Western Challenge Regatta has been postponed until December 9, 10, 11. A bummer but so it goes!

More time to prep and pack- Looking forward to this one whenever it takes place-

Stay tuned to this site for details- Think ICE!

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your Thanksgiving Day with friends and family and give thanks for all that you have.

Thanksgiving is a special time for so many reasons. Asside from the everyday it is a time when our warm weather dreams morph into Hard Black Ice. There will be sailing soon…

Looking forward to carving up some ice this season. Not on the centerpiece but around the leeward mark or on a screaming reach with chips a flying.

If you haven’t yet, it’s time to get ready. Haul out the gear from the cellar, the back of the garage or hidden about the house. Check out your gear weekend.

Don’t forget our annual off ice tune-up this weekend.

Saturday Nov. 26th | Arthur C. Lamb Co | 85 Jackson St, Canton, MA 02021 | 11:00 – 3:00 pm Details

Safe travels this holiday weekend and be forever Thankful!

John Stanton
NEIYA Vice Commodore
DN 5023
john@neiya.org

Here we see Steve Madden risking life and limb (or maybe just a bruised rear and some embarrassment) testing out the deflection on the latest DN mast from the twisted yet brilliant mind of Jeff Kent.

Happy to say it passed that test, now have to see how it does on the ice at the Western Challenge next weekend…. Best ice in Minnesota, Friday-Sunday, be there or be square! Always a blast and a hell of a road trip.

More talk of masts and all other gear (all all kinds of other stuff) this Saturday at the NEIYA tune up clinic at Steve Lamb’s shop. Look around the website for the place and time.

Look forward to seeing everyone there! Think Ice…. T

The 2016 Tune-up session is this weekend. Don’t miss out.

Date: Saturday November 26th
Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Arthur C. Lamb Company 85 Jackson St, Canton, MA 02021
Refreshments: Served continuously throughout the day

Planned sessions include.

1. Runner Stoning aka after grind care – presented by Eben Whitcomb
2. Why We Race and You Should Too – presneted by James “T” Thieler
3. Runner Straightening Demo or What To Do After an Incident – presented by Bob Haag / Steve Lamb
4. Boat Surveys – Have an old boat and want to get it on the ice this season? Give it a once over before sailing.  Have a barn boat? Experts will be standing by to help.

If you reserved Boride stones, they will be waiting for you. If not, there are a limited number of additional sets available.

Looking forward to getting together setting up a few boats and learning a thing or two.

Please note, in order to help focus on learning and knowledge transfer, there will again be no runner grinding this year. If you need help with sharpening ask about options turning the tune-up or reach out and we find a way to get it done before first ice.

Ready your gear the ice is near,

John Stanton
DN 5023
John@neiya.org

Hey Gang- Kate Morrone was able to make it to the Kewasa event last weekend- Sounds like it was pretty good! Here is her report:

I was visiting my parents this weekend in Geneva, NY and had the chance to attend the Kewasa area iceboaters event with my Dad, Howard Sabin (he was a member of the Irondequoit Bay Iceboat Club for many years, DN 3424). The venue was the Finger Lakes Boating museum in Hammondsport. After walking through the museum area where many beautifully restored local boats were displayed we went into the museum’s working shop.

Joe Mead DN 637 welcomed us. There were about 20 folks in attendance. Subjects covered by Joe were runner types and sharpening, alignment, and a nice presentation with video of tips on downwind sailing. The video included some nice footage of Joe from the 2015 Easterns at Lake Champlain. The next footage was of DN 5224 showing a start and a few laps. When someone asked about the camera angle Joe explained the sailor was using a narcissist stick to film it! [A nickname coined by Oliver Moore to describe a stern-mounted camera pole made in carbon fiber by -who else- Jeff Kent].

We enjoyed talking with Guy Lovejoy and Bob Crum from the Irondequoit Bay Iceboat club. There were also some folks there from the Sodus Bay iceboat club. It was a nice event and it’s always fun to spend a few hours talking iceboating, especially fun for me to be with my Dad. Attached are a few pics.

Think ICE! Kate

It’s that time of year again. People are dragging their boats down from the rafters and rigging up. Checking to be sure that things are in good working order.

You don’t have to go it alone. If you have questions on tuning your boat or just want to learn a new skill or two, come on down to the NEIYA off ice Tune-up. Novice and expert alike will be there to share and or learn. See you there.

When: Saturday November 26th 2016
Where: Arthur C Lamb Company, 85 Jackson St, Canton, MA 02021

We will once again be making a club bulk purchase of Boride Stones. Last year we sold out quickly. Please send me an email if you would like a set, john@neiya.org

See you there and Think Ice,

John

As posted earlier on http://iceboat.me by Bill Buchholz.

Ailing Iceboaters

… Down at the Connecticut Ice Yacht Club, Joe Kolodej was seriously injured at work and a fundraiser has been organized by George Neysson. Lots of us build things and use tools, so its always useful to try and understand how these accidents happen. All the best from Maine, Joe!

https://www.freefunder.com/campaign/Kolodej-Fundraiser—CIYC Dave Danielson fills in the details:

I spoke with Joe for about 15 minutes the day after he got back home. Joe was at Cedar Island Marina in Clinton, CT. working on a Silverton 42. The boat was out of the water. He went below decks to do some welding believing the boat had been vented. When he began there was an explosion. He told me he wasn’t sure whether it was fuel or propane that caused it. He was able to get back on deck but the ladder had fallen away from the boat. Someone heard the explosion and came to help him. His right arm was badly damaged. He told me his hand was just hanging, his thumb wasn’t in the right place (his words) and blood was pulsing out of the arm. He was immediately wrapped up with boat yard shrink wrap to contain the flow and rushed to Yale/New Haven.

He told me the emergency room was full of doctors and nurses to stabilize him. There were 2 more surgeries: the first to determine the extent of damage and another to do skin grafts. He has pins in every finger on his right hand and has a pump hooked up to take care of drainage, I assume. He has a nursing service coming to the house as well and is on 2 kinds of pain killers and still not very comfortable.

I haven’t talked to him again yet; thought I’d let him settle in a bit. I don’t think he’s very comfortable recounting the incident. I know I wouldn’t be either. It sounds like he’s worried whether he will be able to use the hand and arm. He also sounds like he’s not sure what will happen from a legal standpoint, if anything; it’s still being investigated by the local police dept.

He’s guessing it will be at least a 6 months recovery period; probably what the doctors told him. That’s all I have at the moment. I’m really grateful to George for setting up the fundraiser. Joe might have rejected such a thing but I’m sure he’s going to need some backup funds down the road. I’m hoping that we can raise a large sum to take that worry out of the equation. And, at the same time, let him know his friends are with him on the way to a full recovery, if possible.

News from our ice boating friends and brethren in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Sounds like they have a great venue and a good number of activities.

KEWASA 2017 Season & Meet

Welcome to a new season!

Now is the time to start thinking of moving the iceboat out of the back of the garage to get your lawn furniture in.  While you are at it – if you have anything that you don’t want any more, plan on bringing it to our annual meeting and swap meet at the Finger Lakes Boat Museum and sell it to someone who may need it!

Annual Swap Meet / Tune Up / Workshop
Saturday, November 12^th 2016
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Finger Lakes Boating Museum
Hammondsport, NY

​With the election done it’s on to other pressing issues-  just after the NEIYA tune up clinic on November 26 will be the Great Western Challenge. 

This is held first weekend of December (Fri-Sun, 2-4 this year) on the best ice in Minnesota.  If you own a DN start planning to attend!  Long trip but worth it….

Would be cool to have a big eastern group this year-  to help with logistics I’m going to ask anyone who is going or wants to go let me know if you are looking for a ride, have a seat available, trailer space, whatever…. Email me at t_thieler@yahoo.com and we can try to get people hooked up.

Look forward to hearing from everyone!

T.