Hey Folks- A photographer was on hand to catch the action last week at the NA’s- Click the link to see her work and for evidence that the regatta actually happened!!
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Latest
DN NA Photos
Easterns this weekend
The Easterns are tentatively called on for this weekend February 1 and 2. We will make the official call Wednesday night but we are going to try to get the regatta in this weekend. At this point our most likely site will be sailing out of Plattsburgh where the North Americans were sailed last week but we are going to look into other suitable sites.
Stay posted here for further updates.
Oliver Moore and Eben Whitcomb.
To the Resolute Band of Ice Boaters
While this is what many of us are seeing on our local ice, the resolute have found, scouted and sailed this weekend.
Bantam Lake CT 1/26/14 – Grim but there is 8 inches of ice below waiting to be sailed
Don’t despair, sailable ice has returned to New England!
As reported on the hotline the Pond of Webster Lake was scouted and sailed over the weekend.
Sailors from near and far (NH) sailed the North Pond, Webster, MA on Saturday and Sunday and reported surviving some fierce gusts and a a little snow on top of a good solid surface. Look for this plate to improve with the warmer weather today and firm as the cold returns. Sorry too cold and gusty for pictures.
Late Sunday morning a group of sailors including long time member Bill Converse and the former voice of the NEIYA Hotline Jeff Soderholm and five other sailors ventured onto Lake Nippenicket. As reported by Jeff.
“Seven of us sailed the nip Sunday afternoon when the winds layed down a bit. The middle of the pond isn’t great. There was snow in the surface so when it warmed up Saturday it developed ridges. The Eastern shore there was a smooth stretch that we all did laps on that had enough length and size to make it worthwhile. No pictures. Expect there will be some sailing during the week in this area. Great herring should be the best plate once it thickens up a bit”
Bill Converse’s take on sailing on Nip “The surface is quite rough. Seems the weather of Saturday did some damage. Much snow on the west shore. We are hoping for some rain Monday, and a few of us may try to sail Tuesday or Wednesday. afternoon, if not there, somewhere else. Ice is coming in again with the cold. ”
Apologies from your secretary for not spreading the above word. it was a last minute Sunday gathering and I was en route to Bantam even though I knew it was covered with snow. Had a nice walk and a few friendly chats with ice fisherman. Just being outdoors made my weekend! More on speeding up our ice communication process to come in the next week or so.To the north members joined the Chickawaukee gang to scout and test the newly formed ice on Sebago Lake. Bill Buchholz has an excellent writeup and reminder of how fragile ice can be on the CIBC website (http://iceboat.me)
During the week lets keep an eye on our local bodies of water and ice and keep Bill Converse’s words in mind. “…if not there, somewhere else. Ice is coming in again with the cold”
While this plea should probably go at the top, I figure that anyone who reads to the bottom is more likely to heed my plea. We need to hear from YOU! Send pictures ( most of use have cameras on our phones), observations, thoughts, gripes, frustrations, joys and stories. Everyone of us has a story to tell and here is your chance. Leave a comment below, send me an email (john@neiya.org) or leave a message, yes text messaging has not replaced the phone, at (508) 377-6100 and press 1. Looking forward to hearing from the willing. Remember this is OUR platform and open to all member contributions.
Looking forward to more cold and ice ahead,
John Stanton
NEIYA Secretary
John@neiya.org
DN NA’s DONE!
Well, some of these regattas go down without a fight and others can be stubborn…. This one is squarely in the latter category!
After the four races I wrote about earlier the fleet sailed in to see what the following day would bring (I’ve completely lost track of what day was what. I’m fairly sure today is Monday….) Although the conditions looked OK out of the hotel window the reports said the breeze was way up there and a team of scouts went to the lake to see how it was on the ice.
The report was short and sweet when they got back: “30 KNOTS and gusting higher- awards here in thirty minutes!!” And there you have it folks- the 60th DN NA’s are in the books.
Results here: https://ice.idniyra.org/Yearbook/History/North_American/2014
Thanks so much to everyone who made this one happen- and this time the list is much longer than usual- y’all know who you are!
Back to the pile of mail and bills on my desk…. Stay tuned, we are hoping to get more racing in locally as soon as possible!
Think Ice!! T
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Ice for Sunday January 26th
The North Pond of Webster Lake is in the house and ready to sailed again tomorrow. Roger Livingston, reports that he and a group of sailors sailed the north pond of Webster lake today and will be returning tomorrow (Sunday).
Conditions were relatively smooth but there was some light snow over half of the surface. The snow was light and did not interfere with sailing.
Remember no ice is completely safe and there are always know and unknown hazards on any plate. Consult with the locals in the pit for specifics before setting out.
Sail safe, sail fast, sail heads up and never sail alone.
John Stanton
NEIYA Secretary
Big Day….
Miracles do happen- And the weatherman ain’t always right!
Yesterday was supposed to be light and fickle but at about 1030 the breeze shifted south and increased…. And increased some more…. And then increased a little more just for kicks.
Full-on, heads-up sailing was the order if the day- Four races sailed, each one in a bit more breeze, hoar frost blowing around, fast and furious all day-
We had all the stuff that keeps us coming back- Insanely high speeds, neck and neck duels, bear-always at the top mark that squeeze the breath out of you, and our fascination with seeing expensive carbon and glass rigs being bent into pretzels never ceases. I went around one top mark just behind Oliver and Eric as a big gust hit and I HAVE NEVER SEEN RIGS BEND THAT FAR- Words fail me, I’m amazed that they didn’t pop- What a visual… Wow.
Anyway Oliver Moore is top New Englander at the moment in 6th, Chad Atkins a point or two behind in 7th (he was 2nd in first race- Not bad dude!). and yours truly back in 10th after a tough day- bad runner choice in first race and a few mast inversions in the big breeze cost me dearly…. Lessons learned!!!
Vice Commodore Dave Buckley made the trek to his first big event and is sitting in about 7th in the Silver Fleet- Go Dave!
Ron Sherry is doing well for a rookie and leading the Gold Fleet with a string of bullets and a 7th place finish due to an out-of-boat-experience at the bottom mark. Glad to say he is bruised but ok- Jokes aside Ron is no rookie and it shows-
Will see what today brings- Guaranteed to be interesting!
Stay tuned….
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Meanwhile back at the ranch…
The intrepid DN North American Championship competitors have remained in the same place for a couple of days and finally begun racing. I will leave the recap to those who have stung their lungs on sub zero air and showered with hard sharp Champlain chips. NEIYA members Eben and Eric began scouting locations for he NA’s two weeks ago. Scouring bodies of water that straddle northern Vermont and Canada. They again scouted the area ahead of the eastward bound ice-less hoard.
Our unsung heroes and MVP’s are the ice checkers. They patiently watch as the edges begin to skim and smile when the morning light reveals fresh shore to shore black ice. Setting out upon the plate they probe with ax and drill to determine thickness and strength. Once a plate is confirmed to be sailable, word go out to the masses. Come out and play.
This is where we are now. It has been bitterly cold for days, we have had snow a foot or so on the coast, ice is thickening as we speak and lakes and ponds are being eyed and checked. The only thing left is COMMUNICATION.
Jeff Soderholm sent in a drive by picture of Lake Nippenicket in Bridgewater MA yesterday. It and other plates are ready to be scouted.
Who’s out looking? Let us know. Who’s scouted a local plate? Let us know. Who wants to check a local plate but needs help (safety in numbers)? Let us know so we can drum up help from the membership. Let us know by commenting below or leaving a message on our ice hotline (508) 377-6100. Please leave something to share with your fellow NEIYA members and ice enthusiasts.
Remember our membership directory is available in the Members login section tab at the top of the home page. Forgotten the password? Email me john@neiya.org? It was given out at the annual meeting and published in the Black Ice newsletter.
Looking forward to hearing from everyone and be safe when venturing onto new ice.
John Stanton
NEIYA Secretary
John@neiya.org
P.S. Remember there should still be world class racing going on in Platsburgh, NY tomorrow (Saturday 25th) for anyone that wants to watch. Do check the IDNIYRA for up to date info before venturing north http://ice.idniyra.org/hotline
What A Winner Looks Like
See article below….. Way to go Steve!
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
DN NA’s Under Way
Big news in Plattsburgh NY as the first race was run yesterday afternoon…. Want to know who won? Tough, I’m not telling you until later.
The day started well before dawn with Chad, Oliver and a few other hearty souls scouting a new plate of ice a few miles from the snowy, drifted-out one we were on originally….
They came back with glowing reports and so we bugged out and headed for the new- Worth the trip, this new plate is gorgeous- Smooth with some very cool looking hoar frost on the top.
Still wondering how the first race went? Wait for it….
Prior to that at race HQ there was some red tape to be dealt with as we didn’t know if we needed insurance or permits to launch out of the public ramp- At one point Chad jokingly asked the woman who runs the restaurant at the hotel if she knew the mayor by any chance- When she responded that in fact she did he grabbed her arm and led her into the war room while stating in his best movie secret agent voice “Come with me.” Maybe you had to be there- Trust me, it was classic.
So who won that first race? Keep reading.
Turns out we were good to go anyway and once on the ice Bob Schumacher stepped up to the plate to have a safety meeting and point out a few hazards out by the starboard layline- As soon as he said the word “hazard” the ice flexed under the group and we all dropped down about three inches as we back-pedaled away from each other to spread the weight…. Can’t make this stuff up.
Bet the suspense is killing you now, dear reader.
Line set, just enough breeze to get around the course, flag dropped and off they go…. That first boat around the top mark looks like it has a white mast with lots of orange tape on it…. Good speed down wind…. A little closer…. White hull…. Red jacket…. Could it be….
Suddenly the NEIYA’s own Steve Madden goes flying around the mark in fine form- You could almost see him grinning under his helmet and face mask. After the race he was smiling so much the snot-cicles in his mustache cracked.
Now aren’t you glad you stayed with it???
Way to go Steve! With his win he qualified up into the Gold fleet and also finally got this darn regatta started. Who knows what the hell today will bring- In theory we may have some new faces as Jeff Kent and Greg Cornelius may just get out of the car shop in Manchester and Dave Buckley is purported to be on the way- Pretty sure late arrivals will be welcomed if you ask nicely… Anyone else gonna head up?
Folks, this has been an epic journey- You should hear the stories I can’t or won’t write about- Lotta laughs along the way- Wish is luck on getting this one in the books!
Stay tuned-
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Rumor Has It….
….. That there may be a fresh plate of snow-free ice just a few miles from here….. Some intrepid, cold- resistant scouts are gonna spike their coffee with glycol and check it out at first light….. This could be the carrot we’ve chasing folks….
See the IDNIYRA site for late registration info….
https://ice.idniyra.org/hotline/
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Ten Degree Rule
Ya, chilly up here…. Some discussion about the too-cold-to-sail rules…. It’s been said that anything below 10F isn’t kosher but these days that seems like more of a guideline than a rule…
Depending on conditions (wind strength, sun, humidity, time of day) it seems as though there is some wiggle room- As in wiggle your fingers, wiggle your toes….
We sailed yesterday in breeze and zero F and it was do-able!
Stay tuned- Registration tonight- Get a move on folks!
T
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
IceBoating Site Sailed…..
current regatta rules still hold? No race if temps below 10deg F?
Best Regards,
Matt McCauley
Application Designer Senior Professional
CSC
100 Winnenden Rd. Norwich CT 06360
Americas Application Services | p: 860-425-6317 | mmccaule@csc.com | http://www.csc.com
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James Thieler —01/21/2014 06:35:33 PM—Hey Folks- A group of about six boats sailed the race site today- A few bumps, a few drifts here
From: James Thieler <t_thieler@yahoo.com>
To: NEIYA Web Page Access <>, IceBoating <IceBoating@yahoogroups.com>
Date: 01/21/2014 06:35 PM
Subject: [IceBoating] Site Sailed…..
Sent by: IceBoating@yahoogroups.com
New England Ice Yacht Association 