Home….
One last post to close out the story here….
We managed to find the airport despite having no map, no digital assistance and not much sleep- Luckily we, as good sailors should be, are dialed directly into the forces of nature and we homed right in on it….
A little careful stacking of gear on SmartCarts (see photos) and a little smiling and polite talk with the folks in charge of oversize baggage and all of our stuff was carted off to the plane. We are often asked how much it costs to drag all that stuff over The Pond and it’s a very reasonable $300 for the whole kit and caboodle. Just insist that irbid a windsurfer and don’t use the word “boat.”
The flight was smooth, and the view of a frozen ocean down below was a treat…. Miles of sea ice, what a sight.
So home again and back to the grind- we had a great trip, great times, great racing- Nothing like it on the planet!
We also had great hosts- Thanks so much to Jorg, Torsten and Stefan for looking after us!
Stay tuned, maybe sail this weekend somewhere….
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
European Champs, day 1
Hello from Estonia- Another good day of sailing here in Haapsalu- Light to medium breeze, clean ice, sort of warm out, and a beam reach back to the pits at the end of the day- Can’t ask for more than that!
Three races for the Gold Fleet, Karol Jablonski still going fast and the rest of the top ten a mixed bag of nationalities…. Results on line somewhere…. Team USA hanging tough! Look no further Euros Day One results Your editor.
Race committee hoping to finish this off tomorrow- Big breeze in forecast, big courses (2km legs) are being discussed- Which is why I’m logging off and going to bed!
Stay tuned…. T
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
World Champs Done!
Just wrapped up the awards banquet that capped off seven good races-
All in all a good regatta- The Europeans put on quite a show, on and off the ice- Especially the Poles- Karol Janlonski led a strong team to take first- Well done- he was able to skip the final race.
Full results are online somewhere, try google or bing- I’m too tired to look them up! Our gritty little US contingent fought hard all day and showed improvement- Racing with a fleet this big and deep is a whole different ball game! Seems like we all found a gear during the final few races- All psyched for European champs which start tomorrow! Editor’s note: provisional results HERE
Enjoy the pics from the banquet- One is our host Joerg and the mayor of Haapsalu, next is a bunch of award winners, and the last is our tired but psyched bunch of Yanks- Except for Hal and Mercedes, that is- They live in NC!
Stay tuned….
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James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Tough day for USA
Day one, three races, not a good day for Team USA…. What can we say, these folks are good!
All double digit finished except for one good one from Ron Sherry…. But a bad day iceboatig is better than a good day at work!
Picked a few brains, made a few adjustments, did a little recon and tried a few things after racing was done for the day- Will be trying a different set-up tomorrow- Stay tuned!
T
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Estonian Fog
Racing called off today due to continued fog-
We made the best of it and took a walk downtown- Quiet and clean, has a real old-town feel. And it should, there’s been a town here since the 1200’s at least….
Snapped a few photos- First is the boats ready for action, next is Eben and Oliver next to the trailer- Note decaying, burned out buildings in background- Way out of character compared to the rest of town! Then another shot of derelict buildings with high tide debris in foreground- note abandoned watchtower in background…..
One nor the sights here is the remains of an old castle in the middle of town- Also from the 1200’s, with a looooong history…. The moat is now empty and has a playground set up for kids so of course Oliver had to take a spin on the little carousel! Eben and I are too mature and grown up for that sort of silliness so we played on the fake Viking ship.
Last photo is partner the castle. Pretty cool! Rounded out the tour w a little coffee and then dinner.
Better forecast for tomorrow- Fingers crossed!
Stay tuned…. T
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- Giddy up!
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Estonia or bust!
Hello All- It’s been a blur….. All gear arrived in Frankfurt, drive to Joerg Bohn’s house in Bad Zwischenahn was trouble free, and then we had two delightful days messing with boats in Torsten Siems’ shop nearby-
This shop is a converted warehouse and it is SWEET. Flat floor, warm, high ceiling so you can step the mast on your DN w room to spare, every tool and workbench you can ever need, and of course it’s neat and clean and organized- Joerg and Torsten are amazing hosts- I can’t express how well they’ve taken care of us here-
Anyway the last few days have been a rush- The race was moved to Estonia so the travel plans were modified- Drive north, ferry to Denmark, cross Denmark, ferry to Sweden, north (rapidly!) to Stockholm, overnight ferry to Tallinn (where I’m sitting now) and then about two hrs on the road to Haapsalu and race site. Cool!!
Check the pics- First is Eben modifying his chocks at the shop, second is lunch- better than Mcdonalds! Hal Bowman in foreground, European commodore and host extraordinaire Joerg Bohn in the back- Third is Joerg and Torsten standing in front- Not forklift-operated plank bender in background- Now THAT is the way to align runners! I told you this shop has everything…
Fourth pic is two homeless waifs we picked up in Bad Zwischenahn. The girl seems nice but the guy is a bit sketchy….
Last photo is Joerg’s decade-old cell phone. This is a rare view of it as it is NOT in use- You can’t imagine the hours he spends on this phone organizing this regatta- Sites, accommodations, weather, national holidays is several different countries , ferry schedules, different languages, american guests, It all has to be taken into account. I don’t know how the hell he does it ! Many thanks Joerg!
That’s it for now- Stay tuned!
T
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James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
The Pile….
In “Think Ice!” Lloyd Roberts and Warner St. Clair spoke of “the yeast effect.” This refers to the tendency of the pile if neatly packed gear in a van or a trailer to rise and grow as a trip goes on and chaos takes over…. Judging by the photo we may just have that going on already! That’s Eastern Region commodore Eben Whitcomb barely visible behind the pile….
Speaking of “Think Ice” rumor has it that the book is back in print- See the CIBC site for details- If you don’t own this book, GET IT. If you already have a copy, GET ANOTHER.
Back to the trip- Flight was smooth as butter and no gear lost or damaged in transit- Thank you Lufthansa baggage technicians! Meeting with our German hosts tonight and the fun begins….
Stay tuned- T. DN US 5224
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
DN gear at Logan….
….this can only mean that some NEIYA folks are heading across the ocean for the Gold Cup and European champs-
Eben Whitcomb and T. Thieler will be meeting Oliver Moore over there to travel and race….
Will be interesting for sure!
What a feeling to watch all of your precious DN gear disappear down the luggage belt….
Stay tuned!
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
New England Ice Yacht Association 