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

The New England contingent has returned from a successful run at the DN Worlds (aka Gold Cup) and North American Championships.

Congratulations to Matt Srubble on winning both the Worlds and North Americans. Team NE finished strongly with James T. Thieler and Chad Atkins finishing eighth and tenth respectively in the Worlds. Also of note, was Chris Gordon with a ninth in the Silver Fleet and Jay Whitehair, Sean Healey, and Milo Fleming with a second, sixth, and eighth respectively in the Bronze fleet. Full DN Worlds results here http://iceresults.org/dn/2023worlds.html

Team NE shined even brighter in the North American Championships. T and Chad took second and third in Gold. Jay Whitehair turned in an impressive 13th in his first Golf Fleet outing. Full DN NA results here https://iceresults.org/dn/2023nas.html

Coincidence or not, it would appear that the massive New England contingent brought the cold weather back with them from Lake Kegonsa in Stoughton WI. I think I can say that winter is finally arriving.

Randy Rice was scouting the top part of Lake Winnipesaukee out of Leavitt Beach. Things are looking positive but require another look. More on that in the days to come.

Last week’s club ice call was sparsely attended but I guess people kind of understand there was not much to talk about. this week is a different story. Don’t miss it at 6:30pm Thursday, February 2nd. We should have Ice scouts from around New England on the line. If you have forgotten the number it is published in the member’s section https://theneiya.org/members-only-pages/ If you missed my email with the password just reach out to me.

Looking forward to sailing with everyone real soon. Remember we are dealing with mostly new ice and since this is a recent freeze be extremely cautious. DO NOT go alone! Sail heads up till you are personally confident about the conditions. Dial into the call on Thursday if you are looking for someone to scout or sail with.

Think Ice,

John
DN5023
john@neiya.org

As Old King Colds icy breath makes its way east we have a fresh report of a building plate of ice on Lake Winnipesaukee NH. The size and quality look good at first glance but it has yet to be sailed and scouted. Consider this an early notice that the ‘soft’ waters of New Englands days are limited! Cold air is in the forecast and the precipitation rates look low for the week. Knock the rust off those runners if you have not yet done so…. set out your kit in a way that you don’t forget anything when bailing out the door late this week and keep your eyes on this website for any updates on New England ice boat cruising and racing.

Meanwhile, feast your eyes on Randy Rice’s newest build (Randy is the Grand Master ice scout of mid-NH lakes). Don’t be fooled here, he was gearing up for a boat that looked vintage yet behaves like a modern build. His new boat “Zingo” boasts a 16’ carbon plank, 8’ front spring plank, 20’ tapered wing mast. Most of the build is redwood and is reported to be uber-light. Go, Randy! We look forward to seeing your new boat and you on the ice soon!

Randy’s Build

Zingo Looking Pretty & Fast

Excerpt(s) and inspirations from the famed late Larry Hardman of Downeast Maine.
Poem: “Ice Watch”

“When Old King Colds reach is bold down from his frozen lair,
it’s then we sleep in covers so deep and we shiver upon the stair.

Temperature seven? To us that’s heaven! We wish for seven below!
We disdain thermometers gain and we despise the snow…

When the ice goes “CRACK!” We ALL jump back! and we wait a day or so…..
Then three knuckles deep and back on we’ll creep and ice boating we will GO!”

Get Ready To Sail!
…and be sure to update the NEIYA with any local reports of quality ice.

The last day of the 2023 DN Worlds featured 1-2" snow drifts dotted across the .8 mile long plate and caused difficult conditions for all three fleets. Silver started the day and with the breeze up most were able to complete their laps and the same was true for bronze. Then the sun started peaking out behind the clouds and caused the breeze to lighten and swirl quite a bit. I appreciated the race committee’s diligent efforts to get in one more gold fleet race. The team had to move and drag the starting line at least four times before our start.

Then we were called to the line. The night before the race organizers hosted a panel discussion with four of the best DN sailors in the world. One of those individuals Tomek Zakrzewski , a two-time world champion, discussed his starting technique. I was ready to try it. He and his compatriates sheet in almost 80% of max so that his blocks are just about touching. He is quite sure it helps with faster acceleration off the line and once in the boat.

It was my first time on the even side of the line all regatta. I positioned my boat. I cleared the drift in front of me with my spikes. I sheeted in at 80% of max and when the flag dropped I pushed with all my might. I was off and dusted the group except for one boat to leeward. I was getting close enough to the lay line so that when I tacked over I could implement another learned tip from Tomek (When coming in on port make sure to leave enough room on the starboard layline to build up speed to make for a fast windward mark rounding).

I easily crossed the bows of T, Chad, Karol Jablonski, and Tomek. And then…..the breeze stopped and the snow drift deep. I parked. I got out of my boat to push, tangled my main sheet around my foot, fell on my plank, my boat spun around as a puff came in, and it was Game Over. I was able to finish the race with some more sailing and some more pushing.

Then it was announced the Worlds were completed. Back in the pits, I learned even the best guys like T and Chad had to get out and push a few times. Several said no one had ever seen as many gold sailors pushing in a race before. It’s good to know I was not the only one that struggled to keep my boat moving through the drifts.

Overall, I accomplished my two goals of qualifying for the gold fleet and being the top female finisher overall. With this year being the 50th anniversary of the first DN worlds, it felt special to be a part of it. During the opening ceremony two sailors that participated in the first DN worlds 50 years ago were present and came back to race in this year’s event. Congratulations to Pete Johns and Hal Bowman for their 29th and 30th finishes in the Silver Fleet. Still racing hard at 80 plus years of age.

At the closing ceremony and awards Karol Jablonski, a 12-time DN world champion, spoke movingly about the camaraderie and friendships developed over his thiry-six years of racing DNs. Matt Struble this year’s Gold Fleet winner and now four-time world champion spoke about starting sailing DNs as a child in Northern Michigan and the memories of sailing with his dad and life-long friend and mentor, Ron Sherry.

DN sailing is fast and fun. The comraderie is the icing on the cake.

Onto the North Americans…

Karen Binder
DN 5630