A big thank you to everyone who made the trek up to Moosehead Lake, that was a really fun weekend. If ever you have the chance to sail out of the Birches Resort you should jump at it. Really cool cabins with restaurant and bar right on the race course. I was trying to put a list of people to thank for helping make the weekend happen but it would have included everyone there, because it really was a great group effort making it truly special. The one person who I need to mention was Loretta Rehe. Truly making things happen behind the scene she did all the scoring from her home in Detroit. I sent her photos of all the handwritten scores and she emailed back compiled results while I sat in the hot tub. Pretty freakin awesome. But the weekend wouldn’t have happened with out the scouts, Lee and Roger. The whole CIBC crowd was hugely supportive. It was really special to see so many new faces and old friends getting into the racing scene.

Hopefully we can keep the momentum going. There isn’t much snow in the forecast and it looks like Winni is on the verge. Next weekend is looking promising. We will try to host the New England Champs if we have the ice.

Keep those runners sharp and keep the reports coming.

Yahoo!

Oliver Moore
US 5469
NEIYA Regatta Guy

Doc fellows regatta results. Thanks to all who took their turn scoring and Brianna for scoring the last 4 races. Huge appreciation.

Awesome day with primo conditions. Lots of great enthusiasm from some new faces.

Awesome stuff.

Oliver

The 14 boats on moosehead lake enjoyed absolutely primo conditions today. We got seven races in to get the doc fellows in the books.

Tomorrow we will race the Maine state championships at the same location. Get here if you can.

Report and results to follow as soon as possible.

Hello from Sweden!

The US group is here in Sweden in a town that I can’t name but sounds like “no shopping”…. Too tired to look it up right now-

The drive up from Germany was uneventful except for one incident at a gas station. One van may or may not have been fueled up with regular gas when it needed diesel. There may have been some serious siphoning going on to fix the problem. There may be a few buckets of diesel/gas mix available cheap at the launch site. The guy who pumped the gas into the diesel tank may or may not be from Plymouth, MA….

Anyway the issue was fixed and they only lost about three hours and a ton of respect. No worries- The van is nine the worse for wear-

Opening ceremonies tonight, racing starts tomorrow-

Excited to know the Doc Fellows is happening right now on sweet ice at Moosehead- Have a blast gang! Psyched to hear how it goes!

Think Ice, T

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

401 258 6230
t_thieler

Chad and I are on the scene and it doesn’t get much better than this. We are going to change the primary launch site to the marina at the Birches Resort. The following link should get you there on Google maps.

Dropped Pin

https://goo.gl/maps/CtB7dVmqCD62

Follow rt 6 through rockwood and then follow the signs to the Birches Resort. Then bear left at the office and you will see the marina.

Do what you gotta do to get here because this is going to be epic. Book a cabin or a roon at the Birches Resort. There is a bar, resurant and a hot tub with a view of the race course from the room.

Oliver Moore
US 5469
NEIYA regatta dude.

As you have already seen from all the chatter both on site and on the Ice Reports emails. There are a couple choices that have been sailed over the past few days. Quabaug Pond in East Brookfield, MA and the big prize with big ice Moosehead Lake as previously reported and the site of the Doc Fellows Regatta and possibly the New Englands on Sunday.

With the approaching snow there may only be a day (Saturday) on Quabaug. All reports have the storm missing Moosehead and the region.

It’s been a tough time getting this season started. Don’t pass up an opportunity to sail.

Sail Fast, Heads-up and Safe,

John Stanton
john@neiya.org

It doesn’t get much better than this. Moosehead for the weekend. Not going to need more than a couple knots of breeze
An absolute blast.

Get here.

Get on your horse.
It is time to ride.

I just got off the phone with an ecstatic Bill Bucholtz. And I quote:

"If you don’t make it up here for this one, you might as well move to Florida."

So I am calling the Don "Doc" Fellows on for Saturday January 23, 2016. Skippers Meeting in the pits at 10 and first race to follow shortly there after.

The primary launching site will be the public boat ramp in Rockwood, ME. There will be a sign on your right as you enter Rockwood.

boat ramp in Google Maps

If we are able to get the Doc Fellows in on Saturday we will attempt to get the New England Champs in on Sunday.

If you plan on racing please bring proof of $300,000 of personal liability insurance. It can be a copy, scan or photo of the policy. I just need to see your name on a current policy with the right coverage. Please don’t forget.

Bill says there is miles of perfect super hard black ice. So get those runners super sharp and lets do some boating.

See you there.

Oliver Moore
US 5469
NEIYA Regatta Hombre

Team Chickawaukie is on the scene making things happen. They have arranged to have the public boat launch plowed, have staked out a lake front cabin that serves 3 hot meals a day and should be rigging up right now. We will make the final official call on regattas this weekend pending a positive report from them.

If you want to get in on the action Chad reports that these are the housing options:

Rockwood Birches- Right near launch 207 534 7305

– $128.99 double bed (3 left I think) $325 4 bedroom cabin (8 beds)

Moose Mountain Inn (Greenville)
$99 Night double- 3-4 left I think
207 695 3321

The Chickawaukie guys have a cabin at the Birches and it sounds delightful.

As this is our first time of the season and there are a bunch of new people in the wings let me explain a couple of things about how this process works. When I call a regatta on I am making my best attempt to pick a time and place to give us our best chances of having a good, safe and fun event given the information I have. It is the responsibility of each sailor to do their own assessment of the situation. Each sailor needs to decide if they are comfortable with the safety, ice reports and the forecast.

For example, the forecast for the weekend is calling for light and variable breeze. Given that we are desperate to get a regatta in and this is the only ice available it is my belief that we should show up and take our chances with the wind. There is a chance we might spend the weekend standing on the ice in a dead calm but you can’t race if you aren’t there. You as a sailor might feel that isn’t a chance warranting the long drive and commitment. I can understand but that is your decision to make.

Most importantly this applies to safety. Every time you step on the ice you need to educate yourself as to the hazards and safety of the situation. This is by its very nature a dangerous sport and each sailor is responsible for his or her own safety. So be careful and double check everything.

Enough of the downer talk. I for one am really excited about the weekend. I am really pumped to get back on the ice

Get those bags packed.

Oliver Moore
US 5469
NEIYA Regatta Dude

The dynamic duo of Lee Spiller and Ramblin Roger send in this update from Moosehead. Looks pretty freaking awesome. Six inches of the good stuff.

Problem is its too windy to skate upwind so the plate wont get fully checked until tomorrow. But it’s looking really good for a regatta this weekend.

I won’t make the final official call till we get someone sailing it tomorrow but its looking very likely we will be game on.

We will post launching and housing details when we make the official go call tomorrow.

So get your gear together and get your butt to Moosehead Lake.

Oh baby.

Oliver Moore
US 5469
NEIYA Regatta Dude

It is looking like Vacationland might be hiding some primo ice way up north. Webcams and flyby reports of Moosehead Lake have the Chickawaukie gang as giddy as school girls. Check out the picture below from yeaterday. They are planning on making the trek up there Thursday to check it out. As this is the only game in town this is probably our best chance of getting a regatta in this weekend.

If we get a good report on Thursday we will call the Doc Fellows on for Moosehead lake on Saturday. Chad and I will most likely head up Thursday night to try to get some sailing in Friday.

If we get the Doc Fellows in the books Saturday we will try to get the New Englands in on Sunday.

No definite calls yet but consider yourselves warned. Get those runners tuned up. Tell the wife and kids you aren’t available next weekend. Get ready because it could happen and if it does you don’t want to miss it.

Hang on boys, its coming.

Oliver Moore
US 5469
NEIYA Regatta Dude

 

Hello All- Looks like the New England contingent has made it to Germany- all the gear seems to have arrived in good shape as well-

See the photos- The first is the giant pile of gear at Logan- this caused eye rolling and consternation among the staff (probably because Steve Madden looks pretty shady) but Eric can be incredibly diplomatic when necessary and he convinced them to load it all on the plane and even got a pretty good rate in the process! As always it was a strange feeling leaving it all on the floor to be carried off by total strangers into the behind the scenes chaos of Logan International…. Ugh.

Next photo is the 747. Which I happen to think is just an amazingly cool airplane. I also like the SR-71 Blackbird but it’s hard to get a ride in one of those….

Next photo look closely at the base of the right wing (talking about the plane, not politics). Note two hulls and two bundles of masts about to be sent into the cargo hold. We saw the guys drop one hull (Steve’s!) and one bundle of masts. It was hard to watch. As far as we know nothing was damaged….

Last photo is gear and people in Frankfurt. Not much worse for wear!

Anyway enough of the gear-schlep stories. Have to go assemble boats and figure out where we will be sailing….

Our hosts Jorg and Torsten have already gone above and beyond- Thanks to them!

Hope there is sailing on the agenda back in NE- Rip it up gang!

Think Ice! T

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

401 258 6230
t_thieler