This promises to be an adventure and you can follow along on the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club website- Check the site for updates- so far they’ve been pretty interesting and there should be more to come!

Go to http://www.iceboat.org/ and click on “DN Baikal Pearl Cup In Siberia” to see the reports as the come in-

Think Ice and wish them luck-

James “T” Thieler

We have a busy weekend ahead- Dave Fortier et al give us a good report on Dammy so we are going for it! NE’s on Saturday, Maine States Sunday is the plan-

Ice is sailable- Not clean mirror glassy but good for March. Forecast ain’t bad either- breeze both days, cold nights.

Skipper’s meeting at 9AM- first start to follow- Kristin Buckley has agreed to keep score!

Launch area is right across from Damariscotta Farm B&B and Restaurant.

Dining! Sailing! Food! Friends! Fun! Sailing! Get your collective asses up there. This may be it.

Check hotline for details-

THINK ICE DAMMIT! T

Fortier is doing a final check of Damariscotta today and the forecast (clear, cold nights and breeze during the days) is giving us hope that we can get the Maine State Champs in on Saturday and the New England Champs on Sunday.

This is a cunning plan- Let us all rally and wind this season up on a high note!

Stay tuned to this site for details-

THINK ICE! T

James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840

401-258-6230
t_thieler@yahoo.com

Final call to be made later in the week- in the meantime get your gear ready to rally for what may be the last blast of the season!

Stand by…..

T. THIELER
DN UW 5224

Equipment

Runners 3/16 inserts 90° edge with 18 inches of .008” flat Steering runner was a 26” snow plate, 90° edge 11” of .008” flat. Runners sharp and stoned to 600 grit

Plank was placed 2” aft of max forward, Mast step position was mid range , CSI (Jeff Kent) 4.1 mast.

On Saturday I used a North ABSS sail (Medium flat) all day and on Sunday I used a North F01 (Full sail) both days the sail was about 2 inches below max hoist.

On Sat when we got out to the race course, there was a lot of snow on the ice and both hard bumps and soft drifts. It was fairly slow ice. Wind was around 8 knots to start off the racing. It decreased to 3-5 knots as the day went on

Before the first race I sailed both the F-O1 and the ABSS sails and decided that I was getting the boat up to speed and the mast to bend with the ABSS so it seemed like a better sail. I chose the shorter steering runner so I could sail around the drifts easier and tack faster.

I sailed up the course about 2/3 of the way up on port tack before the race and the course was definitely bumpy. I felt like I needed a fair amount of power upwind and downwind The snow drifts were fairly soft so the plan was to avoid them if possible, but not worry too much if you had to go through one.

I drew Start position # 8 for the first race. I got a good start and punched out quickly to the left side of the course. I Tacked about ¾ of the way up to the layline, and when I converged with the boats on the other tack I had a good lead. It seemed that the left side of the course was favored, (more wind) so I went to that side of the course upwind and downwind, and held on the win that race.

The next 2 races I started going right. Since the left was favorable, I tacked away both times as soon as possible after the start. Both times I was able to minimize the left side advantage and round the weather mark in 3rd In both races I was able to get the lead back by tacking to starboard at the leeward mark when the lead boats banged the right corner.

As the day progressed, and the wind got lighter, I was considering changing to the F-01 sail, but I was going fast so I elected not to change.

The 4th race, I started going right and tacked out again as fast as possible. They had shortened the course to about ½ mile in the lower wind. I rounded in third behind T. Thieler and John Curtis with Oliver a ways behind. This time T covered me going upwind and I got close a couple of times but could not pass him. Oliver gained on us both going down wind (he had switched to the F-01 which was faster in the dying breeze ~4-5 knots) Oliver passed me downwind on the second lap going deeper and faster and I rounded in 4th. John Curtis was leading at the time but sailed to the right corner and T, Oliver and I tacked to the left. At the last windward mark I was right up with Oliver with T about 100 yards ahead and John was way behind . I gibed away from T and Oliver on the last downwind leg. It was not the favored side, but I figured that Oliver had boatspeed on me and T was too far away to catch so the only move was the Hail Mary. I was hoping that John was far enough back that it wouldn’t cost me to try the other side of the course. I finished in 3rd still, but T and Oliver were way ahead at the finish. It was worth a shot. T just beat Oliver over the line.

We quit after the 4th race and got some great chili and beer at the Kingston Yacht Club- yum….

Sunday morning it was below freezing and the crud on top had stiffened up nicely. I decided the F-01 would be the better sail for the high drag ice. I sailed out on plates, but switched back to inserts as they felt pretty good.

Race 5 Wind was more from the west, and the right side of the course seemed less bumpy sailing around before the start. Wind was around 5 knots and it was sticky ice. I started the third race in the third spot, between T in first and Jacek M. in 5th Jacek ran really high and I had to steer up as we were running to avoid him. I was kind of getting squeezed out , but Jacek fell down trying to get in the boat and I was able to get over the top. T rolled over the top of me and I chased him for the next 3 laps. The fast move was to gibe at the windward mark as soon as you were up to speed. T covered me well, I got close a few times, but never caught him. John Curtis finished third.

Race 6 I started from the 2 spot on the unfavored tack. I got a good start and tacked off immediately to get back to the right side. I rounded in second behind T and he covered me well with good speed. On the last beat I tacked early, but couldn’t make the mark, T extended a bit. Oliver was close enough behind me that I couldn’t try another Hail Mary and split gibes with T. T beat me over the line for the victory.

Going into the last race T and I were tied for points, but he would have won the tiebreaker. To win I had to beat T and finish no worse than second. I started from the 2 spot again. Again I tacked back to port as soon as possible and had the boat going well. Oliver had punched out in front of T. The wind was up a bit and I tacked back to starboard first and took a risk on the layline call. I got a nice lift as I tacked and laid the mark cleanly. Oliver rounded in second with T third. I was able to hold them both off. In the last lap T split gibes (tried a Hail Mary) I was very tempted to cover, but I would have lost Oliver, and maybe John Curtis, so it seemed like it was more risky to cover then to let him go. In the end I won that race and overall regatta by a point.

T and I had a great duel the whole weekend, with Oliver and John C fighting it out for third. It really helps that we have a good group in New England to tune and train against, T, Chad Atkins, Eben Whitcomb, Oliver Moore and I all train with each other which is a big plus.

I would like to thank the whole gang who planned and hosted the Regatta, Kingston is a great spot. I am awed to have my name on the same trophy as John Keck and Ron Sherry, and am looking forward to defending it next year. It was a great time meeting a lot of new people, and seeing people I had not talked to in years.

If you have any other questions, email me at eric.anderson5193@att.net

Cheers,

Eric Anderson US 5193

These guys have been great about heading south to sail with us so let’s return the favor and go race in their backyard!

Details to be posted on the IDNIYRA bulletin board today-

T
Notice of Race

2013 DN Canadian Championship Regatta

Location: Kingston Yacht Club

Date: February 23-24, 2013

Launch site: Kingston Yacht Club

Directions: Exit Hwy 401 at Division Street, go south on Division, turn left at Union Street, right on Barrie Street, left on King and right on Maitland. Unload and ask where to park

Or

Exist Hwy 401 at Sir John A at the 401and go south, left on King St. (at bottom near prison), right on Maitland. Unload and ask where to park.

Secondary / overflow launch site – TBD (possibly at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour)

Hot line number is: 613-532-6223 (Lana Butler)

Lodging / Accommodation: Kingston Holiday Inn

2 Princess Street, Kingston ON

613-549-8400

http://www.hikingstonwaterfront.com/

Comfort Inn

55 Warne Crescent, Kingston, Ontario,

(613) 546-9500

http://www.choicehotels.ca/en/comfort-hotel-cn273

Regatta entry fee: 20.00 (US or CDN$) – cash only

This is a seven race regatta format. A minimum of 4 races is required to complete regatta. 3 laps around the marks constitute one race. If more than 4 races are completed, there will be a throw out of your highest score.

First Race scheduled for Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 12:00 hours

Sunday February 24, 2013, racing to resume at 10:00

Regatta is open to all experience levels. Novice skippers should consult the “right of way” rule as posted on NEIYA website at:

http://www.iceboat.org/elements/NEIYA_rules_no_club.jpg (if it does not open hit refresh)

Registration is at Kingston Yacht Club on February 22, 2013 from 6- 8 pm or on February 23, 2013 from 8:30 – 10:00am

Skippers meeting on at KYC 10:30 am on Feb 23, 2013 and on the ice, at 11:30am

First race at 12:00 noon on February 23, 2013

Proof of liability insurance ($300,000) will be needed at time of registration.

Sailing instructions to follow

NOTE: Sailing instructions may be amended at skippers meeting

The three of us delayed sailing north in order to make a run to the store for face masks and mittens. All we found was the lousiest sub shop on Earth. This put us behind the main group that sailed up. Bad idea, we should have gone with the gang. Safety in numbers. And I’m supposed to be a professional boat captain for crying out loud. We had to laugh when we made it back to the pits and ours were the only three boats left! That’s us, Moe, Larry, and Curly….

And yes, I did sail over the ridge but in my defense I never even saw the goddamn thing- goggles fogged up, snow blowing, very distracted by the rapidly crystallizing parts of my body. I was also trying to keep an eye out for Chad and Oliver. I was taking point then- another bad idea- why the hell wasn’t I behind Oliver? He’s young and therefore a fast healer. Chad is a father of two- wouldn’t be right to put him in the lead…. He has little iceboaters to raise plus he does most of the driving when we travel.

Good news is I wasn’t going fast enough to do too much damage- I was only tip-toe-ing along. That said when I bumped over the ridge I stopped and lifted my goggles. Turns out I missed a 3 foot tall vertical block of ice by about 2 feet. I NEVER EVEN SAW IT. In fact I went over just about the only passable part for about 50 yards either way. Just beyond that was a big stone jetty right in my path- I’d have plowed right into that. Blind luck, literally.

THAT is when I ruined my undergarments- my sexiest leopard-print thermals are toast. I did take a moment to thank the cosmos or whatever higher power for steering me around the hazards; I actually removed my mitts and rubbed my St. Christopher that I wear around my neck at all times. I’m not a religious man per se but a good luck charm is a good luck charm. I reckon the same cosmic power that steered me around the hazards might be the same one that steered me into a hay loft in Maryland in 1998 that just happened to have an old DN gathering dust in the corner…. That’s where it all started for me….

ANYWAY- we got away with it, learned (or should I say re-learned) a few lessons, and will proceed humbly and with caution in the future.

Thanks for reading- this missive brought to you by the incredibly strong coffee they stock this place with!

Think Ice and stay tuned- Ten-below-zero here so we will see if we sail- personally I hope not- it’s not human out there…..

James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840

401-258-6230
t_thieler@yahoo.com