| Now yesterday was a good day of sailing-Forecast called for a bit more breeze, from the west rather than north. The powers that be called it correctly and out we went in the breeze and the flurries-
Three races sailed in each fleet- ice was covered with a dusting of snow and the drifts were slight but worth steering around if you didn’t have to wiggle the tiller too much- once fully warped-up you could just ignore them and keep the boat blasting along in a straight line. When other boats went through them very cool-looking dust clouds went up behind- fascinating to see the pattern of disturbed air behind each boats mainsail and also where that disturbed air was pointed…. Eric Anderson is using a back-up plank that is way too stiff and he struggled mightily with it all day- Yours truly eased sidestays a little, cranked the headstay on a little, and dropped the halyard a little, and with boom in lap had a good afternoon with a 10, 3, 1. Holy hell was that exciting! Oliver Moore had an excellent day with a 4,5,3 and was in the lead in the final race for a minute or two…. Oliver has a resume’ full of A and C-class catamaran sailing and is off to a good start in the DN class thanks to getting set up with proven gear and proven tuning settings. He owes a huge debt of gratitude to Chad Atkins for getting him started on the right foot. And to me and the rest of the NE gang for all the tips and pointers! Really Oliver, you’re welcome. Don’t mention it. Feel free to pick up the tab for dinner sometime…. So we end the weekend with 7 races in the books- Great sailing, great people, great class. As always, some awesome mental snapshots and more lessons learned….. Somewhere on the site is a link to the full results. Added by web editor http://iceboatracing.com/2012centrals.pdf We missed the award ceremony at the hotel restaurant (Eric and Oliver were out sailiing and testing gear and I was out cold in the hotel room) but the tail end of it was fun enough! Still in MI, going to do some scratch racing today as long as we’re here and hit the road this afternoon. Thanks as always to the MI and OH gang for running a great regatta! Stand by for more regattas, more adventures and more reporting- Think Ice! T. Thieler DN US 5224 James “T” Thieler 401-258-6230 |
Latest
DN CENTRALS REPORT #2
DN CENTRALS REPORT #1
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Jan Gougeon
| By now you have probably heard of the untimely passing of Jan Gougeon. This news has rocked the enitre sailing world and the DN world in particular.
Seems as if every person who has ever held a tiller has a story about Jan and I’m no execption. I met him (of course) through racing DN iceboats. Every class should have a guy like this- always ready to help out a new sailor and amazingly forthcoming with tips and advice for novice and veteran sailors alike. You could ignore these at your peril- the guy won more regattas than most of us have ever entered. Eben Whitcomb hitched a ride with him from the hotel to the launch site one morning and when he got out of the van he said “I just learned more about sailing DN’s in fifteen minutes in the car with Jan than I’ve learned from fifteen years of sailing the damn things!” That sums it up pretty well- I learned a dozen things every time I ever spoke with the man. And if he wasn’t doling out go-fast tips he was telling a great story about any number of amazing adventures in sailing, travel, boatbuilding, you name it- always fascinating and delivered with a wit and enthusiasm that always lit up the room. Spent a good hour shooting the breeze with him on the ice at the DN North American champs last winter in Green Bay. As always, I learned a lot and went away thinking to myself “Man, that guy is one of the coolest people I’ve ever met…” Fair winds and black ice Jan. We can’t thank you enough. James “T” Thieler |
2012 Tune Up Recap
This year’s sixth annual NEIYA Tune Up was another huge success. Thanks once again to Steve Lamb and his wife for opening up the shop and feeding the hungry hordes of ice boaters.
Runners were aligned to perfection. Current and past commodores Anderson and Whitcomb did yeoman’s work with the big belt sander turning tired dull runners into ice cleaving blades.
Photo credits Jeff Soderholm
Stories were swapped with ease without having to shout through helmets and face masks. New members young and old were welcomed into the fold. James, thanks for recruiting the next generation of NEIYA sailors.
Everyone is looking forward to a great season of ice and coming back for a seventh time next year.
There may have been runners that did not get sharpened due to lack of time or members not being there. Please leave a comment below if you need help with dull blades or can help someone sharpen theirs.
See you on the ice!
John
P.S. While we were preparing for, talking about and dreaming of ice, members of the Chickawaulkee Ice Boat Club of Maine were living it on Plymouth Pond.
P.P.S. If you have not paid your 2013 dues now is the time. Do it online. NEIYA 2013 Dues.
2012 Annual Tune-up Clinic Canton, MA
Saturday, December 1st
11:00 to 3:00pm
Arthur C. Lamb Co
85 Jackson St., Canton, MA
Sparks are going to fly in preparation for another season.
The Tune-up Clinic is an annual NEIYA before-the-ice-comes event.
If you have any interest in the sport of ice boating, this is a great place to learn about it. Informal discussions on alignment, safety, runner sharpening, racing, cruising, whatever, will be going on. We will have coffee, doughnuts, hot dogs, chips etc. Bring something if you would like but not necessary we always have plenty.
This is your best opportunity to talk to other ice boaters where its warm and without helmets, face masks and glove on to get in the way.
Open to members and non members, bring a friend that might be interested in ice boating.
If you have a jig for alignment or sharpening please bring it, good to see different methods.
There will also be an Indoor swap meet, bring gear for sale. Steve Duhamel ofNorth Wind Ice boat will be there with lot’s of new and used stuff.
Directions:
Take Rte.95 to exit 11A (Neponset St., Canton)
Follow up to light, take left onto Chapman St.
Travel less than 1/4 mile to top of hill look for signs (To Jackson St) Turn right and right again 180 degrees onto Jackson St., “Do not go over railroad bridge”
Lamb Co. will be on your left ( Beige block building)
Lost call 781 389 4681 or 781 828 9797
Note: GPS will tell you to go the 2nd light and turn left onto Jackson St., this is a NO left turn
Make left at light onto Chapman St. go 1/4 mile the top of hill. Red brick building on left, make 180 deg. turn onto Jackson St.
If you go over railroad bridge you have gone to far on Chapman St.
Lamb Co is tan block building on left
P.S.
This is a hands-on event so roll up your sleeves, we’re hear to help.
Images from last year’s Tune-
2012 Annual Meeting Recap – Swap
The annual Swap meet was a huge success with a new venue and an earlier opening. Leaving lots of time to kick runners, buy stuff and catch up with old friends.
The Swap featured the latest boats and gear from Jeff Kent and Steve Duhamel as well as some great cast offs from T, Chad Atkins and others.
Boats ranged from race ready, to recreational in sail away condition and my show favorite a well used over built green heavy weight DN ready for the winds from Sandy.
Photo credits Jeff Soderholm
Check back soon for pictures and recap of the Lunch and Meeting portion of The Annual.
John Stanton
DN5023
Web Ice Master
P.S. Sorry for the delay. Seems that our other annual event is weather after the meeting. At least all I saw this year was out of state power company trucks coming east on the Mass Pike and 84.
NEIYA Preseason Check List
*** Register for the Annual Meeting and Swap meet and 2013 season Membership NOW ***
As everyone knows it’s that time of year again. We are in week seven of the NFL schedule. The days are getting shorter. Had our first frost. Many of us are wondering what to do with that pile of green tomatoes. You have removed the golf clubs, fishing gear and summer sailing gear from your trunk. This means, only one thing, its time for our winter passion, ice boating.
Over the years I have forgotten many things on the way to the ice. Probably the most amusing was showing up at Watuppa Pond ready for the Bean Pot only to discover that I had forgotten my coat. Thanks to a spare Eben had in his car I was able to get on the ice. Since than, I have been a compulsive check list keeper. It has helped my foggy pre-dawn brain get all the gear to the ice. Yes, I still forget stuff but nothing that keeps me off the ice.
Below is my preseason check list. Item number four is done! Items one, two and three will be done this Saturday.
I would like everyone to encourage everyone to sign up on-line for the upcoming season (Item numbers four or five) today. NEIYA online signup. We would prefer you register online for the upcoming season. Once you fill out the form there is an option to pay online with a credit card or PayPal, if you have an account, as well as instructions for mailing payment.
Checklist for 2012 – 2013 Ice Boat Preseason
1) Set up the boat(s) in back yard or driveway.
2) Sort through items old gear for unneeded/unwanted items. They might be old to you but perfect for someone starting out, upgrading or with more space to to store stuff. Post items for sale at swap meet or pickup on NEIYA.org. Items that will be at the swap meet are being given home page (right side) precedence.
3) Figure out what you need for upcoming season. Maintenance, repair and new equipment needs etc. Check NEIYA Classifieds for available stuff. Remember, Swap meet items are on the right side of the NEIYA.org homepage.
4) Sign up for NEIYA Meeting and swap meet on Saturday October 27th. Pay for lunch and dues online Now!
5) If you can’t make the Meeting sign up for 2013 NEIYA membership online NOW.
6) Attend Steve Lamb’s preseason Tune up for hands on sharpening, tuning and ice boat story telling. Date to be announced by the annual meeting.
Looking forward to a great 2012-13 season. See you all at the meeting, Tune up or on the ice
Think Ice!
John Stanton
Ice Web Communications
DN5023
P.S. Let’s hope we don’t have another October blizzard. Last year’s drive home (West bound Mass Pike).
P.P.S. Please leave any questions or comments below.
Online Membership and Meeting/Lunch Registration is Open
We now have secure online registration and payment for membership and the meeting’s lunch. Please register ASAP as we need an accurate head count. REGISTER NOW. For questions or help with online registration please contact John Stanton.
Annual Meeting Agenda
Saturday October 27th
Knights of Columbus Hall, 17 Willow Street, Westborough, MA 01581
Directions
9am to 11:30am–Swap Meet in the K of C parking lot. Bring your ice boating equipment, parts, boats and related items to sell. Come prepared to buy. In the past we have seen boats, hulls, spars, sails, parts, rigging, runners, clothing, trailers, tools and most other items you can imagine. Check in at the registration table to get a name tag. Find old friends and swap some stories.
If you have anything to sell please list it in the classified section communicate with interested parties and bring it to the Swap Meet. Listings are free for NEIYA members in good standing.
11:30am–Buffet lunch in the K of C hall, followed by the annual meeting. The hearty spread will appeal to all.
Note that lunch and dues must be paid in advance of the meeting so we know how many people to prepare for. Payment MUST be made online at REGISTER NOW with a credit card by 5pm on Sunday October 21. We will accommodate last-minute registrations and lunch payments at the swap meet.
Looking forward to seeing everybody again and prepare for the upcoming season.
Think Ice!
P.S. What are you waiting for REGISTER NOW
Annual Meeting and Swap Meet Saturday October 27th
DATE: Saturday October 27th, 2012.
PLACE: NOTE plan ahead for new venue. Knights of Columbus Hall, 17 Willow Street, Westborough, MA 01581
TIME: Swap Meet 9:00 am with Luncheon at 11:30 and Annual Meeting to follow as usual
COST: Luncheon $25 / Annual dues $30
Schedule: The swap meet starts at 9 :00 am with lunch and meeting starting at 11:30 sharp. Most of us have too much ice boat stuff. Look through your garage and basement, find ice boat gear you don’t need and bring it along. Remember your old gear is something new to someone else and helps to get more people on the ice.
Get to the swap meet early. Lunch and meeting will start promptly at 11:30 as there is lots to discuss this year. More on that from our Commodore to follow very shortly.
Help Solve an Ice Boat Mystery
Mystery Ship: Please Help Us Solve the Riddle of this Unusual Metal Iceboat
The NEIYA has been asked to help solve a mystery involving the type, age, provenance, usage and ownership of an aircraft fuselage-style metal-skinned iceboat found in the basement of a bank building in Bridgeport, CT in 1990. The bank staff had no knowledge of the boat or how it came to be located in the basement. The boat is part of the non-public small boat research collection of the Mystic Seaport, located in the Rossi Mill building across the street from the north entrance to the Seaport. The collection will be viewable during the Wooden Boat Show June 29 to July 1 and is available for private viewing at other times. The collection includes two Great South Bay Scooters and two other iceboats in addition to the Mystery Ship.
The metal boat in question is 18’ 3” long, 4’ 4” wide and is made of heavy timber strakes supporting a wood frame sheathed in tin in the rear and fabric-covered aluminum in the front. It appears to be a stern steerer. In one of the pictures, a possible (double) runner can be seen. The purpose of the large steel ‘A frame’ atop the bow is unknown, but is presumably related to the rigging. The plank is an aluminum strut with a foil shape. There are four additional metal struts from 8’ to 13’ long. Note that in the pictures, the bottom of the boat is unsheathed. No sails were found with the boat. An examiner in 1995 noted that the construction and materials used suggested that the builder might have had experience with aircraft and suggested a build date in the 1920s or 1930s. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has been located near Bridgeport since 1929.
A major effort was made by the Seaport in the mid 1990s to learn more about this iceboat, with no luck. Hopefully the collective knowledge base represented by the NEIYA membership will produce a happy outcome. Please send a link to this article to your friends in other iceboat clubs. Reply to me with any questions or suggestions and I will summarize the responses at a later date.
Peter N. H. Burrow
NEIYA Treasurer
Please drop me a note below if you have any information or click to leave a comment.
Updates from the Officers:
Yesterday, Black ice was mailed to all current members of NEIYA. Ed did a great job of editing the newsletter, and the printing, binding and mailing were done where I work at Marketing Solutions.
This was a weird year for iceboating, both in the USA and in Europe. The weather was considerably warmer then in years past and I don’t think there was any safe iceboating in CT,RI or MA.
On the racing front, we successfully held the Doc Fellows and New England’s, as well as the Eastern’s. Thanks to Jim “T” Theiler and Eben Whitcomb for that. Unfortunately we did not get an official cruising event completed You can thank mother nature for that one.
We completed the NEIYA Banners, they will be on display at the next Meeting. Thank Peter B for spearheading that one.
There are Burgees for sale, See Eben Whitcomb if you want one. You can find his contact info in this months Black Ice.
We have also written a new NEIYA iceboating handout. There will be copies available at the fall meeting to hand out to people that are interested in iceboating. Ed A did the layout for this.
As many of you know, at the last NEIYA meeting, We formed a committee to review the NEIYA bylaws. This was done because we have not updated the bylaws since they were originally written in the 1970’s, and we are having a hard time conducting business in strict accordance with the bylaw changes. The committee is actively reviewing them and suggesting changes. The next step is for the NEIYA governing committee to review these changes and offer suggestions. It is anticipated that revised bylaws will be brought to a vote at the next meeting in the fall of 2012
In addition to the bylaw review, The treasurer has filed the paperwork for federal 403B nonprofit status which we really need for legitimate tax purposes. This should be in place by the fall meeting.
We have also changed the location of the annual fall meeting. The previous location has proved to be too costly and would have required us to raise the cost of the event again, which the officers did not feel was appropriate in these difficult times. There will be more info coming on the location change this summer.
Sail Fast,
Eric Anderson
Commodore NEIYA
That’s all folks… and NEIYA Calendar for rest of year
Greetings all,
The proverbial fat lady has sung her song and we all know that that means a long season of warm, very wet and very soft water. Last known sailing was last week on Sunapee in NH and Damariscotta Lake in Jefferson, ME where the Maine DN State Championship was successfully held as well as some fine spring sailing.
To help through the warmer months I ordered Bill Converse’s NEIYA calender. It just arrived and wanted to tell everyone that it is once again a home run!
It runs from February 2012 thru January 2013 and is 17 inches by 11 inches. Tons of great photos taken mostly last season in and around New England as well as a few from last years World Champs in Illinois.
Cost is $25 with a portion going to the NEIYA.
Click for larger image view:
To order call Bill at 508-273-3224 or fill in info below and he will get back to you. Do it today!
Think Ice!
James “T” Thieler
New England Ice Yacht Association 