Stopped by Webster and Quaboag and they are snow free,it will be below freezing around 6 this evening and be freezing all day tomorrow .
Winds are suppose to be 10 -11 tomorrow. A chance to get some sailing in before the next snow.
Check weather for Webster ma and Brookfield ma.
Ice needs to be checked but looks promising.
Bob S.
Big wind day on Winnebago…JR Francis actually used another descriptive phrase when I asked if he was going to use his 90s or 95s, "My 90s…it’s Nuking."
And so it was…Jeff Roseberry who loves Big Wind did a consistent job of being in the Top 5 and Paul Chamberland, found a new higher gear after hearing some advice from Matt Struble on leeward Mark rounding…to ease your sail as much as needed so you don’t skid on your runners…I didn’t know that tip before my third race of the day and provided lots on entertainment by spinning out..not once but twice..on the same leeward Mark. Pat said my double pirouette was worthy of an award.
Everyone from New England is giving it their best and learning a lot…I know we are tired tonight.
Lighter winds predicted tomorrow. The results are posted
NEIYA members cut across all iceboating activities. As reported by Secretary Karen Binder and others we have a good showing at the DN Worlds on lake Winnebago. But of course ice activities go on back home whenever possible. Proving yet again the best ice is heavily weighted towards that closest to your back door. And often not something that can be planned in advance. Note, Bob S’s scouting mission to Webster also turned into a good day of sailing.
Rewards come to those that venture out. And many scouting trips are a bust but the rewards can be good and sometimes great.
Brian Langley reports on a group that had a successful day on Long Pond yesterday.
Long pond today. Lite winds till 2pm then switch and came up. We managed 27 miles and top speed at around 39mph. Winds built to around 7mph till 3.30. One big lead we marked out.
Note observed hazard on Long Pond and a reminder that no ice is ever completely safe
I’ll be heading out to the other Winne, Lake Winnebago in 90 min. The Silver fleet starts out with their second race followed by gold’s second and Bronze’s third and so on. But first I have to pack up as I must change hotels today. One of the joys of traveling, dealing with the unexpected.
From Fond Du Lac, Think Ice and hopefully melt that white stuff off out New England lakes before I return.
John
DN5023
John@neiya.org
P. S. I’ll have pictures of NEIYA competitors soon.
Hi everyone,
Arrived to the lake with light winds and warm temperatures forecasted. Both proved accurate.
As expected, given the number of top ten sailors many had to sail the qualifying gauntlet including me. The gold fleet had 12 spots you have to qualify for by sailing the first silver race.
The bronze qualifier was in very light wind, but by the time of the silver qualifier the wind built to about 7 knots and many of us lighter weight sailors were debating sail switching and wished we had once arriving at the second downwind leg when the wind dropped out. A fuller sail would have helped a lot. By the end of it, I finished in 10th which placed me in the golf fleet. Jeff just missed it and finished in 13th. This means Jeff’s first silver race will be scored as a first place finish.
Then there was a long wait for the gold start. I decided to put on my F01 with a super soft batten. I zoomed of the line and tacked earlier than most as they just seemed to be going beyond the layline. That moment was a good call as I was 4th around the windward matk. 4th!
Well, I should have followed Anja Fiedler who made a quick gybe almost immediately after she rounded after me. I never saw her again! Anja is the best female DN racer in the world. I have never had the opportunity to race against her. I lost a lot of boats on that downwind leg and the. the breeze completely died with lots of boats pushing and having the BART rule in effect. T had a good race but we are now back at the hotel as results have not been posted. I’ve been told a protest about the race has been filed so we have to wait for folks to be heard and a decision made…
The bronze fleet and silver fleet were supposed to race, but we are not sure they got any more races in as the gold fleet was sent in.
Thanks.
Karen
DN 5630
Generally I’m not much of a traveler in my own mind. Having said that, I’ve lived in MA, NY, NH, GA, CO, WY, and AK. Ive been to Sweden, St. John and Vieques. Since my wife retired we have done road trips with our 13ft. Scamp camper at least one time, usually more per year. (Definitely not the rig in the picture.) We’re usually on the road from 4-6 weeks hitting National, State and town parks everywhere east of the Rockies and north of the gulf states. Slept in friend’s driveways, Walmart and Cabella’s parking lots, BLM lands, National parks and forests, and a few rest areas. The question is, Why do I find it difficult to load the iceboats up and head to where the ice is?
For some reason 1 1/2 hours seems to be my comfort level. That generally covers the Lakes Region of NH, down to the Mass border, west to the Vermont border and Sebago in Maine. 10 years ago following my retirement, (wife still working for 3 more years), I was enticed to load my DN on top of my little Scion XA and headed to Moosehead. (Thanks BIll for the incentive.) Two wonderful days of sailing and a great no wind day of skating was the reward. All on perfect black ice and temps that constantly hovered around ZERO F! For a couple years I checked out the Maine spots including Dami, Pushaw, and Sebago. On Pushaw, after everyone left on Sunday, my daughter joined me and we had the whole lake to ourselves, except for a scaled P-51 mustang that flew by us about 10 feet off the ice with the pilot giving us a friendly wave.
In these later years, (maybe influenced by the covid restrictions…..and aging bones), I find it hard to get the logistics out of the way to make longer trips, especially overnights. I am living a little vicariously through our compatriots out in the Midwest sailing on what seems to be a banner year for ice. I probably missed a good opportunity to load my stern steerer on the trailer and head down to sail with the Hudson River crowd. My local group always provide fun times in a variety of crafts and we welcome visitors from near and far to play on home ice. At the end of the day, the hot tub on the back deck and their warmth of the wood-stove are hard to beat for enjoyment. A little night cap, (for medicinal purposes), gives me about a 10 minute timeline before the eyes close.
I guess I just need to make that budget plan and commit to going on the road and sailing new ice while making new friends. I just need one of those autonomous vehicles with a bed in the back so I just set the auto pilot and wake up in the Midwest and just wait for the call to ice, somewhere within a hours drive.
Happy trails to all you road warriors, and be sure to post so I can see what I’m missing. It’s a great motivator. Now I guess I’ll go skiing again and pray for the thaw to happen, or maybe double check the trailer and how much money in the coffers.
Since the furry rodent saw his shadow, winter is still among us. Hope is still there. Happy Trails to you , whether on ice or traveling to.
https://www.idniyra.org/2025-dn-world-championship-kicks-off-in-fond-du-lac/
Hey Gang- the big show starts today! Keep an eye on IDNIYRA site for updates
Hi,
The lake is huge, hard and fast. Today most competitors (107 sailors are registered!) rigged and got lots of practice laps in and the wind built as the day progressed.
Most sailors were experimenting with 90 and 95 degree runners and switching in flatter sails by late afternoon.
Watching the coordination, communication and team work of the polish sailors is very impressive.
Jeff, Paul, and I were in several scratch races today and did a good job of being fast and competitive with the Canadian Ice Force.
There are 27 sailors ranked in the top ten and there will be three fleets racing. Even with being ranked 13th I imagine I might have to race the qualifier.
More tomorrow!
Karen Binder, DN 5630
Reports are a little grim for this time of year but hope springs eternal in the hearts of us ice sailors. Although the snows have been light, they seemed to have squelched many a sailing venue for the moment. Massachusetts has some potentials with Webster Lake as well as Quabog benefitting from the next system. Bob S. Reports there is plenty of ice, just needs a new surface. Meriden Pond and Bantam in Connecticut also sound like possibilities. Although our southern friends did get some sailing in, New Jersey warmed up a little too quickly. Some of the NY stern steerers even had ice time.
Good luck to the eastern crew who are trying to show them foreigners that we can indeed sail fast……..even if we don’t get a lot of practice.
T and I are leaving for Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin in a few minutes. Paul and Jeff arrived at the lake yesterday and sailed all day. Jeff said the lake is massive. Registration is up to 100 sailors and racing starts on Sunday. I’ll do my best to send updates.
Cheers,
Karen Binder
DN 5630
NEIYA Secretary
Hey Gang-
Looks like we are good to go west for the big show; Load ’em up and hit the road!
Look forward to seeing everyone out there. Still time to sign up if you haven’t yet! See the IDNIYRA site for more information.
As winter holds strong, some of our favorite inland spots remain buried beneath crusty snow. But along the coasts and rivers, the scene was alive with action. The usual crowd of dedicated enthusiasts was joined by newcomers eager to embrace local ice conditions—some waiting as long as a decade for the chance.
On S. Watuppa Pond in Fall River, MA, a gathering took place from Friday through the weekend. The previosly reported New England Championship took place and there were other crafts of out as well including several Wizz and other crafts.
Other New Hampshire lakes were scouted but found wanting, with surfaces marred by crust or offering only small patches of clear ice. Among the lakes checked were Newfound and Massabesic, both falling short of expectations for safe or enjoyable conditions. But regadless people did sail including VC Charlie and his wife Ann.
Several others made the most of what was available, sailing two, three, or more days split between Watuppa and Webster lakes. I personally ventured across the Throgs Neck Bridge to Long Island’s Lake Ronkonkoma for a meetup with local iceboaters. Meanwhile, the “Iron man” Bob S. logged his sixth consecutive day of sailing on Webster Lake—a feat worthy of applause. His detailed report follows below.
A Thriving Community on Ronkonkoma’s Ice
At Lake Ronkonkoma, I discovered a bustling winter wonderland. People of all ages were out on the ice—playing hockey, gliding on skates, boarding, strolling, and, of course, iceboating. The iceboats ranged from DNs of various vintages to Skimmers, Gambits, a BDX, and even a historic stern-steerer built locally in Ronkonkoma back in 1920.
For many, including me, this was a special occasion. The lake hasn’t frozen in about 15 years, and being back brought a flood of memories. It was here, some 30 years ago, that I launched my first DN on a Saturday, with a blizzard forecast looming for Sunday. Coming full circle, it was a joy to reconnect with the vibrant Long Island iceboating community, who clearly made the most of this rare freeze.
Other regional sailing took place in NJ on the Navesink and Hudon River at Athens, NY. The good ice at Athens brought out the vintage stern steerers effortlesly moving over the ice with the power of momentum.
We had a few newbies with a strong interest to join in on the fun of iceboating. We hope to see them back out during the rest of the season. Please drop me an email if you have any other questions.
Just got back (1/27/25) from day 6 on Webster lake great wind and the ice is getting better every day,i took my boat home
The wind is suppose 15 to 20 with gust to 40 tomorrow, good time to check my gear and get ready for the next good day somewhere.
We had 5 sailers today two guys from NH with old DNs very good sailers ,we got to go into south pond and do some ice we had not sailed in a few years.
Trying to recruit new sailers tell Karen i have new young blood in a pink snow suit.
Bob S.
Below are some pictures from the New Englands. Thanks to long time member and form voice of the Ice Hot Line Jeff Soderholm,
I can’t predict the future but it does look like Webster will remain in play for a time and we can hope that the crud on some of our lakes will melt down. The bigger lakes may come into play stay tuned.
The upcoming DN Gold Cub and NA’s will peel off some 14 members but the ice show will go on with force throughout New England and the Northeast. Stay tuned ans see you on the ice soon.
Think Ice,
John
DN5023
John@neiya.org
Hi everyone,
It’s been awesome to have so many sailing options this year and sailing in two regattas over back-to-back weekends has not happened since I have been racing. I love the polar vortex!
Today is a rest day as many of us await the location of the Worlds and North Americans. Ice is being scouted and sailed in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and New York. T and I might head to Vermont tomorrow to check out Lake Champlain.
The Easterns on Winnie had hard ice and pretty big breeze. I was solidly in second place after three races. For some unknown and not very well thought out reason, I decided to change my sail from an ABSS to my MS1. The next two races I finished in third and fifth. Nothing changed other than my sail change…Hmm….maybe not a good decision.
At the New England’s this weekend, I was winning the regatta after five races. Then, just before the sixth and final race I decided to change my sail from my FO1 to my ABSS. I reasoned the wind was building slightly so maybe a flatter sail would be a bit faster and I’d be in more control. Again, nothing else changed and in that last and final race I ended up getting 5th place, losing the regatta by one point. Hmm…maybe not a good decision.
While I have been told many times to try different settings, different runners, and different sails throughout a regatta, I realize the lesson or take away from the last two weekends (at least for me) is to ONLY make changes when your results start to worsen NOT when you are doing well and sailing fast!
I will do my best with sending updates and reports from the Worlds/North Americans. Of the 97 registered competitors, 14 are members of NEIYA! The list includes James "T." Thieler, Eben Whitcomb, Bob Haag, Dave Silsby, Chad Atkins, John Stanton, Paul Chamberland, Jeff Roseberry, Chris Gorden, Ed Demerest, Jeff Kent, Peters Trusdell and Scott Valentine and me.
Think Ice!
Karen Binder
DN5630
NEIYA Secretary
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