I would not have believed iot if i hadnt seen it….. just enough breeze filled in to get the NA’s in the books! Seemed like all hope was lost and then suddenly there it was_ just enough to bend the rigs a bit and get us throgh the light snow and drifts-
Three races run (with a 180 shift before the third- committee did great job of course shuffling) and John Dennis won’em all! Must say I almost took one of ’em). Ron Sherry was second, your author won the tie_break to take 3rd from steve orlebeke. Chad Atkins was 6th (lost the tie breaker to young Griffin Sherry)
Car bouncing on frost-heaved road… anyway Eric was 10th, Oliver at lucky 13. Eben was 8th in silver- not bad!
Chad at the wheel sipping coffee_ time for me to snooze for a while_ signing off from the proud highway- MR T
Hello All- Have to tell you about yesterday- The group moved to a sheet of ice further up the river. It was an upwind delivery in 20-plus kts in a balmy 5 degrees F. And there was snow blowing around. And there was a BIG ridge to cross.
The three of us delayed sailing north in order to make a run to the store for face masks and mittens. All we found was the lousiest sub shop on Earth. This put us behind the main group that sailed up. Bad idea, we should have gone with the gang. Safety in numbers. And I’m supposed to be a professional boat captain for crying out loud. We had to laugh when we made it back to the pits and ours were the only three boats left! That’s us, Moe, Larry, and Curly….
And yes, I did sail over the ridge but in my defense I never even saw the goddamn thing- goggles fogged up, snow blowing, very distracted by the rapidly crystallizing parts of my body. I was also trying to keep an eye out for Chad and Oliver. I was taking point then- another bad idea- why the hell wasn’t I behind Oliver? He’s young and therefore a fast healer. Chad is a father of two- wouldn’t be right to put him in the lead…. He has little iceboaters to raise plus he does most of the driving when we travel.
Good news is I wasn’t going fast enough to do too much damage- I was only tip-toe-ing along. That said when I bumped over the ridge I stopped and lifted my goggles. Turns out I missed a 3 foot tall vertical block of ice by about 2 feet. I NEVER EVEN SAW IT. In fact I went over just about the only passable part for about 50 yards either way. Just beyond that was a big stone jetty right in my path- I’d have plowed right into that. Blind luck, literally.
THAT is when I ruined my undergarments- my sexiest leopard-print thermals are toast. I did take a moment to thank the cosmos or whatever higher power for steering me around the hazards; I actually removed my mitts and rubbed my St. Christopher that I wear around my neck at all times. I’m not a religious man per se but a good luck charm is a good luck charm. I reckon the same cosmic power that steered me around the hazards might be the same one that steered me into a hay loft in Maryland in 1998 that just happened to have an old DN gathering dust in the corner…. That’s where it all started for me….
ANYWAY- we got away with it, learned (or should I say re-learned) a few lessons, and will proceed humbly and with caution in the future.
Thanks for reading- this missive brought to you by the incredibly strong coffee they stock this place with!
Think Ice and stay tuned- Ten-below-zero here so we will see if we sail- personally I hope not- it’s not human out there…..
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
No sailing today- frigid temps, high winds, blowing snow…. AND rough ice- all of the ruts from the slush-fest a few days ago hardened in the cold and rendered the plate un-usable.
Good news is we have another plate just up the river- we sailed to it today, only a 1.5 mile trip but upwind in 20-30kts and 5 degree F temps made it interesting!
No sailing today, way too windy- Will try again tomorrow.In the meantime, enjoy the photo of John Harper napping before (actually, at) the banquet last night and Oliver Moore sleeping it off in the van this morning. I don’t think he appreciated being photographed….
Also have a look at this local news story about the regatta- note Chad Atkins in the photo behind the talking heads- http://cbsloc.al/WSEg62
Stay tuned!
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
This regatta may be another challenge as we snow blowing sideways right now, the ice we sailed yesterday is very rutted from yesterday, more wind and FRIGID temps in forecast for next 2 days….. This hobby of ours can be a challenge BUT when it’s good it’s amazing!
Scouting parties are out right now looking for sailable ice but I have a feeling we are going to have a lay day. I’m sure a lot of us could use one!
Now today was a big day!Five races completed (plus one a few days ago) to get a 6 race Gold Cup in the books- wind was 10-15, ice was wet and semi-slushy. Drifts were worth steering around and keeping the windward runner light and/or just off the ice was critical.
In other words, it was powered-up, very physical sailing! Lots of sheeting in and out, moving back and forth in the boat, and aggressive steering around the drifts made for some huffing and puffing and rubbery arms and legs at the end of the day. Lots of tacking and gybing on the shifts as well- it was exhausting, see the photo John Harper napping in the restaurant before he even started drinkin;…
Harper Napping
In the Silver Fleet Eben Whitcomb sailed well to take 12th place while Jeff Kent dusted off his DN and got back in the saddle for a few races….
In the Gold Fleet semi-rookie Oliver Moore finished 27th, Eric Anderson was just behind in 30th, Chad Atkins had a good final race to finish in 12th, and your author had a great sailing day to end up in 5th overall. My nerves, body and mind are shot but I am psyched! I’ve been saying for years that if I ever cracked the top ten at the Words I’d sell all my gear and move to Florida. Guess I ain’t the promise keeping type because the regatta has been done for 5 hrs and I still own the boat.
We are hoping to get the North Americans in (or at least started) tomorrow before the weather gets even more bizarre. Stay tuned!!!!
Think Ice! MR T
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
Nothing much to report; fog and no breeze meant no races today. Plenty of socializing and boat recon on the ice though, always good to catch up with the DN gang from the far-flung parts of the DN universe….
Hope for more breeze tomorrow; we will need it to get moving in the crusty snow that is now on the ice-
Big dinner at a restaurant down the street, should be a good time-
Stay tuned, more news coming as we make it!
Think Ice, MR T
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
Greetings Sports Fans-We packed a lot into a few hours today- up early stoning
the runners du jour, breakfast from Burger King across the street,
down to the launch site, rig up, opening ceremony and flag raising, Silver Qualifier
race (top 12 boats qualified up into the Gold fleet) was held and resulted in
2 fender-benders, then Gold race #1. All in 8-12 kts breeze on fast ice.
But that ain’t the whole story. As predicted, the dreaded wintry mix reared
it’s ugly head. Rain, snow, freezing rain, sleet, we saw it all…. Soaked clothes,
cockpits full of icy water, and worst of all ice on goggles and sail windows.
A scary situation…. Now it’s pea-soup fog outside. Of course us New Englanders
are used to this kind of thing!
So visibility was a big issue- There were a few near misses in the Gold race-
I know I eased the sheet to peek under the boom several times to check for traffic.
Safety first. I rounded the top mark on the third lap about 25 feet to windward
because all I could see through the window was an orange-ish mass and I didn’t
want to peg it! Stayed a little high and hot to clear any port-tackers still
coming upwind and managed to find the marks without getting in trouble.
Racing at speed almost by the Braille System wasn’t the safest option so the
committee wisely sent us home. By then it was snowing hard and we were going
to be lucky to find the launch area…. Boats COVERED in ice at this point (see
photos). Pretty interesting day, that’s for sure!
De-rigged quickly and hoofed it back to the hotel- looks like a laundry-bomb
went off here- clothes and drying everywhere- Oliver has his boat on the floor
drying out as well. If we get our damage deposit back it’ll be a miracle.
Here is a clip Jim McDonough made of some of the players in this drama- it
was filmed yesterday while the sun was out…
Locals are at 1:20 T, 1:30 Chad, 2:59 Eben, 3:29 Oliver http://iceboating.net/node/3799
Meanwhile across The Pond solo sailor Francois Gabart finished the Vendee Globe
race (solo non-stop around the world in 60 foot monohulls) in 78 days, 2 hrs
and 15 minutes. Not bad!
Stay tuned, Lord only knows what tomorrow will bring and even He ain’t sure….
Think Ice!
James “T” DN US 5224
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
401-258-6230
t_thieler@yahoo.com
Good day of practice yesterday here in Lake City- Many boats, nationalities and accents to be seen and heard on the ice….
The New England contingient seemed to do OK in the informal scratch races which went on all day in 10-15kts breeze and black ice with snow drifts here and there. They aren’t too deep but sticky enough to warrent some aggressive steering to avoid them. Makes it interesting!
Registration complete last night, apparently there were some festivities aftward but your author missed them as he was napping in an easy chair while watching The Weather Channel. Christ, and I’m only 44!
Racing starts today in the face of a cruddy forecast- 7-10 kts breeze, and snow/sleet/rain on the way. Yes, the dreaded “wintry mix”….
Stay tuned folks! Team RI is out the door!
Think Ice!
James “T” Thieler DN US 5224
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
Regatta site selection was not an easy one – snow, warm weather, approaching bitter cold weather, open water, snowed out ice, politics….. Finally Lake Pepin MN was chosen and Chad and I hit the road. And…. here we are after an uneventful if somewhat long drive out from RI. Glad I have an entertaining co-pilot- The trick is to piss him off and give him a large coffee- he’ll drive like a madman all night long!
Lake City, MN is interesting. The sign at the town border proudly proclaims that water-skiing was invented here- hard to imagine when you only see the place in the dead of winter and the lake is frozen solid. But the restaurants and pubs all have water skis on the walls as decor and lots of photos of skiers making pyramids and such…. Makes you think you’re in Florida….
The lake itself is a wide spot in the Mississippi River. Yes, the Mississippi River. Still navigable all the way up here- Channel markers all in place, frozen in for the winter- red, right, return! Interesting to think that the frozen plate we are standing on will melt, head south, flood the midwest, continue to the Big Easy, be part of the party there, flow out through the Delta, make a home for the gators and snapping turtles and catfish, make it’s way to the Gulf and heat up and either start a hurricane or flow around the Keys and become part of the Gulf Stream…. Whoa…..
Stretched out yesterday and of course turned the condo (VERY nice place) into a workshop. We have a boat set up in the kitchen and one set up in the dining room. Perfect level, hard floor for aligning runners. Nice and warm so shim tape will stick and fingers don’t freeze! THIS is living….Have to see if my living room will work for this when I get home- somehow I doubt it.
Registration today, will go out and practice later. Plenty of people rolling in, I think we have 8 countries represented. From New England we have myself, Chad Atkins, Oliver Moore is flying in (currently stuck in DC- always something with that kid….), Eben Whitcomb, Eric Anderson, Jeff Kent and honorary New Englander Bernd Zeiger.
That is all to report for now- will update when we have some news!
Eric, T, Chad, Eben, Oliver and past champion Jeff Kent are currently making their way to the Worlds and NAs at LAKE PEPIN, Lake City, MN. Safe travels. Wishing all of you clear air and speed off the line and around the marks.
We can again look forward to daily updates from our VC. The one and only travels with “T”. He is sure to entertain us with tales from the highways, byways, honky tonks and hard ice.
Meanwhile, the rest of us need to take advantage of the cold snap and find some ice to sail. The folks in Maine have been sailing all week. Check out Iceboat.me for what Bill and Jory have been up to.
Ring in on where you’re going or considering going. What’s left to check? Any salt ice setting up? Leave a comment. We want to hear what you have found and where you intend to sail.
Remember: never sail alone. It’s not safe and more fun with others.
New England Ice Yacht Association 