逊河冰上游艇俱乐部，至今仍然存在。它保存着这些漂亮的古董木制冰船，如果这个地区有幸再过一个漫长寒冷的冬天，它们就会再次来到冰面上。