Sorry to report there are no NEIYA sponsored events for the weekend. While ice has been building we are in the early stages of the season and the killer it’s going to be above freezing with some kind of precipitation, the perfect new ice KILLER.
As you all know, if you have been reading the emails, people are sailing today in a number of places. Don’t venture out alone tomorrow base on yesterdays news. Conditions are guaranteed to have changed. Please never sail alone and seen out the best locale information you can find..
Commodore T wanted to chime in on this topic and his comments are below also several experienced hands requested that Greg Cornelius pass on some wisdom.
Words from T for the weekend
Hey Folks- Looks like some cold temps are finally here and there is ice to be had- Just want to remind everyone again that this is still early going- Early ice is often densely populated and a lot of us are pretty rusty from the long summer layoff-
So as always, keep your eyes open and proceed with caution! And have some fun- the party has to start sometime!!
Think Ice!!! T
t_thieler@yahoo.com
Words of wisdom from from the wise old ones and channeled by Greg
NEW ICE may NOT BE Nice
New Ice needs to be treated with extra caution !!!
As It relates to new ice, three things to remember:
1. Do not be FIRST Alone– Yes someone has to be first to sail the new area, but do not do it alone. Sail the new ice with a buddy (remember never sail alone) scouting together. At least insure there is another boat ready to go, rapid transit to come help you if need be, and someone is watching you out there.
2. Do not be FAST– Being fast comes later, sail new areas in slow scouting mode, up in the boat scanning the ice horizon. Watch the tell tales later, slow cross sail expanding the area scouted.
3. Do not go FAR– Do not sail off into the distance, to the other side of the lake. Long commute to come help you if you are the first to find the holes. See # 2 again. High Risk if you rush off alone, in fast mode, off into the distance, being the first to sail the new area.
The three together spell trouble.
That’s all for now. Hope anybody that cold take Friday off did sail and we will see how thing look next week. Keep the information flowing. Communication is key in our sport. Remember all you have to do is reply to an ice report
Sail Fast & Sail Safe,
John
john@neiya.org
01/08/2016 | Categories: 2016 Season | Comments Off on Cautious Patience as Ice Thickens
The Western Regional DN Champs are done and dusted – what an event!
Great ice, good breeze, and plenty of competition made the drive well worth it!
Matt Struble took all seven races (one by at least 32 seconds) in a style that was, shall we say, convincing. John Dennis took second with a string of comebacks in the final races, I was top New Englander in third. Full results attached here
Hate to leave Spicer, MN. It’s an IceBoating-friendly town; there is even a painting of an iceboat up on the big town water tank! My kind of town.
With no ice in the east and a sweet new CSI mast prototype to try out I just couldn’t resist the temptation to do something totally sensible like driving non-stop to Minnesota for this regatta.
Atkins was going to go as well but he has some bizarre throat infection that has him down for the count.
So I figured the heck with it- What could possibly go wrong?
Not much as it turns out, made it out here in about 24hrs without incident. Rang in the new year at a truck stop with a Subway- talk about livin’ large!
In spite of feeling and acting like a grumpy zombie yesterday and most of today I was able to get on the ice for some AWESOME racing.
Ice is about a 8-9, big breeze this AM gradually fading out as day went on, tons of boats in two fleets-
Matt Struble had been living in California for a few years and his DN skills have deteriorated to the point where he is winning races by a third or a quarter of a leg rather than the entire legs of yesteryear…. This guy is impressive! He is winning w four bullets. Local favorite John Dennis in second followed by yours truly. Full day one results link below.
The new all-carbon CSI rig feels good and seems quick- More on that later….
Anyway dinner tonight was next door at the Legion Hall, it was KILLAHHHH….
All in all not a bad day…. Looking forward to more races Sunday Stay tuned!!
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
Ring it in… The start of the new year 2016 and with a little luck the start of our 2016 ice boat season.
Wishing everyone a safe, happy and prosperous New Year. Oh yes, make it fast on the eastern ice that has yet to set up. Patience, patience, patience it will come. Or as they say in the Islands “Soon come”
Sail Fast , and sail safe especially on early ice,
Photo credit Bill Converse 2012 NE’s Mallets Bay VT
Mast Sail Track Dry Lubricants
By: Steve Madden DN US 4512
Recently I had a need for a mast sail track lubricant. So I headed out to my local West Marine to buy the popular McLube Sailkote Dry Lubricant. Now, I like West Marine because it has all things boating but I know their prices are well…..pricey! I was not disappointed as they had the McLube Sailkote Dry Lube in a 16 ounce aerosol can for $28 and the 6 ounce aerosol can for $13. I just could not bring myself to spend that amount of money to just lube my mast sail track. So I left the store and decided to research an equivalent dry lube or at least close to equivalent. Before I go any further let me disclose that it’s been a while since my college days when I did my last proper research paper. This will not be a true research paper in the sense that I do not intend to list all my references. Also, I am not a chemist, so you have to take the following data with some grain of salt (NaCI).
The first thing I did was visit my local big box store and others and found (5) lubricant suppliers claiming somewhere on their aerosol can to be a “dry type lubricant”. They are: CRC Marine Dry Lube with PTFE Technology, Super Lube Dri Film with SYNCOLON PTFE, Liquid Wrench with CERFLOW (PTFE), Blaster (contains PTFE) and WD-40 Specialist Dirt and Dust Resistant Dry Lube. I’m sure there are others out there. Next I got a copy of their Safety Data Sheet (AKA: Material Safety Data Sheet) to compare composition/ingredients against McLube Sailkote. Notice that while the above WD-40 in its description says “Dry Lube”, it is truly not a typical dry lubricant like the other (4) as it does not contain a fluoropolymer formulation (like PTFE) so this lubricant will not be discussed further. I only mention the WD-40 because I found this lubricant in many of the stores I visited. So don’t be fooled.
Definition: “Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene”… AKA: TEFLON (the best known brand of PTFE based formulas).
So, the question became…if McLube Sailkote Dry Lube makes no mention of containing “PTFE” on its aerosol can and on its Safety Data Sheet like the other dry lubes above, then what makes it so slippery and such a popular choice among the sailing community?
McLube Sailkote is described as a Fluoropolymer Dispersion according to its Safety Data Sheet. I found that Fluoropolymer Dispersions may be dispersions of “PTFE” among some others. While McLube and other manufactures may not specifically divulge their exact chemical composition and/or percentages due to trade secrets, I believe that McLube Sailkote is a Fluoropolymer coating in the same family as “PTFE” or do I dare say…it may be “PTFE” based. Interestingly, McLube seems to go out of its way to negatively mention TEFLON (PTFE based). For example, on its aerosol can it says “Last up to 10 times longer than Teflon additives of other products”. Up to ten times they claim? That may be a stretch in my opinion. On its website it says: “Sailkote is typically five times as effective and last much longer than wax, oil or Teflon based lubricants”. Which is it…“five or ten times”? Another interesting fact is a friend of mine just happened to have an old aerosol can of McLube Sailkote that is at least 5 years old. That can says: ”Sailkote is the latest advance in High-Tech PTFE Dry Lubricant Technology”! Today’s aerosol can does not have that statement! Did McLube recently change its formula? I can only theorize that they removed that statement at some point due to too much competition from the other dry lube manufactures. Is it a marketing ploy to make the buyer think their product has some magical fluoropolymer formulation who’s performance is up to ten times better than the other products? On a minor note but interesting, on its website it says: “Team McLube Sailkote is the only dry lubricant currently available that has been specifically designed for marine use”. That is not true at all! CRC Marine Dry Lube with PTFE Technology specifically lists one of its uses as… “For lubricating mast tracks”. Not to mention it says “Marine” in its product description. Humorously, I should mention I found the CRC next to the McLube can at West Marine!
I will not deny that McLube Sailkote is a good lubricant but I just can’t justify the high price. In my opinion, the (4) others listed will work just fine for lubricating mast sail tracks as they all contain PTFE and at a significant savings and I emphasize significant. Super Lube and Blaster had a slightly higher percentage (by weight) of PTFE according to their Safety Data Sheets.
Just to be clear, I can not tell you how any of the Dry Lubes will react with the sail cloth if applied directly or indirectly to the sail. For example, will it damage the cloth while in its wet state before it turns to its slippery dry state? However, I’m pretty confident that none of them will affect the sail cloth based on the little experience I do have. But like I mentioned earlier, I am not a chemist. I can tell you that all of them contain some nasty chemicals especially the propellants that they use to deliver the product.
I have concluded (at least in my mind) that McLube seems to be devious in its marketing strategy for Sailkote. Is the performance of any of the other (4) products mentioned equivalent or at least close to equivalent to McLube Sailkote? Is McLube treading on a slippery marketing slope? Only you can decide.
*Editor’s Note: The author does not work for nor is affiliated with any of the manufactures of the aforementioned products. He is, however, a typically frugal Yankee.
12/31/2015 | Categories: 2016 Season | Comments Off on From a Yankee Sailor’s Shop
If heading to the Western Regional Champs this weekend doesn’t appeal to you then a good alternate plan might be to head east and join this crowd in the Italian Alps….
Not bad!!
12/30/2015 | Categories: 2016 Season | Comments Off on Meanwhile, a little to the east….
Anyone interested in a bit of a road trip should read on- There may be one or two NE sailors headed that way…..
The 2016 Western Region Championship DN Regatta is called on for Green Lake at Spicer, MN. This is a preliminary call!
2 ranked DN sailors will be scouting the lake Wednesday morning, Dec 30, 2015. The final call and hotel information will be posted by 8PM December 30, 2015. The conditions reported by 3 separate scouts show 3.5″ of optically clear new ice as far as you can see from the shore in Spicer. Cold temps over the next 3 days promises more ice making. I have tried to attach two photos. If they do not show up, Geoff Sobering, Secretary of IDNIYRA will try to get them attached. If not, a similar posting with photos will be made to the Facebook Group IDNIYRA, Minnesota iceboaters and 4 lakes group. An alternate site is also available in Garrison, MN on Lake Mille Lacs.
Sharpen your runners!
Remember to bring a copy of your current proof of insurance. Registering online and payment on the IDNIYRA website saves time. You must be a current(2016) member of IDNIYRA(dues paid since May 1, 2015) You can also renew and pay on line prior to event.
Hey Folks- Temps are finally dropping and there was even some snow on the ground in RI this morning- So things are looking up for sailing in general but only slightly….
The Doc Fellows regatta is scheduled for this weekend but the likelihood that we will have sailable ice is slim say the least… So stand by, you never know! Watch this site for details…. Will make a formal announcement ASAP-
In the meantime I’d like to remind everyone to be VERY wary of early and late season ice…. Temptation is always there but use your head and your gut- If it looks marginal, stay on terra firma, work on your boat, have a good meal or something….
I’ve heard a few rumors of some of swimming going on out west- all ok and all self-rescued but not great PR and avoidable to begin with…. Don’t forget that a trip through the ice can be an interesting event to be laughed off. Or you can lose a boat. Or breakbones. Or LOSE a LIFE. And put any potential rescuers in danger.
So keep all of that in mind as we suffer through this mild winter!
Cheers! T
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
12/29/2015 | Categories: 2016 Season | Comments Off on DOC FELLOWS REGATTA / SAFETY REMINDER
In just a couple hours the sun will rise on Stonehenge and the markings align signifying the Winter Solstice. With the onset of the shortest day we are encouraged that ice will be coming and our winter playgrounds are once again open.
The gentlemen (?) above in black, as previously reported, was seen near Shelburne on Lake Champlain this past March. He appeared out of no where in between races and mysteriously disappeared like he came. Our best guess is he was performing some sort of pagan or druid ice ritual and likely in cahoots with the robed ones at Stonehenge, this very moment.
If 2015 is any indicator the robed figure on Champlain brings the ice with him. Let’s keep an eye out for him and good ice and be ready to move quickly when word gets out.
As you know we will be using the same email forwarding service (Wiggio) to report ice conditions as last year. Below is a summary of how it works. But, it only works if you use it.
Quick and dirty instructions: Just reply to the weekly ice report email with your own observations. Yes, just reply and your contributions will go to the whole group. The best racing and cruising venues will be put up on our website as close as possible to a given weekend event so one will miss out.
Below are the gory details to help you follow along at home. Please contact me if you have paid your dues and not received the first email that went out last week.
What is Wiggo?
Wiggio is an information collaboration tool. We will be using just the email forwarding tool for the season. We may test and use other features better informed and coordinated, depending on what’s needed.
Setup:
1) If you have not already accepted the group confirmation from last year you will receive an email requesting that you do.
2) Once confirmed you can login and set the level of participation that is right for you. Receive every email related to to a thread, one daily summary or none at all. You can elect to receive info via text but given the length of most of our messages I would discourage against this.
3) If you do nothing, you will still receive the emails but will not have control over delivery and show up as unconfirmed should you respond to a thread.
4) Should you wish to be removed from the list, there is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email. Just click, you’re in control.
5) To view online just go to neiyaicereports.wiggio.com but you will need to have accepted your group invitation and login.
How it works:
1) Each week or as conditions warrant an email will go out to the group either with known and or developing conditions or requesting information from any and all spotters.
2) To respond to ALL just reply to the email. Yup that’s it. All you do is reply and your not will be added to the thread online as well as being passed onto the whole group.
3) To respond to just the Sender of the original or subsequent messages go the bottom of the email and click where it says “Reply to only the sender” You can now reply in private to just the individual.
4) Reply only to the most recent or relevant thread
5) If you forward emails from multiple accounts you may only be able to reply from the original receiving email address. Give me a shout if in doubt.
6) Please provide details when responding
a. When did you check?
b. Where is the ice name nearest town and access
c. Ice thickness and composition i.e. 4 inches black ice with 3 inches of snow ice on top
d. Size of the plate.
e. How did you survey the ice. Walk, skate, bike sail. Drive by or fly overs are good starting points but we will need a man on the ground to follow up.
f. Best way to get in touch with you to confirm information.
7) Once suitable venue(s) for racing and or cruising are determined official announcements will be made on NEIYA.org.
Please let me know if you have any question, suggestions or comments.
May the ice be with you,
John
DN 5023
john@neiya.org
P.S. Ron Bouchard in VT is looking for a good source for sail numbers. Can anyone help him out? Reply to the forum http://theneiya.org/forum/ so all can benefit.
12/22/2015 | Categories: 2016 Season | Comments Off on Winter (Ice boating) Solstice Is Upon Us
With all the new interest lately I thought it would be a good time to remind everyone that “THINK ICE!” by Warner St. Clair and Lloyd Roberts is required reading for any iceboater- Rookie or veteran, no matter what kind of boat, this book is a must-have. Makes a great Christmas gift as well-
“THINK ICE!” is hands down THE definitive book on DN tuning, racing and sailing. But anyone contemplating getting into the sport with any kind of iceboat, or even better, having already bought or built a boat and now needs to know how to sail it, will find all they need to know in this one slim volume. Safety, clothing, how to load the car, you name it, it’s covered!
Updated with instructive commentary by many top-flight iceboat sailors.
A wealth of information for less than twenty bucks! If you are lucky you may even get it signed by the author….
Price seventeen dollars, free shipping. Contact Jim Gagnon,Treasurer, PO Box 463, W. Boothbay, ME 04575
jiminsouthport@gmail.com
12/17/2015 | Categories: 2016 Season | Comments Off on THINK ICE! The Book….
Interested in doing the North American DN Champs? Registration is now open- sign up on line, nothing to it-
Normally this is a three-fleet regatta, so whatever your skill level or tech-level of your boat sign up and come join the fun! There is a fleet for you- Attending an event like this is a great way to check out the scene, meet some people, scope out and/or get cool gear, learn a ton, and check out the accents that the folks west of here have….
Hello All- Sounds like a lot of people are psyched to go racing this year and that is great news!
Whether or not you plan on racing this year you will want to have your insurance in place (it’s mandatory for racing).
All participants shall provide proof of $300,000 personal liability at time of Registration.
Here are some tips:
1.)Make a copy of your homeowners or renters insurance policy to carry with you.
2.)Take a picture of it or scan it and keep it in your smart phone.
3.)For IDNIYRA events go to https://ice.idniyra.org/ and once you log in you will see your information in a square near the upper left of the “home” screen. There you will see a link that says “Update your Insurance Documents”. There you can send your insurance directly and confidentially to the IDNIYRA officials to expedite your registration process.
Here you have 3 ways to make sure you arent caught without your insurance!
“John Henry” Low (Cold Front, Nite # 430) sends along this clue as to what is going on in the uncharted hinterlands way the heck out west. Looks like some cool Skeeters are taking shape out that way-
Thanks John!
DIL
Tom Schock takes a measurement for a mast partner on his 6-foot ice boat as Mel Voos checks his work at the Montana Wooden Boat Foundation’s workshop in Lakeside on Thursday. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)
Hello All- As part of our continuing coverage of the Western Challenge we bring you this batch of photos- not sure who took them but well done and thanks!
Hey Folks- Good times and great sailing at the Western Challenge!
The event was held on Lake Christina near Fergus Falls, MN. Fifty miles from the mythical Fargo, ND in a region occasionally called “East Dakota”…..
63 boats from at least five countries and who knows how many states showed up and got a head start on the season-
The Eastern contingent included skippers from RI, CT, NS, ON, NY, NJ, MD, NC and probably at least one more I can’t think of right now. Lots of new faces, always a good thing!
Friday featured good breeze and light snow cover and the eastern sailors doing pretty well- was worth the drive for this day alone! Saturday (when we started keeping score) was a little lighter and sticky-er and the Western guys put on a clinic led by John Dennis who took three bullets in a row. I’d like to say he did well as he is light weight but the bottom line is the guy is an excellent sailor. Maybe there was some good karma payback coming his way as he found the ice and organized the event- Thanks John and well done.
Sunday dawned with surreal fog and frost on everything but no breeze…. So we all packed up and headed east in a bizarre display of group common sense. A mere 24 hours later and we were home.
We used the new Darling Mark In-Line course (see descriptions, animations and explanations in earlier posts) to great success- The Darling marks really clean up traffic patterns and the in-line finish was a hit with our scorer. Make sure to check these out as we will be using them this season!
Speaking of scorers, big thanks go out to Deb Whitehorse (on-ice) and Loretta Rehe (secret bunker off-site) for making sense of all the numbers- We all owe ya!
So how did we do? After a good day Friday Chad and I had to eat a little humble pie as we were schooled by the western gang- Eben took a good second in the Silver Fleet and for further results check http://iceboating.net/
I can say we all pegged the fun-meter. Great to see the gang and get out sailing, plain and simple. the rookies all had a ball and there were some good battles in both fleets. The MD guys in particular were psyched to have made the trip- put this one on your calendar for next year- veteran or rookie, fancy boat or old clunker, you will have a blast!
We did our best to get the sailors from outside NE interested in attending our Eastern Champs this season- will see if any of them take the bait! We certainly hope so-
Think Ice! Cold weather is on the way…. T
fog
frost on the grass
half of the fleet
the kingston trailer
moe larry curly
12/08/2015 | Categories: 2016 Season | Comments Off on Western Challenge Wrap Up
NEIYA site viewers may have already read this elsewhere originally posted on the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club site http://iceboat.org or elsewhere. The animations are a great help in understanding the use of the Darling mark. The original article with larger pictures can be found here http://iceboat.org/animation.html
Darling Mark Course
National Iceboat Authority Racing Rules Change Summary
DARLING COURSE
The second course is the DARLING COURSE, which is a STANDARD COURSE modified with
the addition of two DARLING MARKS which must be left to PORT. This is named in honor of
John Darling who was the resident race committee and race starter in the New Jersey area
throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. Mr. Darling was the first to use the DARLING MARK at the
leeward end of the course. The DARLING MARK serves several purposes:.
WINDWARD APPROACH
A. In larger fleets, there can be a tendency for some of the even side starters on
STARBOARD TACK to over stand the windward MARK. When they tack over to PORT
TACK, they are set up for a head on collision with yachts that have already rounded the
windward MARK. Therefore, near the windward MARK, the DARLING MARK creates
separation between ON-THE-WIND PORT TACK yachts and OFF-THE-WIND
STARBOARD TACK yachts to minimize collisions.
WINDWARD AFTER ROUNDING
B. After rounding the windward MARK, some yachts may desire to JIBE as soon as
possible. This can create head-on collision situations with STARBOARD TACK ONTHE-WIND
yachts that have understood the windward MARK. Therefore, near the
windward MARK, the DARLING MARK creates separation between ON-THE-WIND
STARBOARD TACK yachts and OFF-THE-WIND PORT TACK yachts to minimize
collisions.
LEEWARD MARK
C. Creates separation between a PORT TACK ON-THE-WIND yacht that has just rounded
the leeward MARK and STARBOARD TACK OFF-THE-WIND yachts approaching the
leeward MARK.
D. Creates separation between a STARBOARD TACK ON-THE-WIND yacht that has just
rounded the leeward MARK and subsequently TACKED and a PORT TACK OFF-THEWIND
yacht approaching the leeward MARK.
The bottom line is….the DARLING MARK is intended to create separation between yachts
which should minimize head-on collisions near the potentially congested areas around a MARK.
Some may claim that DARLING MARKS reduce the playing field and reduce the tactical
freedom of a race. I think they’re overstating it. With a 1 mile course and two DARLING
MARKS each placed 100 yards from their associated MARK, the “tactical area” is only reduced
by 11% (200yards x 1 mile/1760 yards = 0.11). Typically sailors don’t change tacks until
they’ve completed the MARK rounding and achieved full speed. That is likely 50 yards from a
MARK so the real effect on the “tactical area” is more like 5%. This is a minor issue compared
to the safety gained.
A key point regarding DARLING MARKS is the imaginary line between the MARK and its
accompanying DARLING MARK is considered part of the MARK. Therefore, if a yacht crosses
over this line, she will have fouled the MARK and be disqualified.
The disadvantage of the DARLING MARKS, of course, is the need for the Race Committee to
have additional equipment and the added labor of placing or moving the DARLING MARKS on
the course.
TACKING AT THE START OF A RACE
One of the safety issues addressed is protecting the Race Committee immediately following the
start of a race. New rule IV.C.3 states: “After a yacht starts and until she rounds the windward
MARK for the first time, a yacht shall not pass between the center of the starting line (positions
1 and 2) and the leeward MARK.” This prevents yachts from tacking immediately after the start
of the race and endangering the Race Committee.
Note that the leeward mark, darling mark and the line between them are all considered part of the
mark- thus, a yacht must keep them both on the proper side on the first pass after starting (starboard
tack starters must keep them both on the starboard side and port tack starters must keep them both to port.)
2. WINDWARD MARK- APPROACH
In larger fleets, there can be a tendency for some of the even side starters on
STARBOARD TACK to over stand the windward MARK. When they tack over to PORT
TACK, they are set up for a head on collision with yachts that have already rounded the
windward MARK. Therefore, near the windward MARK, the DARLING MARK creates
separation between ON-THE-WIND PORT TACK yachts and OFF-THE-WIND
STARBOARD TACK yachts to minimize collisions.
3. WINDWARD MARK – AFTER ROUNDING
After rounding the windward MARK, some yachts may desire to JIBE as soon as
possible. This can create head-on collision situations with STARBOARD TACK ONTHE-WIND
yachts that have understood the windward MARK. Therefore, near the
windward MARK, the DARLING MARK creates separation between ON-THE-WIND
STARBOARD TACK yachts and OFF-THE-WIND PORT TACK yachts to minimize
collisions.
4. LEEWARD MARK – APPROACH
Creates separation between a PORT TACK ON-THE-WIND yacht that has just rounded
the leeward MARK and STARBOARD TACK OFF-THE-WIND yachts approaching the
leeward MARK.
5. LEEWARD MARK – AFTER ROUNDING
Creates separation between a STARBOARD TACK ON-THE-WIND yacht that has just
rounded the leeward MARK and subsequently TACKED and a PORT TACK OFF-THEWIND
yacht approaching the leeward MARK
6. FINISH – CORRECT PROCEDURE
7. FINISH – INCORRECT PROCEDURE
8. WINDWARD MARK RIGHT OF WAY
Another addition is Right-of-Way rule 8.a which states: “When yachts sailing ON-THE-WIND on
opposite tacks are approaching a MARK, the PORT TACK yacht shall keep clear of the
STARBOARD TACK yacht.” This new rule eliminates the previous confusion about the
governing rule when approaching the windward MARK: Did the STARBOARD TACK yacht
have rights over the PORT TACK yacht or was the PORT TACK yacht inside and therefore
require the STARBOARD TACK yacht to stay clear? This new rule clarifies that the PORT
TACK yacht shall keep clear.
9. WINDWARD MARK RIGHT OF WAY
Another addition is Right-of-Way rule 8.a which states: “When yachts sailing ON-THE-WIND on
opposite tacks are approaching a MARK, the PORT TACK yacht shall keep clear of the
STARBOARD TACK yacht.” This new rule eliminates the previous confusion about the
governing rule when approaching the windward MARK: Did the STARBOARD TACK yacht
have rights over the PORT TACK yacht or was the PORT TACK yacht inside and therefore
require the STARBOARD TACK yacht to stay clear? This new rule clarifies that the PORT
TACK yacht shall keep clear.
From the competitors in Minnesota to the sailors attending this years Tune-up event, one theme ties all these NEIYA members together this weekend. Commitment. Commitment to the sport of ice boating. Commitment to go faster. Commitment to share knowledge of the sport and equipment. Commitment to sail safer and a commitment to get the most out of their equipment.
The Tune-up kicked of with a xxx talk by veteran Greg Cornelius about why racing is important to the sport and dispelled several myths about it that may be holding some people from setting on the line. Greg’s pleas were answered by most attendees committing to participate in more races and those that have not raced committing to give it a go.
Next up Bob Haag helped to demystify the art of runner alignment and provided a step by step instruction on getting the job done. No go fast commitment, especially down wind, is complete without one’s runners being true. Thanks for pointing the way.
Eric Anderson headed up the day’s final formal session with demo and discussion on runner stonning. Eric demonstrated how to bring back a fresh edge by using a series of progressive finer grit stones. Eric commented that it’s not hard but does take time.
For those still looking for stones after we sold out I ordered them from Mod Shop Toolshttp://www.moldshoptools.com/catalog/list.php?category_id=72 They were the best deals I could find. Description and part numbers T2, 150 Grit, 1/4 x 1/2 x 6″ PT# T21412150, T2, 220 Grit, 1/4 x 1/2 x 6″ PT# T21412220, T2, 320 Grit, 1/4 x 1/2 x 6″ PT# T21412320, T2, 400 Grit, 1/4 x 1/2 x 6″ PT# T21412400 and T2, 600 Grit, 1/4 x 1/2 x 6″ PT# T21412600
Throughout the day all in attendance with special thanks to John Eastman our somewhat loud but never short on enthusiasm member from the great stat of Maine, assisted two new members Jeff Bugbee and Shannon Blair put together their new boats and assemble a list of must does and nice to haves. Welcome Jeff and Shannon we look forward to sailing along side you both.
Special thanks to our host Steve Lamb and his wife Linda for the use of their shop and the lunch and snacks. Without the two of you non of this would be possible.
It won’t be long. I’m thinking the weekend of December 19 in Maine someplace. Bill as Cruising Chairman can you be sure to make this happen. Surely would make a great Christmas present for all…
Think Ice and be committed to a great season
John
DN 5023
john@neiya.org
12/06/2015 | Categories: 2016 Season | Comments Off on Committed to the 2016 Ice Boat Season
Great season kick off yesterday on Lake Christina!
Over fifty boats sailed in good breeze and good ice w a bit of soft snow- masts bent, high speeds, good competition, everything we look forward to!
Sailors from across the country and Europe made the trip here and reaped the benefits yesterday-
Did you know we are only about fifty miles from the one and only Fargo, North Dakota? We are literally and figuratively “out there”
No action photos from the ice (big bummer, was a great day for it) but back at the hotel Mike Derusha from WI was pushing his trusty smoked chub and pickled eggs- Great hallway snack! Good Italian dinner in town- See photo- fun group: seated at that table were people from RI, CT, OH, WI, Sweden, Germany, and Holland. Good time!
Put this on the calendar for next year gang- It’s a blast every time!
T
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James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
12/05/2015 | Categories: 2016 Season | Comments Off on Out West…
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New England Ice Yacht Association 