Anyone remember when the Voice Of America crew showed up in Maine last winter to do a piece on iceboating?
They filmed all day- here is the result! Click and enjoy….

Frozen Ponds? No Problem! Let’s Go Ice Boating!

And of course if you want to see all the cool stuff that goes on around here be sure to check out the NEIYA YouTube channel- all kinds of good stuff on there from last winter and beyond….

Click and enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeiyaOrg

Scott Valentine checks in from LI to remind us that there is a DN North America YouTube channel- Has a ton of great vids and will help chase away them ol’ summer blues!

Click and enjoy:
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaPTQC3y5appE1WTAr7rH5o27R5PvOf3B

KEELS AND ICEBOATS

Saw these keel bulbs and fins at the big boatyard in Portsmouth, RI the other day…. The one with the shark’s teeth was on AMERICA3 (“cubed”) and the black one was under the Italian challenger, Il Moro De Venezia.

There are some interesting design differences- the American bulb has a round cross-section, which raises the CG and costs a little righting moment but lowers wetted surface, reducing drag. The Italian bulb has an elliptical cross section, lowering the CG a few inches, increasing righting moment but increasing wetted surface. Trade-offs…. You know the designers at this point were trying EVERYTHING to get an advantage and no doubt put tons of effort into which option was better.

Notice also the fins on the bulbs. On the American version they are long and thin, high aspect, located aft in an effort to minimize vortices coming off the tail end of the bulb. On the Italian version they are stubby, swept back, and located toward the middle of the bulb in an attempt to increase overall span of the keel.

Which one was better? Hard to say- the hulls were also very different (the Americans went narrow and low drag, the Italians really wide and powerful) and the sail programs also varied (the Americans had sails of Cuben Fiber, really strong and light and the hottest new stuff available at the time).

But for all of this design effort and hair pulling the real difference might have been the little blade visible in the last photo- it is a kelp cutter. The blade was on a rod and travelled down a thin slot in the front of the keel fin, slicing away the kelp which was all over the course at the match in San Diego (you can see the tube that housed it extending out from the top of the keel fin in the third photo). While other teams were trying to poke it off their keels with sticks or just accepting it as a fact of life the American team hit on this little solution, now commonly seen on keels and rudders everywhere.

AMERICA3 won that match, taking four out of five races (losing one by only three seconds) over Il Moro. Gives one pause to think that after the millions of dollars and hours spent on boats (I think the US team built three, the Italians five) and gear the difference may have been a simple razor blade on a stick.

Just goes to show that sometimes you need to quit obsessing on the minutia and attack the big issues- applies to iceboating too!

And of course the American boat did have the advantage of an iceboater at the helm, a Skeeter sailor by the name of Buddy Melges.

Seeing these discarded keels is also a good reminder that if you have old gear you aren’t using clean it up and bring it to the swap meet before it ends up forgotten in the weeds out in the yard- there is a subtle nip in the air, the swap meet will be coming soon. OR put it in the classified section of the NEIYA site right now and avoid the rush!

Think ICE! T

If you were at the DN NA’s last winter you may have had the chance to see the Harken factory- A very impressive facility with an interesting history, some of which is covered in the following article- click the link and enjoy the read!

> http://www.lakecountrynow.com/sports/lakecountryreporter/olympics-are-synonymous-with-pewaukees-harken-brothers-b99769118z1-388479531.html >

Here we see Madison WI DN Sailor (and current NA Silver Fleet champ!) Dave Elsmo doing a little soft-water racing aboard DENALI, a cool N/M 68 based on the Great Lakes.

Nice job putting the video together and if you are a Bruce Springsteen fan you’ll love the soundtrack!

Think Ice!!

Hello All- Hope everyone is staying cool during this heinous heat spell….

Fall will be here soon- to help tide you over take a look a this great photo of a rumble-seat Skeeter BLAZING around a weather mark…

For the full story and photo go to the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club web site at http://www.iceboat.org/ which is where I stole it from. Shamelessly, as usual.

Hello All-

Joachim Roesler is looking for some info about local landsailing-  read on, this might work out well for someone-  take a look at the attached photo!  If you have any info for him, give him a shout-  his contact info is at the bottom- Think Ice!

He writes:   I was wondering if you could put the word out for some help with a land sailing question.

Recently I have scouted and found a very nice old airfield near Boston, SouthField in Rockland, MA. The main runway would be very suitable for some land sailing (see attached pic of my hybrid ride).

However, I have not yet been able to identify who controls that old airfield, or whom I would have to ask for permission.

Do you think anyone in our ice sailing audience would know or could help with that? I’m offering free rides, if it works out.

Thanks!
JoR

Joachim P. Roesler
New Canaan, CT
JoeRoesler@gmail.com

Dave Clapp demonstrates his “glass-half-full” attitude in this little video from last spring.   It was a great day to be out on the lake, even if the ice was a bit soft and the breeze didn’t fill in…

Think Ice

James “T” Thieler

t_thieler@yahoo.com

P.S. We did a good deal of boat pushing and pulling that day as well as a now infamous strip down footrace.

On the same day as Clapp’s video and as seen on IDNIYRA Runner Tracks

Read this and give the guy a shout if you can offer him any clues!

Hello All-

I am a diver, sonar operator and history buff. While I dive all over Mass, NH and the CT River, I have for some time had a keen interest in Lake Winnipesaukee.

I have found about 70 wrecks there in the last 7 years or so and have found that when I post side scan sonar images, videos and commentary on Winnipesaukee.com that people respond well. Of course I don’t post to see how they respond but out of a common love of the water, history and the Big Lake.

People ask me a lot of questions too and one was, have I ever found an ice boat. While I am somewhat familiar with them, I had to say no. The inquirer posted a picture of a very old one he said his family owned. Airplane-prop-driven, heavy timber construction-what a beast but it must have been great fun to pilot it. Picture attached.

My questions:
– Do you know of any old ones that went down in Winnipesaukee;
– How can I learn more about the old ones, such as the one in the attached photo?

Any help appreciated.

Hans Hug
Sonar Search & Recovery
PO Box 580
Exeter NH 03833

info

Cell: 617-513-2778

Hello All-

Below is an email from a gentleman who scours lake bottoms looking for cool sunken stuff…. And he is currently on the lookout for an iceboat! If you know of a place where he may be able to spot an propeller or sail driven one that went down read his email and give him a shout!

Could be interesting…. Think Ice!

Hey Folks- apologies for the repeated posting- tech issues…. Anyway hope the photos are attached this time!

Here we see Jim Hadley out on the water and showing why fish fear him!

Looks like a great way to kill time between ice seasons- Hope he will bring some fish to the events this year (hint hint)!

Rumor has it that his daughter reeled in the tuna because he was tired out after reeling in the dolphin….

Nice work!

James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840

401 258 6230
t_thieler