Great Western Challenge Update
This is Puckaway Lake in Princeton, WI yesterday evening…. may have been hit with some snow overnight but still, not a bad looking piece of ice…. stay tuned
NEIYA Along For The ride
John Pepper has been putting some classy new graphics on his Iceboat trailer…. and taking club spirit and advertising to a whole new level! Take a look…
DN Great Western Challenge is ON for Wisconsin – DN North America
https://www.idniyra.org/2019/12/11/dn-great-western-challenge-is-on-for-wisconsin/
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler@yahoo.com
Winter Flexes Her Icy Fingers
It is early in the season and we have already begun the cycles of winter. Cold, Snow, Melt and wait. The folks in Maine sprinted up to Plymouth Pond for the last sail before the white dump, some shoveled and plowed and others watched the meager snow melt away in the hard rain. The common thread is we all thought about iceboating, worked on our boats and watched the weather forecasts for some miracle or miracles.
As most of you know, Steve Lamb has once again graciously opened his shop up for our annual off-ice tune-up clinic. If you have not come before it’s a great chance to catch up with fellow sailors, ask a question, learn a new skill, pick up equipment, and of course feast on the food Linda puts together for us. The short of it.
When: Saturday, December 14th, 10:00 am to 3:00pm
Where: Arthur C. Lamb Company 85 Jackson St, Canton, MA 02021
Details: Here https://theneiya.org/2019/11/17/annual-tune-up-saturday-december-14th/
There will be sets of Boride Stones some safety equipment as well as other items for sale. New this year VC Jay Whitehair will be demonstrating ice safety equipment.
See you all there and Think Ice,
John
DN5023
John@neiya.org
P.S. If there is sailable ice do what you need to do, get some tiller time but there will be a crowd at Steves regardless.
P.P.S. Keep an eye on your local ice and spread the news to all! We have only a couple weeks to get some of the 2019 races in and it’s always great to start the season before Christmas.
Black-Ice Friday Is Here!
What is Black-Ice Friday you ask?
The holiday is here!
Never mind the doorbuster super sales or the crowd trampling media events. We New England iceboat jocks know the value of a full vacation day! Consider this: Maine’s late iceboating legend Larry Hardman would blissfully don his fireball orange helmet and goggles for the season by epoxy stapling his helmet chin-strap tight under his chin while reciting his latest iceboat poetry. Another legend, Warner St Clair was known to visit his arch neighborhood DN competitors, gaining eager post-holiday access with a friendly knock and an entry-level gift, just so he could place his bootleg over a prized box of runners and release the #20 grit black beauty sandblasting sand down his leg from the carefully crafted hole in his pocket – such a clever competitor he was! Or, consider our cherished living local legend Lloyd Roberts… who on black-ice Friday is known to sit knee-deep in his rusty lawn chair in the ice-crusted waters of the Damariscotta public beach, under an umbrella, in his underwear, pontificating such things as the elastic modulus co-efficiencies of splintered Sitka spruce sliding along a perfect ice surface. The value of his all-inclusive hard-water daydreaming has yet to be fully appreciated. Get the idea? Make your plans NOW.
Take advantage of this all-important holiday… gather your buddies to safely check your local ice and forward your ice alerts to the NEIYA ice report (Contact me, John or Karen for details). Mark December 14th on the calendar to meet with your chillest friends by attending the 2019 annual tune-up clinic. Order a 50’ throw rope/bag, ice awls, two space blankets, a 6’ x 6’ poly tarp, and a couple of instant hand warmers to build the survival-assist kit we spoke of at the annual swap meet. If there is interest we can make a group purchase contack John (john@neiya.org) Make those last-minute trades/orders for the parts you needed last season.
The season is here…. and for many of us, it officially begins on Black-Ice Friday!!
See you on the ice!
Jay Whitehair
US3947
Norwich, VT
Vice Commodore NEIYA
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
We have all been thinking about iceboating and thanks to a good cold snap some sailed Plymouth Pond in Maine earlier this month. For the rest of us it is just the waiting business as usual.
Thanksgiving marks a real change in the season and if you have not already drag your boat and gear out. put the boat together fix the stuff you never go around to when it was warmer and get ready.
Need a boat or equipment check the Classified Section and be sure to come to our annual Tune-up at Steve Lambs Shop in Canton MA on December 14th. That’s just over two weeks away. There will be boats and equipment for sale, trade etc. Have extra gear? Post on the Classified Section
A note from our dedicated Web Guy Deane Williams, please contact the seller for any information, there should be a phone or email on each ad. Replies like, “is it still for sale”, “send more info”, “send pictures” will not be posted on the website. They just clutter things up and make it hard for people to find what they want. We will be featuring the best of the best on the classifieds on our home page next week so get your ads in.
Is your NEIYA sticker getting worn and tattered or sold the car with the sticker? The will be available at the Tune-up or give me a shout and either Secretary Karen Binder or I will get a new one out to you.
Enjoy your holiday with family and friends and thankful for all that we have.
See you at the Tune up in two weeks and on the ice.
Think Ice,
John
DN5023
john@neiya.org
Commodore, NEIYA
LI Swap Meet
Saturday, December 7th, 2019
From: 1-4 pm
Weeks Yacht Yard
10 Riverview Court, Patchogue, NY
Food and drinks will be supplied for FREE by the club around 1pm.
Bar-B-Que, Condiments, Side Dishes, Liquid Refreshments,
Soup, Sweets.
If you have anything to sell, boats, hardware, tools,
sails, runners, masts, booms, etc., this is a
good opportunity or just come down, have a bite
to eat and talk about ice.
Here’s your chance to PAY YOUR DUES! Get ahead by
supporting your club with your $15 2020 membership.
It’s due by Jan. 7, 2020. Don’t miss out on any
“ICE ALERT!” ice reports for the upcoming season.
If you are a NEW member, please fill out BOTH SIDES
of the included NEW membership form.
Bring the family(wife,kids,mom, dad, dog)…
Bring a friend(girl,boy,dog)…
Bring an alien.
Bring a pet.
Show your neighbors how NUTS you are…
BTW, YOUR CAT IS INVITED TOO! (my dog Tobey loves cats)
Special Guest Appearance
LI SWAP MEET
TO ALL:
IT’S JUST2WEEKS A WAY!
The great bargains … the cool stuff … get cash for some of that stuff
lying around … eat and drink ……meet new friends…
pay your membership fee … WOW lots going on all in one day.
FREE FOOD AND DRINK FOR ALL!
(BTW, we only do this free stuff once a year)
Winter is around the corner, LET’S GET READY TO SWAP!
Bring your stuff…
Bring your cash…
Bring your best swap lingo…
SELL…SELL…SELL… BUY…BUY…BUY…
LAKE RONKONKOMA ICE BOAT YACHT CLUB SWAP MEET
ICE ALERT! – 2019 LRIBYC Swap Meet
TO ALL:
IT’S JUST 2 WEEKS A WAY!
The great bargains … the cool stuff … get cash for some of that stuff
lying around … eat and drink ……meet new friends…
pay your membership fee … WOW lots going on all in one day.
FREE FOOD AND DRINK FOR ALL!
(BTW, we only do this free stuff once a year)
Winter is around the corner, LET’S GET READY TO SWAP!
Bring your stuff…
Bring your cash…
Bring your best swap lingo…
SELL…SELL…SELL… BUY…BUY…BUY…
LAKE RONKONKOMA ICE BOAT YACHT CLUB SWAP MEET
WeeksYachtYard.pdf
LakeRonkonkoma-FullDesc.pdf
LRIBYC-Membership-Application.pdf
Long Island Swap Meet Coming Up-
This reminder just in from the LI group- Be sure to attend!
TO ALL:
IT’S JUST 2 WEEKS A WAY!
The great bargains … the cool stuff … get cash for some of that stuff
lying around … eat and drink ……meet new friends…
pay your membership fee … WOW lots going on all in one day.
FREE FOOD AND DRINK FOR ALL!
(BTW, we only do this free stuff once a year)
Winter is around the corner, LET’S GET READY TO SWAP!
Bring your stuff…
Bring your cash…
Bring your best swap lingo…
SELL…SELL…SELL… BUY…BUY…BUY…
LAKE RONKONKOMA ICE BOAT YACHT CLUB SWAP MEET
Hot Yachts Cold Water 1983
Take a sail down Memory Lane with this video- it has a little bit of everything; Six Meters, IOR boats, Lasers, Windsurfers, early foiling craft, C-Class cats, dinghys, and yes, Iceboats (fast forward to 53 minutes for that)
Click and enjoy!
Annual Tune-Up Saturday December 14th
He came at me from there…
The First Ice award once again goes to the CIBC gang who sailed Plymouth Pond yesterday. Is NH and VT close behind? Time will tell. In the mean time get ready get ready get ready.
This year’s Tune-up will be in December and eventhough some will have sailed by than many will not have been lucky with local ice. We have a full agenda planed. Make plans to be there.
TUNE-UP CLINIC AGENDA DECEMBER 14, 2019 LAMB FAMILY HEADQUARTERS!
10:30 Paul Zucco – How to build a fast and durable DN Plank
Paul will share secrets learned over 30 years of plank building
11:00 Eben Whitcomb – Runner Prep
Eben will take you through the steps necessary to hit the ice with Sharp, and Fast Runners
He will demonstrate sharpening and Honing
11:30 Steve Madden & Greg Cornelious – Safety On the Race Course
Right of Way rules to keep us all safe and discussion of what to look out for at the weather mark
and Leward mark.
12:00 James “T” Thieler & Jeff Kent – Rig tune and trim secrets
Two of the BEST and really, really fast guys available anywhere will take us through
rig tune, shifting gears, and sail trim.
Think Ice,
John
john@neiya.org
Best Known Ice Coming From CIBC In Maine
With record cold being reported from the NOAA Gray/Portland, ME Office this week it is not surprising that ice is setting up. Bill from CIBC has issued a report on Plymouth Pond in Plymouth Maine. Check in on https://iceboat.me/ for Details.
Nothing coming in for VT nor NH at this time. There is ice but nothing sailable.
Remember it’s early-season so be careful. We do not have a thick base and conditions will change from moment to moment.
More info next week.
Side note, a blue jacket ended up in one of the boxes I brought home from the annual meeting a couple weeks ago let me know if its your.
Think Ice,
John
John@neiya.org
Looking Forward To 2020 & Over My Shoulder
Nothing like the first real cold and snow flurries to jolt one into iceboat mode. My work colleges do not quite understand, they never do, so I showed them the Thunder Bay video from earlier in the week. https://youtu.be/VUWgdQA6dAw Unfortunatly their minds are on deliveries south and cruising in the Caribbean. But we know better and look forward to first ice.
Today’s note is two-fold looking forward and looking a little back.
Looking forward
In less than a month Steve Lamb will once again host the annual off ice tune-up clinic. Mark your calendar’s Saturday, December 14th, Arthur C. Lamb Co., Canton, MA. The timing should be perfect for securing last-minute tune-up tips and propel us into full iceboat mode. Rick Bishop will be getting the full agenda out in a few days.
Looking Back
This year’s Annual Meeting and swap meet was very well attended. We successfully filled a bigger parking lot at our new (second year) venue in Hudson NY. Two boat legends changed hands, Hal Chamberlain and Roger Livingston’s boats have new caretakers. Good luck gentlemen. Sail Fast and make their former owners proud.
Lunch began shortly after the swap meet hoard were herded into the meeting room. We left the usual abstaining crowd in the lot. Maybe they had more fun out there but the real show featured chicken, Swedish meatballs, the usual sides and boat talk. But it was not as much about the food as the crowd of people all gathered together to talk mostly about iceboating past and future. Mixed well amongst the NEIYA veterans was six brand new members eager to join in.
Commodore T kicked off the meeting with his usual style and grace and believe it or not the jokes were clean.
The next part of the meeting was fun, prizes and safety-related. Yours truly raffled off safety items that Landfall (www.landfallnavigation.com shameless plug) helped bring to our meeting. Safety tip of the day, carry a whistle. Be sure that it does not have a pea that can clog or freeze up making it worthless. Jay Whitehair was up next with his VT first responder ice bucket challenge. Jay talked about the effects of Hypothermia and what you should do and how to safely help someone else. Jay, thanks for the good tips for all the potential swimmers out there.
The required business portion of the meeting rolled along smoothly and we tried to make it as painless as possible especially for those that are new, just having lunch, or easily distracted.
T talked about local racing this past season which was a little challenging but last year’s New Englands did happen late last year up in Maine. The same may occur this year. Get ready to roll on a moment’s notice as December may just deliver a good plate for race and cruising.
While conditions for racing did not materialize Charlie Silvanus was able to pull off the Hard Way for the second year in a row. Bill Buchholz presented signed certificates of completion. Kate Marrone will be putting the Hardway recap on the web in the next week or so. So read the details there and get ready for the next attempt. Could there be a Winni Spring Fling in 2020? It’s been way way too long so let’s hope so and stay tuned.
Eben Whitcomb representing the nominating commitee put forth the recommended slate for the 2020 season. Some well known and some new blood was proposed.
Commodore: John Stanton
Vice Commodore: Jay Whitehair
Secretary: Karen Binder
Treasurer: Bob Haag
The slate was presented and no additional candidates were nominated from the floor. Motions to accept nominations and vote were put forward electing the slate.
I am proud to be the next NEIYA Commodore and look forward to serving the club and ice boaters en masse. I have spoken personally with many of you and heard what you are saying both positive and areas needing improvement. I’m already working on the weather thing and planning for a solid plate of ice from the big lakes in Maine clear down to the New Jersey shore. Wish I really could make that promise but… I do want to be sure that we communicate as a tight group and will publish where people are sailing on a weekly basis. It’s all about the people. I am committed to making this happen. With Karen’s help as well as Deane Williams who is helping out on the web we will make it so. Our Cruising Chairman Bill Buchholz always plays a key roll in getting the word out for Maine ice and is a fine example of cooperation and sharing ice related information.
We started a tradition a couple years ago with the honoring of Leo Healey, who regrets that he could not make it to this year’s meeting. This year we honored Lloyd Roberts. If you know Lloyd than you know what a fine gentleman and iceboater he is. In a couple words, he wrote the book. Think Ice originally published in 1980 and later updated in 1985 and 1997 (Millenium Edition). Rumor has it that there is a new edition coming out in a year or so but it really is quite up to date. Think Ice is available direcly from The Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club HERE
Lloyd, I appreciate knowing you as a friend and fellow iceboater for the past 20+ years. Sorry for the low audio. I hope you can hear the words of admiration and if you can not know that the NEIYA and all its members hold you in the highest regard. We look forward to sailing with you this season.
On behalf of myself, Jay Whitehair, Karen Binder, and Bob Haag have a great 2020 iceboat season and see you on the ice.
Think Ice,
John Stanton
NEIYA Commodore
Dn5023
John@neiya.org
P.S. If you have not paid your 2020 dues please do today.
| Description | Price | |
| 2020 Membership | $30 |
|
New England Ice Yacht Association 