The Western Challenge…
Looks like the regatta season has begun!
The Western Challenge Regatta is an informal DN gathering that has been going on for ten years or so- traditionally held the first weekend in December on the best ice in Minnesota… Yes, Minnesota. It’s a big state a little to the west of here.
The lure of early ice is hard to ignore and for years some of us have talked about going but balked at the last minute. A few years back I gave it a shot and drove solo from Indiana to Battle Lake, MN only to run a stop sign and total my trusty Chevy Astro about two miles from the lake. So close and yet….
This year would be different- Eben Whitcomb and I swore up and down that this would be the year and didn’t let each other forget it. Soon Chad Atkins and Oliver Moore succumbed to the pressure and signed on and Bob Crinion from Nova Scotia (It’s a big province a little to the east of here) decided he couldn’t miss it either. Now THAT is commitment!
And so it was that we all met up in Newport RI and loaded up and hit the proud highway last week. Two cars, two trailers, and of course no clear destination. We had faith that the powers-that-be out there would find a site…. In spite of dire forecasts for snow and debilitating cold. We stopped in Toledo to try to convince Kent Baker to drag himself and the rest of the Toledo hardcore gang out but they elected to stay put and sail on closer ice in Houghton Lake. I would be remiss if I did not point out here that he and they missed all the fun. Your transgression has been noted, Mr. Baker…. We’re not mad, just disappointed.
A few hours later we were in Lacrosse, MN, ready to sail the next day on a Lake that I think was called Onalaska Lake. A wide spot on the mighty Mississippi. This water is destined to be muddy and warm and carved up by barges and paddlewheelers as it makes it’s way to the Big Easy and beyond into the bayou and Gulf of Mexico but for now it was crystallized into a sheet of smooth black ice that made the drive worth it.
Our trek may have been long but there was one sailor from Siberia, a few from Montana, and at least one Cloggie, a Swede, an ex-pat Pole, and a few of Bob’s countrymen from Canuckistan who traveled quite a distance to get there!
Friday dawned COLD and with enough breeze to bend masts and shake the dust off the boats and brains. Scratch racing was fun- lots of two-lappers knocked off and some good lessons learned. Saturday conditions were pretty light for the morning but when the breeze kicked in later in the day we got two races off- yours truly was tied for the lead at the end of the day with a 3-2 but I have to point out that the second place was freaking distant…. Our own Chad Atkins had his new CSI 4.1 mast dialed in well enough to win that one by almost an entire leg. Not bad but sadly we don’t award bonus points for distance…
On Sunday we had snow and light wind- always hate to see ice that nice get covered but so it goes… Your author had to eat a 13th or something but Chad and Oliver sailed well as did Eben and Bob- All in all Team NEIYA put on a good show and for once no one needed to be bailed out, dry-ed out, or dragged out. That said Bob may have been a bit traumatized by some of Chad and Oliver’s rhetoric but they have free health care up there, he’ll be OK I think. On the other hand he did bolt out of Newport pretty quickly when we got back….
Great to see all the gang from the middle and western parts of the country and rip up the lake for a few days- awesome way to start the season! PUT THIS ONE ON YOUR LIST FOR NEXT YEAR!! A long ride but well worth it…. As usual. Gold and Silver fleets, good racing for all skill levels, great sailing with fun people.
Many thanks as always to the people who made it happen- Wish I knew who the hell they all were! Names like Dennis, McDonough, Jankowski, Whitehorse, Bloom, and several others come to mind- Big apologies if I missed you-
Stay tuned for the next big one and be sure to have a look at http://iceboating.net/ for results, reports, and pics!
Think Ice!
James “T” Thieler DN US 5224
Newport, RI 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
West ward ho.
Thursday morning saw us breaking our fast with IDNIYRA vice commodore Kent Baker in Toledo over grits. After extracting ourselves from the bass pro shop outdoor world we continued west to our current location south of Chicago.
The regatta information is on:
Stay posted.
Oliver Moore
USA 5469
Pictures courtesy of Kent Baker and shamelessly pinched from Facebook (JJS)
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Road trips season has begun
A group of NEIYA DN boaters are headed west with a token Canadian. The great western challenge has been tentatively called on for this weekend on lake Onalaska in La Crosse, WI.
Giddy up. Reports will follow. Hopefully of sailing.
Oliver Moore
USA 5469
First Sailable Ice Prize Goes To…
Bob Schumacher sailed today on Shelburne Pond in Shelburne, VT. He reports they had 90% black ice 2.5” with the balance snow ice 4”. No holes, thin spots or cracks.
Congratulations for being the first to sail this season! Thanks for passing on the good news. We all hope to join you soon.
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Who will be next and where? Bill, Jory and Lloyd how’s Plymouth Pond doing? Hope to hear from you soon. For those that may not know, near live Maine updates are on the Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club’s website http://Iceboat.me.
Looking back a few weeks, Peter Forbes heeded the call and shared a few thoughts from the annual meeting. As promised I’m passing them along for everyone. People don’t be shy, we want to hear from you. Thanks for coming forward Peter.
MY EXPERIENCE AT THE NEIYA ANNUAL MEETING
I had a good time as usual at the annual NEIYA meeting. I brought along a set of stays and a set of runners that I was not using. Within half an hour, I had sold both. The runners went to a member who was setting up a family boat. According to the purchaser who was scouting for him, he would be “pleased as punch” to get a set for $200 and I will find the $200 useful shortly.
I then spotted something new, an iceboat with wheels. It appears that some members are extending the ice boating season by means of wheels. They are making use of an abandoned airport in Weymouth. I was able to share my experience of going snowmobiling on the mud flats in the Mojavi desert and one of the members told me that he goes snowmobiling in Utah every year.
I then spotted a complete DN, hull, mast, sails, and rigging for only $1200. I couldn’t help thinking, “What a Deal!” Like everyone, I like a bargain. Where else can you get a boat that will go sixty miles and hour and that if used properly and carefully, you don’t have to worry whether it floats. One can pay five times as much for a boat with rotten planks that you have to paint every year. After swapping stories of where we went sailing last winter and of near mishaps over the course of the years, we went in to the hall for a hearty meal.
Members from all six New England states were seated at the tables and we were joined again by two Ice boaters from Nova Scotia who welcomed members in search of ice or a new place to sail to Nova Scotia. After a satisfying meal, good conversation, a description of last year’s highlights, and new club business deftly conducted, I returned home looking forward to getting out and seeing members on the ice, when the time comes.
Peter Forbes
Stay tuned we will all be sailing soon,
John Stanton
NEIYA Secretary
P.S. Don’t forget to leave word of ice conditions with Chad Atkins on the hotline.
P.P.S. Please vote, sign and mail your ballots back to me. Do it today.
2013 Tune-up Recap
Click picture for additional Tune-up pics
Thanks to Carter Brown for delivering pictures to the editor
In this week before Thanksgiving this, years tune up was a day of giving back to the sport of ice boating with thanks from everyone present. Thanks to Linda and Steve Lamb for opening up their place as well as the all the food. Linda’s chilli got high marks from all.
A day of giving back decades of knowledge to the interested, the new, novices or looking to sharpen (forgive the pun) their skills. Of note, Eric Anderson and Greg Cornelius who spent hours light boxing and sharpening. Rounding out the grinding pit were John Eastman sporting a brand new machine and Dave Fortier finishing up tips and tails.
Our furthest visitor award goes to Louise Racine (Canada) who picked up her new boat and set up instruction from both cruisers and top racers (see pictures) alike. Louise, good luck with your new boat. She is a beauty and I am sure you will have a blast.
Pictures are ALWAYS welcome and can be sent directly to neiyaweb.sailfast@picasaweb.com. Send any and all from the Tune-up.
Hoping the current cold snap continues and see you on the ice.
John Stanton
NEIYA Secretary
2013 Annual Tune-up Clinic Canton, MA
Saturday, November 23rd
11:00 to 3:00pm
Arthur C. Lamb Co
85 Jackson St., Canton, MA 02021
It’s that time of year, once again. Gather up your gear, roll up your sleeves and come down to the fourth annual Lamb Tune-up Clinic.
Returning once again for encore performances are Eric Anderson on grinder, Steve Lamb on alignment and of course Linda Lamb with an assortment of good eats and drinks for all. Also a special appearance by John Eastman from Rockport, ME to set up his new runner grinder for the first time. Yes, John is taking it on the road.
To help defray costs we will be charging a nominal per runner fee this year. Fees are as follows:
- Free – Up to three (3) blades to new members joining for their first season
- $5 per blade for members in good standing for the 2014 season
- $10 per blade for non members
To help maintain order please sign up upon arrival at the shop and one set per person while others are still waiting.
If you have any interest in the sport of ice boating, this is a great place to learn more. Informal discussions on alignment safety, runner sharpening, racing, cruising, whatever, will be going on. And there are no helmets, face masks or gloves to get in the way
Open to members and non members. Bring a friend that might be interested in ice boating.
There will also be an Indoor swap meet, bring gear for sale. Steve Duhamel of North Wind Ice boat will be there with lot’s of new and used stuff. Contact Stevel to be sure he is bringing what you need steve@northwindiceboats.com.
Directions:
Take Rte.95 to exit 11A (Neponset St., Canton)
Follow up to light, take left onto Chapman St.
Travel less than 1/4 mile to top of hill look for signs (To Jackson St) Turn right and right again 180 degrees onto Jackson St., “Do not go over railroad bridge”
Lamb Co. will be on your left ( Beige block building)
See you there,
John Stanton
NEIYA Secretary
P.S. Questions leave a comment below or email John@neiya.org
2014 Swap Meet
It was a clear morning and the equipment began coming on display well before 9:00 AM. There was a great assortment of modern high tech waiting for a racer to no tech vintage items looking for a stern steerer.
Many of the items are still for sale. To inquire about availability leave a comment below.
Thanks to Jeff Soderholm for the pictures.
Haven’t paid your dues for the 2014 season? Please do it today.
More on the meeting tomorrow.
John Stanton
NEIYA Secretary
Annual Meeting October 26th – Only Hours Away
DATE: Saturday October 26th, 2013
PLACE: Same as last year Knights of Columbus Hall, 17 Willow Street, Westborough, MA 01581 (Map below)
TIME: Swap Meet 9:00 am with Luncheon at 11:30 and Annual Meeting to follow as usual
COST: We will once again be taking reservations an payment online and strongly urge everyone to take advantage of the online process. Annual membership $30 and $20 for lunch. Please reserve your spot to the right.
SCHEDULE: The swap meet starts at 9 :00 am with lunch and meeting starting at 11:30 sharp. Most of us have too much ice boat stuff. Look through your garage and basement, find ice boat gear you don’t need and bring it along. Remember your old gear is something new to someone else and helps to get more people on the ice.
Get to the swap meet early. Lunch and meeting will start promptly at 11:30. More on that from our Commodore to follow very shortly.
Iced Digital Communications
John Stanton
John@neiya.org
Register for the Annual Meeting & Membership Today
It’s that time of year again. Post Labor Day, Baseball playoffs, football is in full swing, it’s getting colder and of course the NEIYA annual meeting, Swap Meet and Luncheon.
It’s time to renew your membership and come to the annual meeting, swap meet and lunch. We have streamlined the process just click on the appropriate button below.
| Description | Price | |
| 2014 Membership and Lunch | $50 |
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| 2014 Membership for one and Lunch for two | $70 |
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| 2014 Membership | $30 |
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| Lunch Only | $20 |
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We urge you to signup for membership and lunch via the appropriate links above or at http://www.neiya.org/?=email1 . Of course, we will still accept mailed in applications and checks but please help us streamline this process.
Paper Membership Form or copy and past below URL
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K1DMmUbkDB6v5FVkGTfDrFUuV-ENV-TgF3Fej3A7YSY/edit?usp=sharing
Annual Meeting Agenda
Saturday October 26th
Knights of Columbus Hall, 17 Willow Street, Westborough, MA 01581 Directions
9am to 11:30am–Swap Meet If you have anything to sell please list it in the classified section communicate with interested parties and bring it to the Swap Meet. Listings are free for NEIYA members in good standing.
11:30am–Buffet lunch in the K of C hall, followed by the annual meeting. The hearty spread will appeal to all and we have been promised more Swedish meatballs.
Please register today our treasurer and the caterer will be much happier.
Looking forward to seeing everybody again and prepare for the upcoming season.
Think Ice!
John Stanton
NEIYA Communications
New England Ice Yacht Association 