Updates from the Officers:
Yesterday, Black ice was mailed to all current members of NEIYA. Ed did a great job of editing the newsletter, and the printing, binding and mailing were done where I work at Marketing Solutions.
This was a weird year for iceboating, both in the USA and in Europe. The weather was considerably warmer then in years past and I don’t think there was any safe iceboating in CT,RI or MA.
On the racing front, we successfully held the Doc Fellows and New England’s, as well as the Eastern’s. Thanks to Jim “T” Theiler and Eben Whitcomb for that. Unfortunately we did not get an official cruising event completed You can thank mother nature for that one.
We completed the NEIYA Banners, they will be on display at the next Meeting. Thank Peter B for spearheading that one.
There are Burgees for sale, See Eben Whitcomb if you want one. You can find his contact info in this months Black Ice.
We have also written a new NEIYA iceboating handout. There will be copies available at the fall meeting to hand out to people that are interested in iceboating. Ed A did the layout for this.
As many of you know, at the last NEIYA meeting, We formed a committee to review the NEIYA bylaws. This was done because we have not updated the bylaws since they were originally written in the 1970’s, and we are having a hard time conducting business in strict accordance with the bylaw changes. The committee is actively reviewing them and suggesting changes. The next step is for the NEIYA governing committee to review these changes and offer suggestions. It is anticipated that revised bylaws will be brought to a vote at the next meeting in the fall of 2012
In addition to the bylaw review, The treasurer has filed the paperwork for federal 403B nonprofit status which we really need for legitimate tax purposes. This should be in place by the fall meeting.
We have also changed the location of the annual fall meeting. The previous location has proved to be too costly and would have required us to raise the cost of the event again, which the officers did not feel was appropriate in these difficult times. There will be more info coming on the location change this summer.
Sail Fast,
Eric Anderson
Commodore NEIYA
An Ice Mia Copa
Mia Copa Mia Copa Mia Copa
Yours truly pulled played the funeral march too soon. My disappointment with the season got the better of me.
Good sailing continues on both ends of Lake Sunapee in NH as well as the previously reported Damariscotta Lake in Maine. Call the hotline (508) 481-1011 and get on the road.
Keep thinking ice and keep the fat lady at bay. There is more sailing somewhere.
John
DN5023
Sorry Web Guy
P.S. I’m on the road to Main in six hours.
Headin’ Home… Pt #2
….Where was I? Oh yeah. so we are tired, sore, more or less broke, and way behind on every to-do list we have. Balance that against the mental snapshots of flying arounf the top mark neck-and-neck with some of the top DN sailors in the world, breeze cranking, boatspeed around 60+mph or more, rigs bent so far they are almost horizontal at the base…. ripping upwind at 50+ with the boat glued down on the ice and hauling ass…. blazing downwind fully wicked-up, on the edge of a major spinout while going so fast the passing scenery looks like stop-action photography… looking ahead to see the two lead boats fly around the leeward mark side-by side in the setting sun….
Hell yes, it’s worth it.
Team RI out.
Headin’ Home…. Pt 1
Award ceremony yesterday afternoon at regatta HQ. Well done, all trophies handed out and as a bonus two pretty sweet items were raffled off; a North F-01 sail and a Composite Concepts front runner. The drawing was certainly fixed as the runner was won by Hal Bowman’s wife (who doesn’t sail or even own a boat) and Deb Whitehorse won the sail (I don’t think she owns a DN either). Obviously somebody rigged it but until we have proof we’ll let the so-called winners keep the booty. Hal has already started calculating how many nice dinners it’ll take until he gets his paws on his wife’s sweet new runner….
Good times indeed. Dinner for a group of about 20 at the Republic Steakhouse and back to the hotel where, in a surprising development, a bunch of sailors (who may or may not have been from Toledo) were holding court at the bar. I’ll spare ya’ll the gory details but pranks were pranked, jokes were joked, stories were told, chops were busted, and a great time was had by all.
Bedtime was late and wake-up call was earlyyyy… hit the highway at 4AM with a full tank of gas, snow and sleet coming down, a vicious crosswind, and Chad’s nearly lifeless body in the passenger seat. Tied up in traffic near Chicago for awhile but clicking off the miles ever since.
DN NA Update Day 2- That’s a Wrap
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DN NA Update
| If you’ve been following these reports you know it was honkin’ this AM. The comittee did a great job of delaying until the breeze faded out just enough to race this afternoon- All of the sudden it went from hurry-up-and-wait to GET ON THE LINE!! Three Gold and three silver races before the sun got low…. Not bad! Committee did a great job banging them out.
Wild and woolly!! Fast ice and plenty of breeze saw fast boat speeds and a few spinouts and a few broken rigs- And a lot of grins and whootin’ and hollerin’! It was a day for your flattest sail and your heaviest runners… For the North Sail gang that means the MS-1 and 1/4″ inserts. New England is being represented well- Eben Whitcomb and Oliver Moore sailed their way into the Gold Fleet. Eben insists that we treat him better now but the hazing has yet to begin. As for Oliver we treat him like dirt all the time so no change there. Chad has had some good races, including a 5th in the last one that has him all fired up. He has definitely found a setup that is working for him- Yours truly has an 8, 6, 4. And I’m psyched about it! I think Ron Sherry is in the lead and Matt Struble and John Dennis are hot on his heels. Today was the kind of sailing day that keeps you coming back for more of this nutty-ness. Amazing. If you’re home reading this you’re missing a good one! Will see what happens tomorrow, snow in the forecast but with three races done this regatta is in the books. Time to stone runners and get cleaned up- Stay tuned… PS Sorry the pics aren’t better- I shot them with my phone. James “T” Thieler 401-258-6230 |
Postponed….
Wind still honkin’… postponed until 11AM. Time to put the feet on the dash, crank the heat and grab a little shuteye…. windows are cracked and the Deep Tracks channel is on the satellite radio- great old Hendrix tune called “Belly-Button Window” is playing. Look it up, it’s cool.
Team RI standing by
Long Distance Winner
Matt Struble drove here from San Diego. We chuckled at the sight of a van with California tags with iceboats on the roof. Probably not the strangest thing to be seen in California but ’round these parts it’s another story…
Sitting in the van on the ice- the van is shaking in the wind and I think we’ve blown sideways about three feet since we parked 15 minutes ago. Yes folks, it’s honkin’!
Team RI Standing By
DN NA update
Good morning from Green Bay. It is freaking windy this AM, a truck went through the ice at the launchsite, and it’s supposed to snow- a lot- Tuesday night.
Good fun at registration- we have 40 boats in gold and about 36 in silver
Stay tuned-
26 February, 2012 12:53
Chilly and really windy today- went to launch site to find lots of people setting up and taking down….
We decided that sailing today would risk damage to boats and skippers so we went back to the hotel to rest up and stone runners.
Opening ceremony today and registration tonight- other than that not much news.
First race tomorrow- stay tuned!
Team RI
DN North Americans Update at 6 PM
Final call for the DN North Americans will be made Today at 6 PM and Will be announced Here, on the Hotline and at www.idniyra.org
Eben Whitcomb
New England’s launch site
Launch is at the Mallets Bay Boat Blub on Vt Rt 127 (Lakeshore Drive) Colchester VT Be very careful very icy driveway.
Take rt 89 exit 17 to rt 7 South to Rt 127
Call the hotline for better directions
Cheers Eric
The New England Championships is ON for this weekend
The New England Championships is ON for this weekend
Load up the car, it is time to race!
Location Mallets Bay VT Date: January 21-22 2012
Updated directions to the launch will be posted by tomorrow evening. We are considering 2 launch sites.
Registration opens at 10 Am at the Launch site
Start Time: 11 AM if conditions warrant.
A minimum of 3 races must be completed to be an official regatta. If 5 races are completed, competitors can discard their worst score. There is no Maximum number of races.
Last race will start no later than 30 min before sundown. (4:30 PM Eastern Standard time).
This is a NEIYA event and all competitors must be NEIYA members. (Membership forms available on site, dues = 20$) No Dues, no racing. Period.
Parking brakes required.
Competitors must have liability insurance coverage of 300,000$ (usually a homeowners or renters policy), and sign a waiver prior to racing.
**** Note: The conditions for this event are likely to be good. Currently there is a large sailable area(outer Mallets Bay) hard clear black ice a bit rumbly in spots no snow on it presently up to ½” expected between now and Sat
Forecast for Sat is a high of 21° F with winds 4-7 Saturday and more breeze Sunday
I will try to update directions to the launch this evening
Commodore NEIYA
Doc Fellows Update
No races Sat. Light air until late. 16 boats registered Every state in New England except Maine represented. We got thrown out of the launch site by VT fish and game.
Launch site has moved 1/2 mile West. cross the bridge on rt 78 and look for Bayview Berry Farm. That is the new launch site
Tomorrow we will have first start 10 am.
Race Site received a small amount of snow overnight.
Cheers
Eric Anderson US 5193
The Don “Doc” Fellows Regatta is ON for this weekend Updated info
Location Swanton VT Date: January 7- 8 2012
Take RT 89 to Swanton VT Exit 21 Follow signs to RT 78W. Stay on 78 untill you see the bridge on Lake Champlain. The launch is immediately before the bridge on the right side at a state fishing access
Registration opens at 11 Am at the Launch site
Start Time: 12 AM if conditions warrant.
A minimum of 3 races must be completed to be an official regatta. If 5 races are completed, competitors can discard their worst score. There is no Maximum number of races.
Last race will start no later than 30 min before sundown. (4:10 PM Eastern Standard time).
This is a NEIYA event and all competitors must be NEIYA members. (Membership forms available on site, dues = 20$) No Dues, no racing. Period.
Parking brakes required.
Competitors must have liability insurance coverage of 300,000$ (usually a homeowners or renters policy), and sign a waiver prior to racing.
**** Note: Current NOAA forecast for Sat not as promising New wind forecast is light in the moring south winds at 6-8 in the afternoon, Sunday 12-15 from the west Currently there is a sailable area 1 X 2.75 miles hard black ice with 1.5” snow on top. Forecast for Sat is a high of 40° F
We have considered postponing the Regatta, but the long term forecast is not that promising for new ice formation for the following weekend and snow and sleet are in the forecast for much of New England, so we are going to take what we can get.
Commodore NEIYA
Tis the Season…
This morning started out great with my water bottle was half frozen in the car and ice around the shoreline of Holly Pond (Stamford, CT). The pond is tidal so it takes more than one cold evening to set up.
At 4:00 pm unmelted tidal ice still clung to the rocks, showing hints of the coming hard water season.
Best news of all came from the boys in Maine via the Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club’s website iceboat.me. If you have not visited it yet, you should. Bill Buchholz and Lloyd Roberts skated Howe Hill Bog. Even better they are planning to sail Plymouth Pond (Plymouth, ME) tomorrow. Its early and conditions are not confirmed. Translation, who knows what will happen. Sailing, no sailing or just good stories and watching as the ice thickens. Read for yourself at iceboat.me and find out what happens tomorrow.
Think Ice,
John
DN5023
New Englands update Sat PM
No racing today. Ice is OK and we will race tomorrow 9 am skippers meeting. See post below for more detail on location. 9 people sailed today in quazi nuclear conditions. one plank torn off epoxy is flying in the fortier shop. Viva West systems epoxy.
cheers,
Eric Anderson
The Don “Doc” Fellows Regatta is On
Location: Snipatuit Pond in Rochester MA
Date: on January 8 2011
Registration opens at 10 Am at the Launch site
Start Time: 11 AM if conditions warrant.
A minimum of 3 races must be completed to be an official regatta. If 5 races are completed, competitors can discard their worst score. There is no Maximum number of races.
Last race will start no later than 30 min before sundown. (4:09 PM Eastern Standard time).
This is a NEIYA event and all competitors must be NEIYA members. (Membership forms available on site, dues = 10$)
Competitors must have liability insurance coverage of 300,000$ (usually a homeowners or renters policy), and sign a waiver prior to racing.
Directions to the Launch site are as follows:
Rt 495 to exit 3 Turn onto Wareham St Heading (Rt 28 south)
Go right on Spruce St. The road becomes North Avenue
Go Left on Neck Rd to Geo Wood Fishing Access at Snipituit Pond on right
or for those with GPS just put in 514 Neck Rd which is across the street from the access ramp
**** Note: The conditions for this event are likely to be challenging, but frankly it is the best we have to offer
NEIYA club information.
First, there are only 3 official methods that the club is going to use for mass communication with members.
The first is the Hotline. This will function the same as it always has.
The second is this website, theNEIYA.org. John Stanton is overall in control of the website. The left half of the main page will contain announcements for upcoming events. This will be updated as soon as locations and times for events are known.
The third thing is the club newsletter, Black Ice. The NEIYA secretary (ED) has overall control of this one. Obviously this is for information that is not super time critical as it has much longer lead times. The goal is about 3-5 issues per year.
In the past the NEIYA used the yahoo groups to put out information, but we are going to stop doing this for several reasons. First, is to make the NEIYA hotline and website the focal point. The second reason is that the yahoo group is not under NEIYA control, and the content is often inflammatory. If we put out an official announcement for a location and or event, and you think it is the wrong call, feel free to call, or email myself or any of the board members.
Sail Fast,
Eric Anderson Commodore NEIYA
New England Ice Yacht Association 