The Last Dance?
We all know it’s a feather in our cap to be the first person on the planet to sail an iceboat in a given season. Seriously, that must be a cool feeling and probably the title shared by the smallest number of people. Mike Madge was often the first every year for a long time as he lived on Thunder Bay in Ontario. Some Russians would beat him to the punch sometimes by getting on the ice on a giant reservoir in Novosibirsk Reservoir – Wikipedia. I think maybe Paul Chamberlain surprised everyone one year by getting his DN going on a patch of ice out in Saskatchewan – Wikipedia. I recall sailing Quaboag Pond a few times in November a few years back…. Good stuff indeed!
But the iceboating season usually ends not with a bang but with a whimper… do we ever know who got out for the last time in the spring and where they did it?
This year SO FAR it looks like Dave Frost and Martha Croasdale get the credit; They found some ice in Thunder Bay a few days ago and lived it up. Well done to the both of them and whoever else was with there; They found the spot, checked it out and sailed it (most importantly) without incident. Kudos!
With this spring being a cold and cloudy one I have to wonder if Moosehead Lake might still have a few hours of sailing left in it? Anyone interested in blowing off the yard work and house chores to check it out?
The Last Dance – DN North America
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In Case You Missed It….
Here is a link to Andy Grattons talk on all things iceboating; be sure to check it out before Sunday!
Iceboating Webinar April 16!
This will be well worth tuning in to!
Andy Gratton on Iceboating: Free Webinar April 16
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There’s Sailing To Do!
Take a look at this bulletin from the Maine gang- food for thought!!
DN BASIC SETUP GUIDE
Happy Spring Everyone- Just thought I’d share a few thoughts on boat setup before everyone shifts over to soft-water mode… Food for thought for next season!
Getting a DN ice yacht set up properly and up to speed can be a daunting task. Quite often even knowing where to begin can be confusing. With that in mind I thought I’d share some basic starting points for all of the settings and adjustments on the boat. Every boat is a little different so be prepared to do some experimenting to find the sweet spots. That said, starting off in the ballpark will help.
Here are my quick’n’dirty, most basic boat tuning setup tips plus some racing tips.
BASELINE SET UP:
-Make sure your plank bends between 44-46 mm when you stand on the middle of it.
-Attach the plank in the middle or a little forward.
-Put the mast step on the deck in the middle.
-Put the mast socket all the way aft at the mast base.
-Set the mast rake so the boom is horizontal with the mainsheet slack.
-Set the halyard so there is about 12″-14″ inches between the back deck and the boom
-Sidestays should be snug but not loose; you should be able to attach them just by leaning on the adjuster fitting. If you need to pull the mainsheet on or get someone to lean on the mast in order to get the pin in that’s probably too tight…
-Set the mainsheet blocks on the back deck as far aft as they’ll go. Set the ones on the boom so the sheet is pulling aft just a bit when sheeted all the way in and the blocks are easily “nested” or “two-blocked.”
Sail around (upwind AND downwind!) and see how the boat feels; then “tune for effect!” as Jan Gougeon said!
If the boat hikes excessively and is hard to control encourage more mast bend by raising the halyard a bit or easing the sidestays. I like to do this before messing with the rake… It’s easier and doesn’t effect the geometry of the rig and boat. You can try different sidestay adjustments easily by changing a setting on one side but not the other. Sail around on different tacks and see which side feels better. Then match them up to the good side. If these adjustments don’t work try moving the mast step forward to encourage more bend and make life a little easier. Be sure to wind on the headstay to level the boom up again, and make sure the sidestays are still snug but not tight.
If the boat is too easy to sail (never hikes at all, rig bends out too easily, has a lack of pointing ability upwind) do the reverse of the steps above; lower the halyard a bit, tighten the sidestays… If these don’t stiffen things up enough move the mast step aft on the deck. Ease the headstay until the boom is level again… Again, check the sidestay tension and make sure it’s still good. If the mast still bends too much consider putting a “stick” in it (a 1” diameter fiberglass tube from McMaster-Carr about 10 feet long works well).
The boat should be work to sail; It’s a DN, not a La-Z-Boy recliner! It should hike a bit in puffs and breeze, you should have to slide aft and outboard off the starting line and out of tacks to get the rig to pop out to leeward, and you should have to ease and trim a bit to keep the boat on the ice. If you sheet in off the line and the mast just falls to leeward that’s set up too soft… If you haul the sheet in and the boat hikes up without the mast bending that’s too stiff. Hunt and peck until you find the sweet spots for your boat and sailing style! TIP: Keep it simple and try not to overthink things! ONLY MAKE ONE ADJUSTMENT AT A TIME! This way you can get a feel for which adjustment does what…. Also get a tuning partner; a sailor or two with similar gear and sailing level. Between races do practice runs and make adjustments in between. Take turns using one boat as a constant (a “trial horse” in America’s Cup lingo) and one as the adjustment test boat. All the top sailors do this!! Share what you learn after each test run. It really helps to sort out what works and what doesn’t as well as adjusting for changing conditions during the day.
Lastly, don’t be shy about looking over other people’s boats and setups. Every boat is a little different but if you look at the top sailors’ boats you will see patterns emerge… After every race the top five boats are held in the measurement area for about 15-20 minutes; that’s the perfect time to take a look! Remember, it’s not espionage if you are being obvious about it…. Also don’t be shy about asking questions. Most sailors will be happy to share tips over breakfast, on the ice (just not right before a Gold Fleet start!), at dinner, wherever. You never know when some useful little nugget will come your way!
During the race do your best to keep the boat going full speed at all times; maintain fast angles to the wind upwind and down. No pinching upwind or falling off too much downwind! On the upwind legs try to get a feel for when the boat is going full speed and when you can take a little height out of a puff. Downwind be sure to ease the sheet a little (1″-2″) and let some bend come out of the mast (sail downwind with the mast bent maybe half as much as upwind). Generally sailing high and hot downwind works best but sometimes you can ride a good puff down a bit.
Starts: Hit the gym all year and do what it takes to get off the line in the front row. Then you can sail your own race and enjoy it! If you get spit out the back, don’t despair. Try sailing a little low until you can find a lane of clear breeze… If you started near the center of the line you might be able to tack as soon as you can clear other boats and lay the Darling mark. This leaves you all alone in the middle of the course with all of the space and clear air you could ever want…. Take it from this lousy sprinter, you can pull off a good salvage job this way!
Shifts and puffs: Again, keep it simple. Keep your head out of the boat. Try to stay on the tack or gybe that heads you closest to the next mark. Try to visualize where the puffs are and how they are moving down the course and stay in them. And keep in mind where the “picket fences” (groups of other boats chewing up the wind) are and where the bad air they create might be lingering.
Hopefully these tips will help you make sense of these complex little creatures we call DNs!
Last and most important, when you get to the winner’s circle, act like you’ve been there before!
Sail It Like Ya Stole It!
T. Thieler DN US 5224
Montreal Potential…
Meanwhile, up near Montreal…. Stay tuned. Updates on the way as we get them
Hi All,
Baie D’Urfe still has about a foot of ice. I wasn’t able to break through after making about 9 “ hole. The top is covered with 1-3 cm of a frozen granulated snow that seems like a granuled sugar forming a type of a coating pancake like. I think the runner should go through it. I don’t think I have ever sailed on such a surface but I think it is still sailable. Closer to shore I found few drifts about 2” deep ( see photo) but I don’t think there were many or any on the lake. The wind forecast for today is about 20-30 km/h and that should help. Long story short until I rig the boat and try we will not know, so I am going to Bertold Park around 10 amand will rig my boat. Jacek Marzenski
KC 5247
Moosehead Lake
Hey Folks-
Greetings from Kelly’s Landing in Greenville Junction, ME.
The weather is here there and everywhere….
Yesterday there was 4”-6” snow on top of two feet (according to locals) of solid black ice. In any case I did see some big pickup trucks driving on and off of the lake so that says something….
Overnight temps were high 40s / low 50s and light rain. Plus crazy gusting wind as a front went by. Sounded like a freight train out there, not to be confused with the actual freight trains that run behind the hotel here.
So at sunrise it was well below freezing, blowing snow and it looked like 90% of the snow had melted off the ice. Now at 8:30 it’s looking like the breeze is fading, sun coming out, and maybe good conditions for the weekend. I’m going to walk it and maybe sail it this morning and will send a report. Hopefully no shell
Too late to call an official regatta but we could have a great weekend of scratch racing and hanging out. Plenty of lodging I. Greenville and a good launch area….
I’ll be here all weekend, marks will be set and scratch races will happen if conditions are good!
Stay tuned….. in the meantime here are some shots of the lake this morning. Check the forecast and make a call!
T Thieler DN US 5224
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EASTERN CHAMPS UPDATE
Hey Folks-
Sad to say we are going to put the eastern champs on hold again…. Had a look at Moosehead today and there’s just a bit too much snow…. Bummer!
That said next week and beyond might be good; the locals tell me the ice under the snow is a good two feet thick so it might hang in there for awhile. Will keep an eye on it!
We’ve also heard rumors of Sebago Lake clearing off…. If anyone has any info on that let me know.
Stay tuned! T
DN EASTERNS UPDATE
Hey Folks-
The Moosehead Lake webcams are showing some snow… Hard to say how much or how heavy….
I’ll be headed up there tonight to take a look in the morning; Stay tuned here for a report early tomorrow.
Stay tuned! T
DN EASTERN CHAMPS
Hey Folks-
Once again the forecast during the week is looking favorable for decent ice at Moosehead Lake in central Maine this weekend.
AND the weekend itself looks good too!
So as IDNIYRA Eastern Regional Commodore I am calling the regatta on for the weekend.
Please email me at t_thieler@yahoo.com and let me know if you are interested, this will help me get a read on how many hotel rooms etc we will need.
Look forward to hearing from everyone! Stay tuned….
T Thieler DN US 5224
DN EASTERNS- STAND DOWN
Unfortunately the weather is throwing a few curveballs at Damariscotta; snow, rain/snow, and either light winds or gusts into the 30’s depending on which forecast you’re looking at.
This being the case we’ve decided to table this one for now and hope for a better shot next weekend.
Stay tuned!
DN EASTERN CHAMPS UPDATE
Hey Folks-
We are hearing enough good things about Damariscotta Lake in Jefferson, ME to call the DN Easterns ON for this Saturday, March 14th.
A full report on the launch, lake and weather is expected by about 10 AM Friday morning so stay tuned to this site for details.
One way or another it’ll be interesting! Don’t put the boats and gear away yet… Also keep in mind that we have sailed Moosehead Lake into mid-April a few times. Food for thought!
OK, more later… Think positive! T DN US 5224
DN EASTERNS…. Hopefully
Hey Gang-
Just wanted to let everyone know that this season is not done yet!
It’s still cold at night up north and the Birches webcam on Moosehead Lake shows some promising pictures…. Maybe some other sights further south could be sailable as well. We hope to have some first hand reports in the next few days so keep an eye on this website.
We really want to get the Eastern Champs in before we stick a fork in this season so don’t stow the gear yet!
If you have never sailed Moosehead before you really need to. It’s way up north, the ice goes on and on and on, and the scenery is amazing. The clear night sky is something to see as well!
So cross your fingers, stay loaded up, make sure your angles and plates are in good shape, and hope to see everyone this weekend!
T Thieler
Watuppa Sailing Last Sunday
Despite a forecast for light winds about a dozen boats showed up to make some tracks on Watuppa Pond in Fall River last Sunday!
About 8 DNs had a bunch of short scratch races around the marks; it was a great chance to experiment with rig tuning and boat setup. We did a bit of boat-swapping as well, that is always very instructive. We didn’t keep score but Atkins showed that he still has the mojo and several other boats were in the hunt as well. We also welcomed two new sailors, Al and Rowan. Watch out for these guys!
Meanwhile a handful of Whizzes and turbo’ed up DNs were having a blast ripping through the drifts closer to the shoreline. Quite a sight and a good time had by all!
In any case it was a great day and we all made it home before the snow started. Looks like southern New England is done for awhile but maybe, just maybe, northern parts of NY, VT and ME might have dodged the bullet. Stay tuned!
Sailing Sunday!
Hope springs eternal! Thieler, Atkins and maybe a few others will be sailing out of the South Watuppa Boat Ramp tomorrow (Sunday the 22nd).
Thieler and Stanton walked the lake today, found a bit of slush but a good base underneath. There is one ridge the looks hazardous near the eastern edge of the lake but it is easily spotted and avoidable. It’s only about 50 yards long.
It’ll be interesting to see if plates, angles, or some other runner is the best choice- bring them all and try them all!
I’ll be there around 9:30. Hope to see a few people!
T Thieler
Doc Fellows Report
The Doc Fellows is in the books! Ten sailors showed up today to a shifty, surprisingly breezy, long pond near Brewster Massachusetts.
No breeze, bright sun, and high temps in the morning didn’t have any of us optimistic but sure enough the clouds rolled in and the breeze picked up and the ice stayed good all day.
Seven races were run and Paul Chamberland showed that putting the time in pays off! Today was his 40th day on the Ice this year and what better way to celebrate by putting together a consistent regatta. Congratulations to Paul on a well deserved win!
Out the top three were Jeff Roseberry in second and Sean Healey in third.
We will roll right into the Bean Pot championship tomorrow; same time and schedule as today, see the post about the Doc Fellows for information. Come and join the fun; tomorrow’s forecast looks pretty good!
Many thanks to Nina Fleming for tabulating the scores and posting them on SailWave for us and to Rick Bishop’s friend Craig for helping out with running races!
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WEEKEND REGATTA UPDATE
Hey Folks-
After a short discussion with Atkins we decided to tweak the regatta slate for this weekend. He rightly pointed out that the Eastern Champs should be on a big plate with plenty of room to stretch out.
So we will hold off on the Easterns and instead do the Doc Fellows this Saturday and roll into the Beanpot Regatta on Sunday. This regatta is the MA state championship and comes with a very cool trophy!
No matter what name we call it we should have some good racing! To paraphrase Shakespeare, “A rose by any other name is still a rose…”
So here are the details again:
Hey Folks! We are calling the Doc Fellows Regatta ON for this Saturday!
The place will be Long Pond, MA out on Cape Cod. Not the biggest lake in NE but it’ll do!
IF we get the regatta in on Saturday we may roll right into the Beanpot Regatta on Sunday. We will play that by ear.
The launch will be at Long Pond Brewster Beach. Take Rt 6 east, turn north onto Rt 124, take a right onto Crowells Bog Rd, and follow that until you see the launch area on your right. Follow these directions closely as there is more than one “Long Pond” out there….
We will have a skipper’s meeting in the parking lot at 9:30, with the first start at 10:30. Normal rules apply. All contestants must have proof of $300,000 general liability coverage. NO EXCEPTIONS!!
Saturday is Valentine’s Day so make sure to figure out how to work around that….
Stay tuned to this site for updates!
REGATTAS THIS WEEKEND!
Hey Folks! We are calling the Eastern Regional Champs ON for this Saturday!
The place will be Long Pond, MA out on Cape Cod. Not the biggest lake in NE but it’ll do!
IF we get the regatta in on Saturday we may roll right into the Doc Fellows Championship on Sunday. We will play that by ear.
The launch will be at Long Pond Brewster Beach. Take Rt 6 east, turn north onto Rt 124, take a right onto Crowells Bog Rd, and follow that until you see the launch area on your right. Follow these directions closely as there is more than one “Long Pond” out there….
We will have a skipper’s meeting in the parking lot at 9:30, with the first start at 10:30. Normal rules apply. All contestants must have proof of $300,000 general liability coverage. NO EXCEPTIONS!!
Saturday is Valentine’s Day so make sure to figure out how to work around that….
Stay tuned to this site for updates!
Sailing Friday and Saturday!
Hello All- Paul Chamberland is getting a group together to do some scratch racing in Westport, NY this Friday and Saturday.
If you are interested the launch is just south of the Westport Lakeside Motel at 74 Champlain Ave, Westport NY, 12993
Scratch racing will likely commence around 10-11AM and if you know Paul it won’t stop until the sun goes down!
As always use caution and talk to locals and other sailors before letting it rip. The SW side of the bay has thin ice so avoid that; see attached photo!
If the plate is still ok in a week we are hoping to host the DN Eastern Regional Champs! Stay tuned….
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DN NA AND NATIONAL CHAMPS REPORT
Hey Folks! The troops are home and hopefully the dust has settled for everyone. More importantly, hope everyone is thawed out; It was a chilly week in Wisconsin!
The DN North American Champs went off in grand style out in Green Lake, WI. Head Honcho Tim Mower did a great job of managing the weather situation (a delicate balance of snow belts and extreme cold patches) and no doubt lots of opinions to land us at Green Lake. We took a long look at Lake Wawasee in northern Indiana but rough surfaces, a snow dump, and some open spots and other hazards that damaged at least one boat and one person convinced us that continuing to WI was the right call.
That said the hurry-up-and-wait at Wawasee wasn’t all bad. It gave everyone there plenty of time to catch up and talk smack and have some good food as well!
Once the call was made it was a short hop up to Green Lake. The surface was good, the breeze was up (except for one morning), and heat exhaustion was not a risk as temps stayed in the single digits for the whole event. Getting out of the warm van when we arrived to the launch site every morning took some willpower, let’s just say that…. BUT the racing was awesome. Seven races were run in three fleets, boat damage was minimal although Eben Whitcomb’s trusty WHARF RAT drew the short straw and split the hull and deck. Good news is Eben can build and/or fix anything and he had it glued and screwed and ready for action the next day.
At the pointy end of the Gold Fleet racing was tight with six different skippers winning a race (including a horizon job by John Curtis in race 4!) and only 7 points separating 1st from 5th places. Karol Jablonski kept it together to take the top spot followed by Struble, Sherry, Orlebeke and Thieler.
Top Canadian was Nicolas Mabboux in 7th, with Van Rossem, Curtis, Marzenski, and Druiven also making Canada proud! NE represented well also with Thieler and Roseberry doing well in the Gold and Chamberland, Demerest, Whitcomb, Silsby, Treusdell, Valentine making their presence known in the Silver. Bob Haag and Ben Shaevitz gave it their all in the Bronze!
Hats off to the gang that makes these events happen; Deb Whitehorse, Nina Fleming, Pat Heppart, the Foellers, Fred Stritt, Dave Ryan, Paul Hickman, Dan Williams, Maureen Bohleber, Greg Mullett, Dan Hearn, and probably some who I’ve forgotten. Big thanks to DN legend Joe Norton for showing us around his shop and letting us borrow a sweet 4-wheeler with a heated enclosure. If there was a week to have one of these this was it! If you think you know what goes in to running an event like this, trust me, you don’t. These people work their tails off to make these events happen and they take running them as seriously as we take competing in them!
For more details and results see the real report here: 2026 North American Championship – DN North America
Following race 7 the committee sent us right into race 1 of the National Champs but more on that later.
Stay Tuned!! T Thieler, DN US 5224
My apologies for the lack of action shots from on the ice; it was too cold for cameras or bare fingers! Here’s a few random shots though….
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DN North American Championship: Day 1 Report – DN North America
https://www.idniyra.org/dn-north-american-championship-day-1-report/
So far so good out here! Some broken boats and gear yesterday but everybody all grins at the end of the day….
DN Racing VT – 1/18/26 – Google Photos
Thanks to Danny Burger for these great photos from last weekend!
DN NE CHAMPS THIS WEEKEND! NOR, SI’s, AND INFO
Hello All! IT’S GAME TIME!
Paul, Jeff and Jascek sailed Champlain out of Sand Bar State Park today and are giving it great reviews, so the NE Champs are ON for this weekend!
Regatta location as stated above is Sand Bar State Park in Milton VT. Regatta HQ as it were will be the Hampton Inn in Colchester VT. The guys are working on getting us a regatta discount.
Read the NOR and SI’s below, and make sure you have your proof of insurance. NO EXCEPTIONS!!
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow morning!
T Thieler on behalf of Paul Chamberland et al
DN NE CHAMPS ARE ON!
OK Gang, it’s on for this weekend!
DN New England Champs are ON. Sounds like Champlain is in good shape, wind forecast is good for the weekend. Chamberland and Roseberry have been sailing and scouting around Sand Bar State Park near Burlington tonight VT and will finalize a site by tomorrow afternoon.
Launch will likely be Sand Bar State Park.
Plenty of lodging in the area; the boys are scoping that out as well.
Skippers Meeting Saturday AM at launch, 10:30AM
First Race at 11:00AM
Be sure to have your insurance with you!!! NO EXCEPTIONS
Regular iceboating rules apply- familiarize yourselves with them at
https://www.idniyra.org/racing/rules-safety/
NOTE- some iceboating Right Of Way rules differ from soft-water rules so read them closely-
IF three of any class show up and want to race they will get a start and races of their own- all welcome!
In the DN Class a Vintage / Classic trophy will be awarded to the boat and skipper that has a certain combo of age / wear and tear / battle scars / character / and results!
We are looking for volunteers to run and score races- earn some karma and volunteer! If you are interesting in helping score or run races contact James “T” Thieler at t_thieler@yahoo.com
If not no big deal, we can use the Maine system (Regatta Chair runs first race, from there on whoever wins a race gets to run and score the next one. Average points awarded for the races missed. I think. Will figure it out when the smart people get there)
Feel free to contact me with any questions or to let me know what I’ve forgotten-
Stay tuned to NEIYA site for details and updates!
Think ICE and LINE ‘EM UP!!
New England Ice Yacht Association 