Be advised we are going to attempt to hold the New England DN Champs this weekend!
All signs are pointing toward South Watuppa Pond in Fall River, MA.
Ice reports are good and we will be scouting it again tomorrow morning and will make a final announcement. Weather looks good as well with breeze Saturday and Sunday.
Plenty of restaurants (we will do a group dinner on Saturday night) and hotels in the area and if anyone breaks a boat we can fix it in my garage in Newport.
1) Be an active NEIYA member.
2) SHOW PROOF THAT YOU HAVE A MINIMUM OF $300,000 PERSONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE. NO EXCEPTIONS.
3) Have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the racing rules.
Racing will be primarily for DN Class ice yachts but three or more boats of any class that show up will be given their own start.
An award for the best finish in the least up-to-date boat will be given out as well.
South Watuppa Pond, Fall River MA – Via Doug Sharp
Reap the Cold Sow. After the good cold encountered across the entire region, it is time to get out and take advantage of the good ice left behind. Many places that we have not sailed in years are in play. As we always say
Massachusetts has returned and as one web comment stated we are “finally seeing ice that is not in Maine”. Not that there is anything wrong with Maine. Many of us have spent countless days on her lakes and ponds over the past couple years. Below is what we know right now. More details will likely come out on tonight’s call.
Webster Lake: Open and ready for action, with confirmed activity reported by local ice sailor Bob S. launching from Waterfront Mary’s 103 Birch Island Rd, Webster, MA 01570 – unload than move vehicles to the parking lot across the street.
Long Pond, Lakeville: Sailing has been underway for days, and a strong turnout is expected this weekend.
Watuppa Pond, Fall River: Recently sailed and ready to go some will be out Friday an into the weekend I’m sure Jefferson St Ext, Fall River, MA 02721
Quaboag Pond: Off-limits this weekend due to the Lions Club Annual Fishing Derby. However, organizers assure fans that the venue will be back in the mix soon.
Ashumet Pond: Locked up but awaiting further scouting, as noted by Brian Langley.
New York: In an exciting development, Lake Ronkonkoma on Long Island is making waves in the ice boating community. After a decade-long hiatus, the lake has been scouted and sailed, and plans are underway for the Long Island Championship Regatta, hosted by the Lake Ronkonkoma Ice Boat and Yacht Club. With final confirmation expected soon, the regatta promises to attract a diverse fleet of racers and cruisers.
This season’s return of ice sailing is a testament to the passion and perseverance of our community. For more details and event schedules, visit iceboatlongisland.com for more info on Lake Ronkonkoma
Other New York venues are still under review—stay tuned for updates.
New Jersey:
And the long wait at Redbank is over. It is reported that they will be sailing over the weekend and people will likely be out tomorrow.
Seeking advice on upgrade to Arrow Iceboat Front Runner Chock Steering. I am looking for advice on adding oilite bushing tubes and a spring to the front steering chock on my 1970’s vintage arrow iceboat. Full writeup with pictures here
I will be on the call tonight or reach out to me at ted15921594@gmail.com
Thanks,
Ted
Join in on tonight’s call to discuss the above venues and if you have any advice for Ted’s Arrow steering refit please chime in or email him
I’m looking for photos from earlier Hardway runs on Lake Winnipesaukee. I’ve got some nice ones from like 2015 on but nothing earlier especially, from the first runs. I’d like to run at slide show for the iceboat display at the New Hampshire Boat Museum In their new building on rt. 25 in Moultonboro, NH. Thanks for any help. If you have an old print, perhaps a phone shot will suffice.
So as the trailer lights are now fully functional, I was able to join the crowd at Elacoya, although on Sunday. I launched and crossed the infamous “moat” that seems to always appear here and made my way out at the end of the first race. It was then disclosed the racing was done. I hung around a got a few racing hints while the majority of racers packed up and headed back.
About this time my current sailing pal showed up and we decided to explore some. We’re a couple of locals and have spent more than a few days on Winni, as we affectionately know her as. Hoping the snow prediction was a big hoax, we’d thought to checkout a possible Hardway. I knew Wolfeboro bay was good so we headed to Parker island. Didn’t quite make it but that end of the route looked good but rough. Back for lunch, and with wind and ice holding well, we thought to head up to Meredith. Sailing inside the first moat we headed up along Welch and made it to tip of Governor’s Island. With the afternoon waning, we started back only to find a sweet plate to chase each other back and forth on. Finally calling it quits headed back and packed up. With a short trip around the lake get back home, we inadvertently made a right hand turn into the local watering hole, something like barn and girl or similar. So with a glass raised we saluted another wonderful day, “All By Ourselves.”
Like many of us, we are awaiting nature’s Zamboni to work its magic. As I like to say after a day like this, “That’s another day they can’t take away from us.”
All good things come to an end — and this week, it was nature’s turn to remind us. A classic bout of New England’s unpredictable weather threw us a curve, but we’re nothing if not resilient. With colder temperatures settling in, the conditions are just right to build ice thickness and potentially freeze over some of the open water on our larger lakes.
Keep an eye on our larger lakes for new ice formation, and don’t forget to report updates on the lakes we’ve been sailing on.
On that note, Bob S. has a report to share.
We got about 4 inches of snow from the storm, the good news is its 90 percent grey today the temp is supposed to be 23 for a high today.
Colder the rest of the week . We have a chance of sailing by Wednesday? I will keep an eye on it.
The first Eastern Regional Champs in way too long are in the books! Five races Saturday were followed by one Sunday morning; she’ll ice for some rain Saturday night was cause for concern so we decided not to press our luck. Plus a big weather event is coming and we figured it would be a good idea to give everyone a head start for the trip home….
Good racing was had throughout the fleet; several relatively new sailors are coming on strong and putting the time in!
Karen Binder took third by one point after being cautious and sitting out the final race. Paul Chamberland squeaked ahead by one point to take second and Chad Atkins had the afterburners on and took first.
Congrats to Chad and all the competitors!
Thanks to everyone who helped schlep the gear around, thanks to Nina Fleming for tabulating the scores off site, and of course a big thanks to Deb Whitehorse for making sure we had SI’s, an NOR, and for all she does to keep this freak show of a class on the rails!
The first Eastern Regional Champs in way too long are in the books! Five races Saturday were followed by one Sunday morning; she’ll ice for some rain Saturday night was cause for concern so we decided not to press our luck. Plus a big weather event is coming and we figured it would be a good idea to give everyone a head start for the trip home….
Good racing was had throughout the fleet; several relatively new sailors are coming on strong and putting the time in!
Karen Binder took third by one point after being cautious and sitting out the final race. Paul Chamberland squeaked ahead by one point to take second and Chad Atkins had the afterburners on and took first.
Congrats to Chad and all the competitors!
Thanks to everyone who helped schlep the gear around, thanks to Nina Fleming for tabulating the scores off site, and of course a big thanks to Deb Whitehorse for making sure we had SI’s, an NOR, and for all she does to keep this freak show of a class on the rails!
An old NEIYA staple in Fall River South Watuppa Pond was sailed yesterday. Rick Bishop reports in for the group.
Six NEIYA boats enjoyed exciting sailing today on South Watupa in Fall River . 10-12 mph winds with gusts well over 15 resulted in fast sailing on the big plate. As temperatures rose a 1/2” of water added to the speed! South Watupa is unique with Rte. 195 directly adjacent with cars traveling at similar speeds!
Rick DN5540
We are waiting to hear the news from Day two of the Easterns. And of course what effect the impending system brings to the ice we have now.
So far so good at the DN Easterns! Breeze started off a bit shifty but settled and built nicely allowing for five races on a long course.
Chad Atkins is lit up as usual with Karen Binder hot on his heels and Paul Chanberland rounding out the top three. Good racing going on all through the rest of the fleet as well!
Click the link to see current positions and place bets on how things will play out after tomorrow’s races.
Thanks to Nina Fleming for tabulating the scores from her place in Maine; very much appreciated!
New England Ice Yacht Association 