Greetings all in season I do not typically get in my car in the morning and see the dashboard temp at 54 degrees on February 10th. The rodent from Pennsylvania really got it wrong this time or maybe he knows something we don’t. Wait and see is the answer.

We had thirteen people on our call last night and reporting from all around our region is not great. There is still ice but there are issues in most places with the exception of what our friends are sailing in Maine. There is however some hope for Graet Sacandage lake Broadabin, NY just west of Saratoga Springs and Saratoga Lake. We have eyes headed to both lakes. If Sacandaga pans out we will be calling the Vintage.

I know this is not much notice but with the disappointing season, we need to make whatever we can out of it.

As to New England sailing it is Maine all the way so keep an eye on Bill’s reports on iceboat.me.

We have some hopeful reports from Champlain that could be good for next weekend.

Next update sometime after noon today.

Think Ice,

John
DN5023
john@neiya.org

Hey Folks- The weather always makes things a challenge but lately that has hit new heights…. Wind, warm, precipitation, and timing all askew for good conditions…

That said, we may have some options- Two lakes in Central New York may in play; Sacondage and Saratoga. We hope to have eyes on the ground tomorrow and will post a report ASAP. IF we do have a regatta it will be the New England champs as it would be great to get that in the books. Also, there will be a Classics award for the person with the best finish in the least modern boat. So come race even if your boat is and old war horse and not a bleeding-edge thoroughbred. Stay tuned to this site for more info.

There may also be a gathering of Vintage Craft up that way… There have been plenty of people busy in the barn all summer and there should be some boats to show off. Always cool to see what they sailed back in the day…. Stay tuned for info on that too!

As if that weren’t enough I heard rumors of Skeeters being moved around. Make of that what you will.

As always, there are hazards and dangerous areas of these lakes- please stay off them until they have been scouted by locals.

Clear your calendars and load up!

T US 5224

The scent of urgency is in the air. While is over a month away, and we typically sail after March 21st, this year’s La Niña has presented some challenging conditions. Even those who racked up a large number of sailing days have noted the difference in ice structure across all our region.

We have all been blasted with sensationalized weather news on a daily basis which really offers very little understanding and contributes to panicked behavior. There is a whole lot more going on behind our recurring El Nino and La Ñina patterns. I vound this and other Severe Weather Europe articles very interesting and im sure many of you will as well. https://www.severe-weather.eu/global-weather/sudden-stratospheric-warming-polar-vortex-collapse-effect-forecast-february-march-united-states-europe-fa/

Regardless of weather sensationalism or geek-level weather coverage, we still have ice and we will be out iceboating this weekend and in the remaining days of winter. We have miles of cruising to be done, laps to turn, and the “Vintage Returns” event to hold. We are currently looking at a few options in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and maybe Vermont. Sorry people looks lke MA is out as well as CT which hardly started and RI never had a chance this year. Information on where there might be sailing for the weekend will be published tomorrow night after our weekly open ice call at 6:30 PM. The Ice call is your chance to hear it first and give you more time to reach out to friends and plan.

No matter what the ice does or doesn’t do, we will be putting on an all are welcome spring gathering. The when and where details will follow in a few weeks.

Think Ice,

John
DN5023
john@neiya.org

Chad Atkins was on fire at the DN NA champs and he gives this account of the final race. It was a wild one!

A Race to Remember: Race 3 of the DN North American Championship by Chad Atkins – iceboat.org

When I first started sailing DNs twenty or so years ago I was struck at how helpful other sailors were and at the free flow of information from top sailors down to newbies like me.

Since then I’ve heard other sailors comment on that very tradition and what a cool thing it is; and how it is not the case in every boat class out there.

A great example of this is most recent World and North American DN Champ Matt Struble breaking down his tips, tricks, techniques, and thoughts on campaigning a DN. Based on his results he is a good guy to study!

Click the link and take notes….

2023 DN World Championship Debrief with Matt Struble – DN North America (idniyra.org)

Things are afoot up that way…. Thinking of a regatta this weekend if things hold up and weather cooperates- Stay tuned….

Thompson Lake 2/6 | Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

Hey Folks-

If you weren’t able to attend the DN GC or NA champs you can get an idea of what you missed by checking out Cathy Firmbach’s photos here-

Be sure to buy a few and make her efforts worthwhile!

Many thanks Cathy- was great to see you out there-

Cathy Firmbach 2023 DN World Championship Photos Available – DN North America (idniyra.org)

The new Runner Tracks is out, packed as ever with cool photos and informative articles, including one by our very own Chad Atkins!

Take a look here:
Runner Tracks Newsletter February 2023 – DN North America (idniyra.org)

Hey Gang- Sounds like there is sailable ice up in Maine-
Some RI sailors may be heading up this week-

Stay tuned to the CIBC site for details-

IF the ice survives all week it may be suitable for a regatta this weekend- keep an eye on this site for details!

Damariscotta ON | Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

Well, it just didn’t happen last night. Plenty of cold in the past 24 hours but the wind blew all night. There will be no big ice in the near term. Thanks to Dave Fortier for getting out earlier this morning in the negative air to check Segabo. Unfortunately, similar conditions stretched across our region.

Waiting on other regional findings. If you are thinking of taking a weekday off this might be a good week for it. That’s all for now.

Think Ice,

John
DN5023
john@neiya.org

Last night 16 NEIYA members huddled on the phone and there was an air of anticipation. The simple reason, is it’s getting cold, real cold. Not that I need to remind anyone has been talking about the temperature drop for a week. My standard response was “isn’t it wonderful?”

Like many things in nature, there is the power of momentum and tipping points. This season’s momentum has been in a slower build and we are only approaching the tipping (ice) point now. I can say that we are behind the momentum curve and looking to cross the tipping point.

Randy Rice reported on Winnipausakee up in the center harbor area. There is skatable ice but the whole center of the lake is open and likely. Lets see what the weekend brings. There are similar open center issues around NH

Bill Buchholz reported that Jordan Bay on Sebago Lake has skimmed over and was hovering around two inches of ice. With the cold since last night we could be in business. Jordan Bay has given us miles of black ice in the past let’s hope this pans out. We should hear word from scouts by tomorrow afternoon and will report back here on the conditions.

Bob S is keeping a watchful eye on Quaboag but nothing at the moment. More after the weekend.

I am sure that tonight’s cold will bring a usable plate. Take the long way home tomorrow. Run by your favorite local lake pond and have a look. Let us know what you find no matter the size. Maybe just a few people get out but let people know. We have our eye on the next few weeks to pull off the “Vintage Return” event and get in some local racing and cruising.

Next update Saturday Afternoon.

Be ready to roll when we cross the tipping point and Think Ice,

John
DN5023
John@neiya.org

Hey Folks-

As you all know we haven’t been doing much racing in NE over the last few years due to weather, COVID, scheduling issues, etc….

That said, the Gold Cup and North Americans are behind us and there is plenty of winter ahead of us and our intention is to get back to a full slate of regattas this year. This weekend may be a possibility, we are looking at sites and printing up score sheets.

We are aware that we all just got back from the Big Show but winter is short! Do your laundry, knock a few things off the to-do list, load all the stuff back in the car and stay tuned!

Think Ice, T