So there we were….. Central Champs coming up… First big blizzard of the year rolling in from out west…. Is Team RI going to roll with three people or two? Jobs… Kids Birthdays….. Weather….. Do we need a trailer? Do we not need a trailer?Lots of factors- as usual! When the dust settled we left a perfectly good trailer in the driveway and headed in the general direction of Michigan. I say “we” referring to myself and Oliver Moore, a fairly new NEIYA guy and DN junkie…. I say “general direction” because depending on weather etc the destination was going to be either Madison, WI or central MI someplace. But nothing beats a good boondoggle so off we went! Some proverb or another says it ain’t the destination that’s important….Good news is roads were clean and dry and skies were clear and under a full moon we made excellent time to OH. Along the way the incoming intel started pointing us toward Michigan and the next thing you know one Michigander and two road-weary dummies from RI were scouting a lake in Central MI. See photo. Note boogie board.Lake was NICE so the regatta was called on. We sailed a bit, got into the hotel and crashed hard. At about 9PM we get a call from our own Eric Anderson to tell us that he was south of Buffalo and coming in hot! He arrived the next morning….So NEIYA is represented by myself, Oliver Moore and Eric Anderson. Logistics were tough for the rest but we’ll have more at the Big Show in a month!Today was worth it in a big way- good ice, nice breeze, bunch of boats- light breeze in the AM saw your author have a good race and the other two guys in the hunt. Race 2 saw the breeze come up a bit and saw your author sticking with the 100 degree insert runners that worked so well in the first race. Bad idea… Spun once on first upwind leg, no big deal and then spun again just to prove that 90 degree runners would have been better… The spin was right in front of another boat and that was close enough for me…. Dropped out of that one before I ding-ed somebody….Back to 90 degree inserts for next race and managed a 2, 3 to finish the day. Oliver got a 4th in one so he is pumped- well done kid, don’t get cocky!And lastly , as I sailed around the course today all the tips and pointers I’ve gleaned through the years were rolling through my head….. So many came from Jan Gougeon; “Tune for effect!” “Keep yourself in air that has energy in it!” “Overstand the top mark and start your downwind leg at top speed!” This may sound corny but I could hear his voice giving those tips- including that amazing accent of his- all day today. Thanks again Jan- I know I’m not the only one who was thinking of you out there today. Back in hotel now, we shall see what tomorrow brings! Stay tuned….. James “T” Thieler 12 Channing St. Newport, RI 02840 401-258-6230 t_thieler@yahoo.com