DN NA Report #8
And to wrap things up…. All of the New England competitors have made it home safe and sound. The drive isn’t that bad when you have three drivers and a good watch system….
Home and ready for he next one
The awards ceremony was back at the Willows On The River hotel restaurant (“The Skyline”) and the Toledo guys did a great job of emcee-ing the event and a great time was had by all! After a quick burger, a few laughs, and a strong cup of coffee we said our good-byes and hit the road. We certainly left on a high note!
We had a grab-bag of conditions through the week- warm and slushy, cold and light, frigid cold and high winds, and every kind of precipitation possible. And to top it all off we had thunder and lightning one night. Cool. Can’t say it was a dull week!
So put it on your list and start planning. In the meantime stay tuned for the next event!
Think Ice! MR T
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
401-258-6230
t_thieler@yahoo.com
DN NA REPORT #7
I would not have believed iot if i hadnt seen it….. just enough breeze filled in to get the NA’s in the books! Seemed like all hope was lost and then suddenly there it was_ just enough to bend the rigs a bit and get us throgh the light snow and drifts-
Three races run (with a 180 shift before the third- committee did great job of course shuffling) and John Dennis won’em all! Must say I almost took one of ’em). Ron Sherry was second, your author won the tie_break to take 3rd from steve orlebeke. Chad Atkins was 6th (lost the tie breaker to young Griffin Sherry)
Car bouncing on frost-heaved road… anyway Eric was 10th, Oliver at lucky 13. Eben was 8th in silver- not bad!
Chad at the wheel sipping coffee_ time for me to snooze for a while_ signing off from the proud highway- MR T
DN NA REPORT #6
Just enough wind yesterday to sail one race that was later disallowed due to extreme flukiness….
Nothing so far today, not too optimistic- cold high pressure sitting overhead, much like Sweden last year…..
Will advise, until then have a look at the photos from yesterday-
Think Ice (and wind)
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
401-258-6230
t_thieler@yahoo.com
[Editor’s note, sorry for the delay. Report was submitted earlier in the day]
DN NA Report #5
| Hello All- Have to tell you about yesterday- The group moved to a sheet of ice further up the river. It was an upwind delivery in 20-plus kts in a balmy 5 degrees F. And there was snow blowing around. And there was a BIG ridge to cross.
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 401-258-6230 |
NA REPORT #4
No sailing today- frigid temps, high winds, blowing snow…. AND rough ice- all of the ruts from the slush-fest a few days ago hardened in the cold and rendered the plate un-usable.
Good news is we have another plate just up the river- we sailed to it today, only a 1.5 mile trip but upwind in 20-30kts and 5 degree F temps made it interesting!
Annual meeting tonight, stay tuned….
NA Report #2
No sailing today, way too windy- Will try again tomorrow.In the meantime, enjoy the photo of John Harper napping before (actually, at) the banquet last night and Oliver Moore sleeping it off in the van this morning. I don’t think he appreciated being photographed….
Also have a look at this local news story about the regatta- note Chad Atkins in the photo behind the talking heads- http://cbsloc.al/WSEg62
Stay tuned!
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
401-258-6230
t_thieler@yahoo.com
NA Report #1
OK, Worlds are in the books- Now to the NA’s….
This regatta may be another challenge as we snow blowing sideways right now, the ice we sailed yesterday is very rutted from yesterday, more wind and FRIGID temps in forecast for next 2 days….. This hobby of ours can be a challenge BUT when it’s good it’s amazing!
Scouting parties are out right now looking for sailable ice but I have a feeling we are going to have a lay day. I’m sure a lot of us could use one!
Stay tuned…
DN WORLDS REPORT #5
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DN WORLDS REPORT #4
| Good evening, sports fans-
Nothing much to report; fog and no breeze meant no races today. Plenty of socializing and boat recon on the ice though, always good to catch up with the DN gang from the far-flung parts of the DN universe…. Hope for more breeze tomorrow; we will need it to get moving in the crusty snow that is now on the ice- Big dinner at a restaurant down the street, should be a good time- Stay tuned, more news coming as we make it! Think Ice, MR T James “T” Thieler 401-258-6230 |
DN WORLDS REPORT #3
Greetings Sports Fans-We packed a lot into a few hours today- up early stoning
the runners du jour, breakfast from Burger King across the street,
down to the launch site, rig up, opening ceremony and flag raising, Silver Qualifier
race (top 12 boats qualified up into the Gold fleet) was held and resulted in
2 fender-benders, then Gold race #1. All in 8-12 kts breeze on fast ice.
But that ain’t the whole story. As predicted, the dreaded wintry mix reared
it’s ugly head. Rain, snow, freezing rain, sleet, we saw it all…. Soaked clothes,
cockpits full of icy water, and worst of all ice on goggles and sail windows.
A scary situation…. Now it’s pea-soup fog outside. Of course us New Englanders
are used to this kind of thing!
So visibility was a big issue- There were a few near misses in the Gold race-
I know I eased the sheet to peek under the boom several times to check for traffic.
Safety first. I rounded the top mark on the third lap about 25 feet to windward
because all I could see through the window was an orange-ish mass and I didn’t
want to peg it! Stayed a little high and hot to clear any port-tackers still
coming upwind and managed to find the marks without getting in trouble.
Racing at speed almost by the Braille System wasn’t the safest option so the
committee wisely sent us home. By then it was snowing hard and we were going
to be lucky to find the launch area…. Boats COVERED in ice at this point (see
photos). Pretty interesting day, that’s for sure!
De-rigged quickly and hoofed it back to the hotel- looks like a laundry-bomb
went off here- clothes and drying everywhere- Oliver has his boat on the floor
drying out as well. If we get our damage deposit back it’ll be a miracle.
Here is a clip Jim McDonough made of some of the players in this drama- it
was filmed yesterday while the sun was out…
Locals are at 1:20 T, 1:30 Chad, 2:59 Eben, 3:29 Oliver http://iceboating.net/node/3799
Official results Day 1 Results and other information available on the IDNIYRA site https://ice.idniyra.org/
Meanwhile across The Pond solo sailor Francois Gabart finished the Vendee Globe
race (solo non-stop around the world in 60 foot monohulls) in 78 days, 2 hrs
and 15 minutes. Not bad!
Stay tuned, Lord only knows what tomorrow will bring and even He ain’t sure….
Think Ice!
James “T” DN US 5224
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
401-258-6230
t_thieler@yahoo.com
DN WORLDS REPORT #2
| Good day of practice yesterday here in Lake City- Many boats, nationalities and accents to be seen and heard on the ice….
The New England contingient seemed to do OK in the informal scratch races which went on all day in 10-15kts breeze and black ice with snow drifts here and there. They aren’t too deep but sticky enough to warrent some aggressive steering to avoid them. Makes it interesting! Registration complete last night, apparently there were some festivities aftward but your author missed them as he was napping in an easy chair while watching The Weather Channel. Christ, and I’m only 44! Racing starts today in the face of a cruddy forecast- 7-10 kts breeze, and snow/sleet/rain on the way. Yes, the dreaded “wintry mix”…. Stay tuned folks! Team RI is out the door! Think Ice! James “T” Thieler DN US 5224 401-258-6230 |
DN WORLDS REPORT #1
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This weekend 1/26-27
Eric, T, Chad, Eben, Oliver and past champion Jeff Kent are currently making their way to the Worlds and NAs at LAKE PEPIN, Lake City, MN. Safe travels. Wishing all of you clear air and speed off the line and around the marks.
We can again look forward to daily updates from our VC. The one and only travels with “T”. He is sure to entertain us with tales from the highways, byways, honky tonks and hard ice.
Meanwhile, the rest of us need to take advantage of the cold snap and find some ice to sail. The folks in Maine have been sailing all week. Check out Iceboat.me for what Bill and Jory have been up to.
Ring in on where you’re going or considering going. What’s left to check? Any salt ice setting up? Leave a comment. We want to hear what you have found and where you intend to sail.
Remember: never sail alone. It’s not safe and more fun with others.
John Stanton
DN5023
NEIYA Web Ice Comm.
Pictures From Last Year
The Arctic blast is upon us, thickening what we have and setting up new ice all over New England.
Some have eyes westward on the DN worlds, some eyeballing new ice and others hoping the crusty junk smooths out for the weekend.
Till the call is made we have pictures by Bill Converse from last season. Check them out NEIYA 2012 pictures. Thanks for all your photographic efforts Bill.
John Stanton
DN5023
NEIYA Web Ice Comm.
Snowed Out
Reports from our intrepid scouts to the north are of snow. We wont be having the New Englands this week. Looks likes a good time to start stoning runners for the worlds next week.
Oliver Moore
2013 New Englands Postponed
As of Wednesday night there is no suitable ice for a regatta in the New England area. As such the New Englands will be postponed. We will however attempt to find ice to race on Sunday the 20th. Ice scouts are checking potential sights and if we find something we will post here and on the hotline Saturday afternoon/evening.
So stay posted.
Think ice!
Oliver Moore
NEIYA on styleboston TV
Watch the sytyleboston video click http://styleboston.tv/7117/scene-spotter-ice-yachting/
The styleboston Squam video from January 5-6th is now online. If you missed the broadcast here’s your chance to watch this great video.
Commodore Anderson’s interview provides excellent commentary and the scenery is intense. Try and spot your boat if you were out there or even if you were not. Somehow it looks calmer then it was that Saturday. Than again i’m watching comfortably from my couch with zero chance of a spin out.
Thanks to Liz Fallon and the styleboston crew for their fine work. You are always welcome on the ice with us.
.
John Stanton
DN5023
NEIYA Web Ice Com.
//
Don “Doc” Fellows on styleboston TV This Weekend
![jan12_r1_c1[1]](https://neiya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/jan12_r1_c111.jpg?w=300&h=126)
As reported earlier this week, a film crew from styleboston Television filmed the NEIYA crew trying to race Saturday and the race on Sunday.
With the current weather closing in, this may be the best ice entertainment available all weekend. Tune in, set your DVR or for the the old school amongst us your VHS or even older school Betamax or Cuneiform tablets.
Who knows, there may be a future television/film star in our very club. See if you can guess who that might be.
The episode will be available online next week at styleboston.tv
Special thanks to Liz Fallon Associate Producer StyleBoston for putting this all together and making sure it happens.
See you on the ice.
John Stanton
DN5023
NEIYA Web Ice Communications
Eastern Region DN Champs Postponed
| The Eastern Region Championship scheduled for this weekend 1/12 and 1/13 will be postponed. This event will be rescheduled in February after the WC and NAC. Check NEIYA website www.theneiya.org and hotline (508) 377-6100 for updates.
Eben Whitcomb |
DOC FELLOWS REPORT
| The short story on the Doc Fellows this year is that we got the regatta in last Sunday. The long version starts Friday morning….
Chad Atkins and your author left RI for Squam Lake NH to follow up a very favorable ice report from Randy Rice. We weren’t able to confirm his diagnosis because it was too windy to get out of the van. Seriously. Snow-dirt-devils blowing off the lake…. Limbs falling off trees in the parking lot… It was full-on! Decided it was a perfect afternoon to establish a beach-head at the hotel and work on runners. A bit of a no-brain-er actually! The next morning the breeze hadn’t moderated much- just enough to make you think that maybe sailing was do-able…. a few boats rigged up and tried it with some success…. a few weren’t so fortunate- there were a few run-aways, I think at least one boat sailed up and off of it’s parking brake- OK, have to editorialize here a little: While parking brakes on the rear of the steering runners may look pretty slick boats can and will sail over and off of them- furthermore they can pop up and hang on the bobstay, also not good as this will happen when it is windy and rough and you’re going fast. Not the best time to lose the ability to steer. All of my brakes are mounted on the front of my steering runners for these reasons. In addition, if you ever have to drag your boat to a race site (or home from one) you can tie a line to the brake and loop it around your waist and tow your boat very easily. Can’t do this if the brake is in the back. Just sayin’. Food for thought. Where was I? Oh yes, big breeze and some rough ice on the way to the smooth stuff further out made for some carnage. In the midst of all this our own Eric Anderson was entertaining a film crew from I’m not sure where (stand by for the link when the piece airs) and Harry White took delivery of his new-to-him boat and Scott Earnest showed up with a WI built boat from Dan Hearn’s shop- very nice! Andy Pimental and Roger Livingston were also spotted on the lake- good to see those guys and everyone else! Later in the day scrub racing went on out on the (very) good ice out on the open part of the lake. Wild racing due to VIOLENT gusts and fast ice…. More carnage…. Scott was fortunate that Chad brings a lot of spares out on the ice…. Back to the hotel where at least 20 iceboaters gathered for dinner and the usual festivities broke out, augmented by the TV crew and Fortier’s niece. Judging by a few slow starters and a few notable no-shows Sunday morning the TV crew was shown a good time. Or vice versa. Enough said…. Fill in your own blanks! Glad our Regatta Chairman is OK after he found an icy patch of road and ping-ponged between two guardrails on the way in Sunday morning. He and the dog are fine but the car is done…. Time to buy a van, dude! Not much breeze Sunday but just enough to get 4 races in. Close racing saw Steve Madden in third, Chad Atkins in second and Greg Cornelius one point ahead in first. Well done Greg- he seems to have an extra gear in the light stuff. He may not be able to tell a joke but he sure can sail a DN! Had to load up and get out in a hurry due to a family-wide influenza outbreak at Chad’s house that he had to attend to. Thanks to Randy Rice for finding the ice and to everyone who showed up to race! All in all a good time had by all. Eastern Regional Champs scheduled for this weekend- stay tuned…. James “T” Thieler 401-258-6230 |
DOC FELLOWS LODGING
Regatta headquarters has been established at the Inns At Mill Falls, 312 Daniel Webster Highway, Meredith, NH 03253 Nice place!
Call 1 800 622 6455 and ask for Debbie- Admit that you are here for the iceboat race and the rate is $109- call soon and get a room!
DOC FELLOWS N.O.R. and directions
| The 2013 Doc Fellows regatta is called ON for the weekend of January 5 and 6.The regatta will be sailed on Squam lake in Sandwich New Hampshire with access from the Sandwich public beach, address of 533 Squam Lake Road, Center Sandwich, NH. Skippers meeting will be 0930 Saturday morning at the launch sight with racing starting at 1030. Up to seven races will be held on Saturday. We will have either another regatta or at the very least scratch racing on Sunday. The forecast looks ideal. See you all there. Oliver Moore, Regatta Chairman |
DOC FELLOWS “ON” FOR SATURDAY
| The Doc Fellows Regatta has been called “on” for this Saturday, January 5 at Squam Lake, NH.
Launch site to be determined but the skippers meeting will be at 0930 Saturday morning. Directions will be posted here. We are looking for a scorer so if you’d like to volunteer and learn by observing contact me at 401 258 6230. Proof of insurance required- Looking forward to seeing everyone there. James “T” Thieler DN US 5224 401-258-6230 |
DN CENTRALS REPORT #3
| And now for the thrilling conclusion to the first big DN road trip of the year:Oliver and Eric and I stuck around after the regatta and sailed Houghton Lake on Monday along with a group of local DN-ers. I guess we had between 8-10 boats total.We also had clearer ice and big breeze! We sailed about 6 two-lap scratch races which were good for rig experimentation, thrills and chills and a few moments of sheer terror. I had one top-mark rounding that had me pressed a lot more solidly than usual into the cockpit- how the hell do you explain that feeling to a soft-water sailor?
It was awesome. At about 2PM we all decided that it was time to quit while we were ahead and hit the highway. The three of us stopped at a nice local place made with faux-log exterior and a stuffed elk head next to a stuffed sailfish on the wall. On the menu was a 1/2 pound hamburger patty, served plain on a plate. Gotta love it! I opted for the burger instead. Paid the tab and down the road we went- at around 11:30 we stopped for gas in what I think was Phillipsburg, PA. The guy (Mike) working the night shift at the truck stop sent us to Aunt Mary’s Place for a midnight New Year’s celebration. You can always tell a bar is a classy place when the dumpster is right next to the front door and the window AC unit is right over the dumpster. And it is surrounded by a re-bar cage. And when you get closer to the front door you see a sign that proudly proclaims ‘WE STILL PERMIT SMOKING INSIDE”. How were we not going to go in? See the photos…. One quick beer while watching the ball fall on the TV and soaking up the local color and we got the hell out of there. Spent the night back in the van rolling east. And positively reeking of tobacco. Great way to ring in the New Year! Daylight saw us safe and sound back in RI. And feeling and looking maybe a little worse for wear (see photo) but completely jazzed over a great four days of sailing! Worth it? You bet! Stay tuned, the Doc Fellows is scheduled for this weekend…. Think Ice! James “T” Thieler 401-258-6230 |
New England Ice Yacht Association 