SUMMERTIME BLUES….
| The song says there ain’t no cure for the summertime blues- especially if you are an ice addict!That said, I hope everyone is making it through this rainy season and keeping amused even though we are all stuck with soft-water activities for the time being.The clock is ticking down to first ice…. Six months or so to go…. Maybe the chilly spring is foreshadowing an early fall and an early freeze- Cross fingers….
Keep ticking those items off the iceboat to-do lists and be ready for the fall! Don’t delay getting your boat fixed up- easier now while it’s warm out! Personally I’ve modified my tiller to (hopefully) break away in a crash plus some other little details… Built some cool little batten adjusters (don’t need to take mittens off to adjust batten tension with these) and there are still plenty of items left to take care of in order to hit the line fully prepped this fall. Starting to think about travel plans for the winter (Worlds, NA’s, all the regional and local stuff) and of course trying to spread the gospel to the uninitiated masses and grow the fleet a little. If you are interested in hearing more about iceboating and/or joining the club keep an eye on this page, contact me at t_thieler, and plan on attending our annual fall meeting in (I think) November. Hope all are well and having a good summer- take care, be safe and stay tuned. Think Ice! James “T” Thieler DN US 5224 |
Big Boat “Sail-In” enjoyed by all !!
I want to thank all who came and enjoyed the Big Boat “sail- in” on Long Pond on Saturday Feb 12-13 2011.
Many of you got a jump on the fun by sailing on Thursday and Friday.
I was told over 50 boats were counted at one point.
boats were coming and going all day from what I saw!
Winds were strong and gusty,and many boats had hardware issues. But most sailors braved the heavy winds and went for it!!!
Those brave souls who stayed until the end of the day (around 3:30 PM) managed to plow through the corn ice that showed up after lunch,Due to the ton of air that was available at the pull of the sheet line !
Nothing like a face full of snow ice to end the day with !
Some of us enjoyed sailing on Sunday as well. The day stayed cloudy and the ice had smoothed some from the prior warm afternoon. We had excellent winds and the ice stayed good all day, never going soft. By 2:00 PM winds got really crazy as a slight storm front came through the area, it was actually starting to snow a little. We decided to pack it in before we broke anything.
Even with rough ice conditions and heavy gusty winds, I hope that all of you who came to the event enjoyed your weekend and the gathering.
One very import note here I would like to make:
We did have one bad crash. A maine DN sailor found an open lead by one of the islands, and sailed in to it. The sailor was injured, 911 was called and EMT’s arrived quickly. He was taken to the hospital to be checked out. His boat was brought back to the pits by members and taken apart and loaded on to his vehicle. We were told that he will be ok, and did not have life treating injuries. He did suffer with a broken lower leg in this accident!
All club members were very concerned about his condition and we hope he is ok, and recovers quickly.
Please remember to check with the locals before venturing out on any lake or pond you are planning on sailing. Always be aware that ice is forever changing and moving. I know that over 5 NEIYA club members were telling sailors of known hazards. It is very difficult to tell everyone at the ice. Many people were coming and going all weekend. On a lake over 1700 acres, it is almost impossible to find every bad spot on the ice. We saw pressure ridges changing by the hour, and lifted plates of ice on the main sheet that appeared by the afternoon?
Remember, there is always thin ice somewhere!
On a happy note : It was nice to see all of our fellow maine and Conn sailors join us here in South Eastern Ma,I enjoyed all your company,and a chance to try out other sailors boats by swapping with one another, was fun!!!
For myself, It was a very enjoyable few days of conversation,laughter, hot dogs on the grill, good friends and sailing.
I logged a max speed of 56.3 MPH for Saturday and sailed 37.6 miles in the ice cat. Over the whole weekend, starting on Friday through Sunday I sailed over 150 plus miles.
Thanks to all my fellow Ice Sailors for a very nice first Big Boat “Sail-In”.
Safe Sailing & Travels.
Vice Commodore
Brian Langleyh
New England Ice Yacht Association 