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March 8-9th Weekend Picture Recap

The weekend report is running a little late as I had one eye on the weather and was hoping to bring good news for this coming weekend.  Well, lesson learned don’t delay as this season continues to challenge us all.

Reporting from Long Pond in Lakeville  Jeff Soderholm and Bill Converse both got some sailing in challenging spring like conditions.

Ice softened to slush over the weekend by early afternoon.  Some people started out at dawn to get the most in for the day.  If there is ice they will come, even setting up in the dark. Proving once again that in tough years extra efforts are required to get in ice time.


Click images for more from Long Pond and Sebago

As promised by the CIBC gang Sebego had a good surface and easy drive on access. We got to fly the NEIYA banner for the first time, thanks to Greg Cornelius for securing this for us. Looking forward to having it and it’s counter part proudly flown when and where ever we gather.

Flying the NEIYA Colors

As previously reported the Don “Doc” Fellow was held on Saturday and the Maine State Open on Sunday. Thanks to Steve Madden and Dave Fortier for their advance scouting and officiating. I don’t know who to thank from Nason’s Beach & Campground but thanks just the same for the convenient access. All that’s left to talk about is where the clipboard went, the good competition (no Bob, I don’t count this one as a win over you) and the pictures.

Special thanks go to John Hayes from Pownal, ME for sharing his photography with us. Even though I said everything I could to discourage him, John wants to get a boat and join us. Anyone have a decent reasonably priced craft that needs a good home?  The full album is available here https://picasaweb.google.com/103350528193706233828/SebagoLakeDNIceboatRacing?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJ2Ev_qHm8PaRw

I was reminded recently of something we all know from someone who has logged 40+ years of ice time. Keep an eye out not only for yourself but your sailing buddies as well.  This  is especially important during spring-like and other unstable times to.   Keep a sharp watch out during the day.  If anyone gets in trouble you may be their only hope.  Ice is a living thing and pressure ridges and other hazards can emerge while your out sailing about.  Always be aware there are know, unknown and hazards forming on the horizon.

Sail fast, sail safe and be aware and watch out for everyone on the ice. Keep the faith as the season is not over just yet. Lets hope we gather somewhere this weekend.

John Stanton
NEIYA Secretary
DN5023

Posted by  |  03/13/2014 | Categories: 2014 Season | Comments Off on March 8-9th Weekend Picture Recap

Home….

One last post to close out the story here….

We managed to find the airport despite having no map, no digital assistance and not much sleep- Luckily we, as good sailors should be, are dialed directly into the forces of nature and we homed right in on it….

A little careful stacking of gear on SmartCarts (see photos) and a little smiling and polite talk with the folks in charge of oversize baggage and all of our stuff was carted off to the plane. We are often asked how much it costs to drag all that stuff over The Pond and it’s a very reasonable $300 for the whole kit and caboodle. Just insist that irbid a windsurfer and don’t use the word “boat.”

The flight was smooth, and the view of a frozen ocean down below was a treat…. Miles of sea ice, what a sight.

So home again and back to the grind- we had a great trip, great times, great racing- Nothing like it on the planet!

We also had great hosts- Thanks so much to Jorg, Torsten and Stefan for looking after us!

Stay tuned, maybe sail this weekend somewhere….

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

401 258 6230
t_thieler

Posted by  |  03/13/2014 | Categories: 2014 DN Worlds, 2014 Season | Comments Off on Home….

2014 Don “Doc” Fellows Regatta is Completed!

The NEIYA Don “Doc” Fellows was run Saturday 3/8/14 on Sebago Lake (big bay), N. Sebago Maine on a big patch of good ice.  Patience was the rule of the day and a gigantic high over the lake ruled the wind.  The race was to be called off at 3:30 if the wind had not arrived.  Well, the wind Gods must have be listening.

Just before the abandonment call, the wind rolled in.  It did not slowly build as usual but came in at 12 to 15 mph, almost instantly!

We were off to the races to quickly set the marks and line.  Four races were completed before darkness set in.  One throw out was allowed with the completion of the 4th.

Eric Anderson ruled the day with 4 bullets.  Nicely done Eric!  On his heels was the tough competitor Greg Cornelius with a solid second place sporting some of his light air gear and still managed to hang in there.  Dave Fortier nailed third place and was super fast catching the fleet.  It was fun to watch the two Canadians Warren Nethercote (4th) and Peter Van Rossem (5th) duke it out with Warren just edging out Peter.  Thanks for going the distance.  Jack Erikson (6th) hung tough and consistent and was quoted ” I had a blast”.  Doug Raymond (7th) struggled a bit, but likely due to lack of racing ice time.  We look forward to seeing Doug rekindle that competitive spirit.  We were honored to have two NEIYA officers, Secretary John Stanton (8th) and Treasurer Bob Haag (9th) participate and gave it their all.  Unfortunately, Bob broke his tiller early on but he was later overheard saying ” All I wanted was to kick John’s butt”.  Must be some officer thing! Just kidding guys!

See you at the New England Champs.

Steve Madden
US4512

P.S.  Don “Doc” Fellows regatta history http://theneiya.org/doc-fellows/ including a list of past winners and recaps.  We are a little short on some of the history so please let me know if you can help filling in some early info.

Posted by  |  03/10/2014 | Categories: Events, Racing | Comments Off on 2014 Don “Doc” Fellows Regatta is Completed!

Where The Boats Are

Hello All- Last night here for Team USA…. Pizza dinner at Torsten Seims’ house, early to bed, then an early drive to Frankfurt and hope to hell that al the gear gets on the plane and home in one piece!

People often ask where we keep boats over here- The photo provides the answer- It is a barn in Bad Zwischenhahn that belongs to Joerg Bohn’s father- Several people have boats and gear on the racks there, just waiting for action….. As an added bonus his mother serves us homemade pea soup (made with homegrown ingredients from her garden) when you drop boats off! The generosity of this family goes across a few generations!

Looking forward to getting home and sailing in New England again!

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

401 258 6230
t_thieler

Posted by  |  03/10/2014 | Categories: 2014 Season | Comments Off on Where The Boats Are

Packin’ Up….

Hello All- We “rolled right through the night” to paraphrase the Little Feat song…. Estonia, Latvia (cool stop for lunch in Riga), Lithuania, Poland, and Germany in only 24 hrs on the road.

Now cleaning up cars, trailers and boats back at Torsten Siems’ place in Bad Zwischenhahn….

Photo is Oliver’s runner box- As you can see by the rags he is into maintinance- As you can see by the fact that there is more than one you can see that he has yet to learn the virtue of using one rag over and over.

Some people…..

Hope all well back home- Bummed we are missing races there but psyched y’all are still sailing!

T

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

401 258 6230
t_thieler

Posted by  |  03/09/2014 | Categories: 2014 Season | Comments Off on Packin’ Up….

Moving Out!

World and European Champs in the books! Three fleets, seven races in each fleet, Not bad!!

Great day yesterday- Sunny, warm, fast ice, big breeze, freaking perfect sailing day!

Karol Jablonski took this one too, Ron Sherry was top US finisher in third, and the rest of the results are online somewhere-

The Polish race committee did a great job, we will do our best to meet their standard down the road- Haapsalu was a great venue, hope to get back here sometime-

Now begins the journey home- driving to Joerg Boehn’s house in Bad Zwischenhahn, Germany via half a dozen countries….

Stay tuned! T

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

401 258 6230
t_thieler

Posted by  |  03/08/2014 | Categories: 2014 Season | Comments Off on Moving Out!

Competition returns to New England

The Don Doc Fellows Regatta will be held this Saturday 3/8/14 as approved by the NEIYA Commodore.

T, Oliver and Eben are just finishing up the European championships but insisted that the DDF must go on.

Launching from Nason’s beach on the west side of Sebago Lake, Sebago Maine. First Race 10:30.

The Maine State Championship will be held Sunday 3/9/14 at same time and location.

Cone one or come both days lots of ice and I know more than a few people that don’t usually race will be on the line. All DNs are welcome to compete.

John Stanton
NEIYA secretary
DN5023

Posted by  |  03/07/2014 | Categories: 2014 Season | Comments Off on Competition returns to New England

European Champs, day 1

Hello from Estonia- Another good day of sailing here in Haapsalu- Light to medium breeze, clean ice, sort of warm out, and a beam reach back to the pits at the end of the day- Can’t ask for more than that!

Three races for the Gold Fleet, Karol Jablonski still going fast and the rest of the top ten a mixed bag of nationalities…. Results on line somewhere…. Team USA hanging tough!  Look no further Euros Day One results Your editor.

Race committee hoping to finish this off tomorrow- Big breeze in forecast, big courses (2km legs) are being discussed- Which is why I’m logging off and going to bed!

Stay tuned…. T

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

401 258 6230
t_thieler

Posted by  |  03/06/2014 | Categories: 2014 DN Worlds, 2014 Season | Comments Off on European Champs, day 1

World Champs Done!

Just wrapped up the awards banquet that capped off seven good races-

All in all a good regatta- The Europeans put on quite a show, on and off the ice- Especially the Poles- Karol Janlonski led a strong team to take first- Well done- he was able to skip the final race.

Full results are online somewhere, try google or bing- I’m too tired to look them up! Our gritty little US contingent fought hard all day and showed improvement- Racing with a fleet this big and deep is a whole different ball game! Seems like we all found a gear during the final few races- All psyched for European champs which start tomorrow!  Editor’s note: provisional results HERE

Enjoy the pics from the banquet- One is our host Joerg and the mayor of Haapsalu, next is a bunch of award winners, and the last is our tired but psyched bunch of Yanks- Except for Hal and Mercedes, that is- They live in NC!

Stay tuned….

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

401 258 6230
t_thieler

Posted by  |  03/05/2014 | Categories: 2014 DN Worlds, 2014 Season | Comments Off on World Champs Done!

Choices…

It’s nice to have multiple choices to sail once again. Not some kind of standardized test but loads of fun from NY to Maine.

Chickawaukie Pond was back in style and details and a big ice update are on the CIBC site.

Moving further south, an often overlooked plate, Lake Attitash in Merrimac, MA (just off I495) was sailed by local Paul Delnero and others who reported good conditions. Paul would like to extend an invitation to come up and sail anytime conditions allow.  Paul may even send in some pictures next time.

Long Pond in Lakeville, MA was buzzing with a number of groups and classes sailing about.  Most of the lake was sailable and should remain in good shape the rest of and going into the weekend. Ice is fluid and conditions WILL CHANGE. We await EOW reporting.

Jeff
Soderholm Long Pond Lakville, MA 3-1-14 Click image for full album

NEIYA race honed Rich Cruchet unleashed his talents locally and took the Long Island Championship held on Lake Ronkonkama this weekend.  Congratulations Rich!

Over the past week, all forms of media, ice boat media, social and traditional, have been abuzz over the returning of ice and the Jack Frost after 11 years to the Hudson. This was soon followed up by word that that the North Shrewsbury Yacht Club’s Ice boat Rocket would sail for the first time since her restoration. The historic stage was set for a true Stern Steerer Palooza.

Seeing Jack Frost and Rocket gliding across the nearly shore-to-shore ice was a spectacular sight.  Had it not been for the channel being cut by an ice breaker and kept open by barge traffic, we could have sailed right to the western shore of the Hudson.  Let’s hope we do not have to wait another 11 years to see the grand Ice Yachts of the Hudson again.

Hudson
River Stern Steer Palooza for full album click image

The wind was out of the south so there was no racing the trail like the fabled pictures we have all seen but it was a wonderful and historic day.

Myself and former secretary Ed Atkeson were onsite and we had a great day.

Here is a link to yesterday’s New York Times Article recapping the event: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/03/nyregion/reviving-a-rivalry-after-years-on-ice.html

Some are lucky to be able sail during the week without feigning sickness. For those that are not, here is a video shot on Long Pond taken by Bill Converse a few weeks ago to keep you going till your next sail.

There is big ice on Sebego off Nason’s Beach, Sebgo, ME. and it is likely there will be a great ice convergence there starting Friday. More on that as details emerge courtesy of the CIBC.

DN world updates are being fed in from the IDNIYRA.eu site on the top right. Check back tomorrow for Wednesday’s results. Go T, Oliver and Eben…

Sail fast and sail safe,

John Stanton
NEIYA Secretary

Posted by  |  03/04/2014 | Categories: 2014 Season | Comments Off on Choices…

Tough day for USA

Day one, three races, not a good day for Team USA…. What can we say, these folks are good!

All double digit finished except for one good one from Ron Sherry…. But a bad day iceboatig is better than a good day at work!

Picked a few brains, made a few adjustments, did a little recon and tried a few things after racing was done for the day- Will be trying a different set-up tomorrow- Stay tuned!

T

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

401 258 6230
t_thieler

Posted by  |  03/04/2014 | Categories: 2014 DN Worlds, 2014 Season | Comments Off on Tough day for USA

Estonian Fog

Racing called off today due to continued fog-

We made the best of it and took a walk downtown- Quiet and clean, has a real old-town feel. And it should, there’s been a town here since the 1200’s at least….

Snapped a few photos- First is the boats ready for action, next is Eben and Oliver next to the trailer- Note decaying, burned out buildings in background- Way out of character compared to the rest of town! Then another shot of derelict buildings with high tide debris in foreground- note abandoned watchtower in background…..

One nor the sights here is the remains of an old castle in the middle of town- Also from the 1200’s, with a looooong history…. The moat is now empty and has a playground set up for kids so of course Oliver had to take a spin on the little carousel! Eben and I are too mature and grown up for that sort of silliness so we played on the fake Viking ship.

Last photo is partner the castle. Pretty cool! Rounded out the tour w a little coffee and then dinner.

Better forecast for tomorrow- Fingers crossed!
Stay tuned…. T

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

401 258 6230
t_thieler

Posted by  |  03/03/2014 | Categories: 2014 DN Worlds, 2014 Season | Comments Off on Estonian Fog