Hey Folks- If you didn’t see this on the CIBC site check it out here- A good read and full of good info for novice and expert alike!
http://iceboat.me/2015/12/09/think-ice-safely-and-rules-of-the-road/
Think ICE!!!
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Hello All- Sounds like a lot of people are psyched to go racing this year and that is great news!
Whether or not you plan on racing this year you will want to have your insurance in place (it’s mandatory for racing).
All participants shall provide proof of $300,000 personal liability at time of Registration.
Here are some tips:
1.)Make a copy of your homeowners or renters insurance policy to carry with you.
2.)Take a picture of it or scan it and keep it in your smart phone.
3.)For IDNIYRA events go to https://ice.idniyra.org/ and once you log in you will see your information in a square near the upper left of the “home” screen. There you will see a link that says “Update your Insurance Documents”. There you can send your insurance directly and confidentially to the IDNIYRA officials to expedite your registration process.
Here you have 3 ways to make sure you arent caught without your insurance!
More info here:
http://dnamerica.org/forum/index.php?topic=1428.0
Good to be protected- you never know what can happen out on the ice- see attached photo….
Think Ice! T
Not bad! Thanks Dave! T
“John Henry” Low (Cold Front, Nite # 430) sends along this clue as to what is going on in the uncharted hinterlands way the heck out west. Looks like some cool Skeeters are taking shape out that way-
Thanks John!
DIL
Tom Schock takes a measurement for a mast partner on his 6-foot ice boat as Mel Voos checks his work at the Montana Wooden Boat Foundation’s workshop in Lakeside on Thursday. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)
Click picture of copy and paste link
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/members/fleet-of-mini-skeeters-taking-shape-at-lakeside-woodshop/article_31f2fefe-9bb5-11e5-9314-af3df1d518b0.html
Hello All- As part of our continuing coverage of the Western Challenge we bring you this batch of photos- not sure who took them but well done and thanks!
Pictures or copy and paste the link below.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e1eqre4tc5mnnl8/AABvVAVz4MrLAy8IPuFXM7vOa?dl=0
And here is an on-board video from Jim McDonough, turn it up and listen to his commentary!
Think Ice…. T
Hey Folks- Good times and great sailing at the Western Challenge!
The event was held on Lake Christina near Fergus Falls, MN. Fifty miles from the mythical Fargo, ND in a region occasionally called “East Dakota”…..
63 boats from at least five countries and who knows how many states showed up and got a head start on the season-
The Eastern contingent included skippers from RI, CT, NS, ON, NY, NJ, MD, NC and probably at least one more I can’t think of right now. Lots of new faces, always a good thing!
Friday featured good breeze and light snow cover and the eastern sailors doing pretty well- was worth the drive for this day alone! Saturday (when we started keeping score) was a little lighter and sticky-er and the Western guys put on a clinic led by John Dennis who took three bullets in a row. I’d like to say he did well as he is light weight but the bottom line is the guy is an excellent sailor. Maybe there was some good karma payback coming his way as he found the ice and organized the event- Thanks John and well done.
Sunday dawned with surreal fog and frost on everything but no breeze…. So we all packed up and headed east in a bizarre display of group common sense. A mere 24 hours later and we were home.
We used the new Darling Mark In-Line course (see descriptions, animations and explanations in earlier posts) to great success- The Darling marks really clean up traffic patterns and the in-line finish was a hit with our scorer. Make sure to check these out as we will be using them this season!
Speaking of scorers, big thanks go out to Deb Whitehorse (on-ice) and Loretta Rehe (secret bunker off-site) for making sense of all the numbers- We all owe ya!
So how did we do? After a good day Friday Chad and I had to eat a little humble pie as we were schooled by the western gang- Eben took a good second in the Silver Fleet and for further results check http://iceboating.net/
I can say we all pegged the fun-meter. Great to see the gang and get out sailing, plain and simple. the rookies all had a ball and there were some good battles in both fleets. The MD guys in particular were psyched to have made the trip- put this one on your calendar for next year- veteran or rookie, fancy boat or old clunker, you will have a blast!
We did our best to get the sailors from outside NE interested in attending our Eastern Champs this season- will see if any of them take the bait! We certainly hope so-
Think Ice! Cold weather is on the way…. T
By Tim McCormick
This is an excerpt. Read the entire summary here.
DARLING COURSE
The second course is the DARLING COURSE, which is a STANDARD COURSE modified with
the addition of two DARLING MARKS which must be left to PORT. This is named in honor of
John Darling who was the resident race committee and race starter in the New Jersey area
throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. Mr. Darling was the first to use the DARLING MARK at the
leeward end of the course. The DARLING MARK serves several purposes:.
A. In larger fleets, there can be a tendency for some of the even side starters on
STARBOARD TACK to over stand the windward MARK. When they tack over to PORT
TACK, they are set up for a head on collision with yachts that have already rounded the
windward MARK. Therefore, near the windward MARK, the DARLING MARK creates
separation between ON-THE-WIND PORT TACK yachts and OFF-THE-WIND
STARBOARD TACK yachts to minimize collisions.
B. After rounding the windward MARK, some yachts may desire to JIBE as soon as
possible. This can create head-on collision situations with STARBOARD TACK ONTHE-WIND
yachts that have understood the windward MARK. Therefore, near the
windward MARK, the DARLING MARK creates separation between ON-THE-WIND
STARBOARD TACK yachts and OFF-THE-WIND PORT TACK yachts to minimize
collisions.
C. Creates separation between a PORT TACK ON-THE-WIND yacht that has just rounded
the leeward MARK and STARBOARD TACK OFF-THE-WIND yachts approaching the
leeward MARK.
D. Creates separation between a STARBOARD TACK ON-THE-WIND yacht that has just
rounded the leeward MARK and subsequently TACKED and a PORT TACK OFF-THEWIND
yacht approaching the leeward MARK.
The bottom line is….the DARLING MARK is intended to create separation between yachts
which should minimize head-on collisions near the potentially congested areas around a MARK.
Some may claim that DARLING MARKS reduce the playing field and reduce the tactical
freedom of a race. I think they’re overstating it. With a 1 mile course and two DARLING
MARKS each placed 100 yards from their associated MARK, the “tactical area” is only reduced
by 11% (200yards x 1 mile/1760 yards = 0.11). Typically sailors don’t change tacks until
they’ve completed the MARK rounding and achieved full speed. That is likely 50 yards from a
MARK so the real effect on the “tactical area” is more like 5%. This is a minor issue compared
to the safety gained.
A key point regarding DARLING MARKS is the imaginary line between the MARK and its
accompanying DARLING MARK is considered part of the MARK. Therefore, if a yacht crosses
over this line, she will have fouled the MARK and be disqualified.
The disadvantage of the DARLING MARKS, of course, is the need for the Race Committee to
have additional equipment and the added labor of placing or moving the DARLING MARKS on
the course.
Animations by Dave Elsmo DN US5486
For original article and lager images http://iceboat.org/animation.html
TACKING AT THE START OF A RACE
One of the safety issues addressed is protecting the Race Committee immediately following the
start of a race. New rule IV.C.3 states: “After a yacht starts and until she rounds the windward
MARK for the first time, a yacht shall not pass between the center of the starting line (positions
1 and 2) and the leeward MARK.” This prevents yachts from tacking immediately after the start
of the race and endangering the Race Committee.
Note that the leeward mark, darling mark and the line between them are all considered part of the
mark- thus, a yacht must keep them both on the proper side on the first pass after starting (starboard
tack starters must keep them both on the starboard side and port tack starters must keep them both to port.)
In larger fleets, there can be a tendency for some of the even side starters on
STARBOARD TACK to over stand the windward MARK. When they tack over to PORT
TACK, they are set up for a head on collision with yachts that have already rounded the
windward MARK. Therefore, near the windward MARK, the DARLING MARK creates
separation between ON-THE-WIND PORT TACK yachts and OFF-THE-WIND
STARBOARD TACK yachts to minimize collisions.
After rounding the windward MARK, some yachts may desire to JIBE as soon as
possible. This can create head-on collision situations with STARBOARD TACK ONTHE-WIND
yachts that have understood the windward MARK. Therefore, near the
windward MARK, the DARLING MARK creates separation between ON-THE-WIND
STARBOARD TACK yachts and OFF-THE-WIND PORT TACK yachts to minimize
collisions.
Creates separation between a PORT TACK ON-THE-WIND yacht that has just rounded
the leeward MARK and STARBOARD TACK OFF-THE-WIND yachts approaching the
leeward MARK.
Creates separation between a STARBOARD TACK ON-THE-WIND yacht that has just
rounded the leeward MARK and subsequently TACKED and a PORT TACK OFF-THEWIND
yacht approaching the leeward MARK
Another addition is Right-of-Way rule 8.a which states: “When yachts sailing ON-THE-WIND on
opposite tacks are approaching a MARK, the PORT TACK yacht shall keep clear of the
STARBOARD TACK yacht.” This new rule eliminates the previous confusion about the
governing rule when approaching the windward MARK: Did the STARBOARD TACK yacht
have rights over the PORT TACK yacht or was the PORT TACK yacht inside and therefore
require the STARBOARD TACK yacht to stay clear? This new rule clarifies that the PORT
TACK yacht shall keep clear.
Another addition is Right-of-Way rule 8.a which states: “When yachts sailing ON-THE-WIND on
opposite tacks are approaching a MARK, the PORT TACK yacht shall keep clear of the
STARBOARD TACK yacht.” This new rule eliminates the previous confusion about the
governing rule when approaching the windward MARK: Did the STARBOARD TACK yacht
have rights over the PORT TACK yacht or was the PORT TACK yacht inside and therefore
require the STARBOARD TACK yacht to stay clear? This new rule clarifies that the PORT
TACK yacht shall keep clear.
From the competitors in Minnesota to the sailors attending this years Tune-up event, one theme ties all these NEIYA members together this weekend. Commitment. Commitment to the sport of ice boating. Commitment to go faster. Commitment to share knowledge of the sport and equipment. Commitment to sail safer and a commitment to get the most out of their equipment.
The Tune-up kicked of with a xxx talk by veteran Greg Cornelius about why racing is important to the sport and dispelled several myths about it that may be holding some people from setting on the line. Greg’s pleas were answered by most attendees committing to participate in more races and those that have not raced committing to give it a go.
Next up Bob Haag helped to demystify the art of runner alignment and provided a step by step instruction on getting the job done. No go fast commitment, especially down wind, is complete without one’s runners being true. Thanks for pointing the way.
Eric Anderson headed up the day’s final formal session with demo and discussion on runner stonning. Eric demonstrated how to bring back a fresh edge by using a series of progressive finer grit stones. Eric commented that it’s not hard but does take time.
For those still looking for stones after we sold out I ordered them from Mod Shop Tools http://www.moldshoptools.com/catalog/list.php?category_id=72 They were the best deals I could find. Description and part numbers T2, 150 Grit, 1/4 x 1/2 x 6″ PT# T21412150, T2, 220 Grit, 1/4 x 1/2 x 6″ PT# T21412220, T2, 320 Grit, 1/4 x 1/2 x 6″ PT# T21412320, T2, 400 Grit, 1/4 x 1/2 x 6″ PT# T21412400 and T2, 600 Grit, 1/4 x 1/2 x 6″ PT# T21412600
Throughout the day all in attendance with special thanks to John Eastman our somewhat loud but never short on enthusiasm member from the great stat of Maine, assisted two new members Jeff Bugbee and Shannon Blair put together their new boats and assemble a list of must does and nice to haves. Welcome Jeff and Shannon we look forward to sailing along side you both.
Special thanks to our host Steve Lamb and his wife Linda for the use of their shop and the lunch and snacks. Without the two of you non of this would be possible.
It won’t be long. I’m thinking the weekend of December 19 in Maine someplace. Bill as Cruising Chairman can you be sure to make this happen. Surely would make a great Christmas present for all…
Think Ice and be committed to a great season
John
DN 5023
john@neiya.org
Great season kick off yesterday on Lake Christina!
Over fifty boats sailed in good breeze and good ice w a bit of soft snow- masts bent, high speeds, good competition, everything we look forward to!
Sailors from across the country and Europe made the trip here and reaped the benefits yesterday-
Did you know we are only about fifty miles from the one and only Fargo, North Dakota? We are literally and figuratively “out there”
No action photos from the ice (big bummer, was a great day for it) but back at the hotel Mike Derusha from WI was pushing his trusty smoked chub and pickled eggs- Great hallway snack! Good Italian dinner in town- See photo- fun group: seated at that table were people from RI, CT, OH, WI, Sweden, Germany, and Holland. Good time!
Put this on the calendar for next year gang- It’s a blast every time!
T
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Saturday December 5th | Arthur C. Lamb Co | 85 Jackson St, Canton, MA 02021 | 11:00 – 3:00
Details
T and company has been keeping us informed on the happenings to and on Lake Christina in Minnesota. At about 1500 miles away, its not your usual weekend sail. For the committed, I will leave the definition of that word to the reader though will say I’m in next year.
In our backyard, as you all should know, is the annual off ice tune-up at Steve Lamb’s shop tomorrow from 11:00 to about 3:00 pm. As previously reported, there will be learning sessions on stoning one’s runners, alignment, racing skills to help us sail faster and safer on and off the course and safety. Note: In order to keep the noise levels down and focus on learning and the transfer of knowledge grinders will not be in use this year.
A few new members will be bringing their boats in to get a safety and performance check before they set off to sail on their own. We are looking to pass on the years of ice sailing and boating skills to our newest members. Please welcome them and impart large doses of ice wisdom.
See you all there tomorrow and let me know if you have any questions,
John Stanton
john@neiya.org
So here we are…. A lot of MN looks like this- God’s Country, no doubt about it.
Will see what the day brings! T
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
….so here we are…. Wisconsin…. Somewhere between Madison and Eau Claire. Scenic as can be and the driving is good.
Heading for the Western Challenge on Lake Christina near Alexandria, MN.
Sounds like there is a bit of snow on the lake but hey, you have to start the season somewhere! Can’t all be black ice and steady breeze.
Eben Whitcomb and Chad Atkins are in the van with T Thieler and there are at at least two NJ guys and two NY guys headed out- Word has it a few MD sailors were making the trip too-
More details as we get them- about to cross into the far off land of Minnesota!
Cheers from the proud highway…. T
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
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