Hey Folks-
We are hearing enough good things about Damariscotta Lake in Jefferson, ME to call the DN Easterns ON for this Saturday, March 14th.
A full report on the launch, lake and weather is expected by about 10 AM Friday morning so stay tuned to this site for details.
One way or another it’ll be interesting! Don’t put the boats and gear away yet… Also keep in mind that we have sailed Moosehead Lake into mid-April a few times. Food for thought!
OK, more later… Think positive! T DN US 5224
Hey Gang-
Just wanted to let everyone know that this season is not done yet!
It’s still cold at night up north and the Birches webcam on Moosehead Lake shows some promising pictures…. Maybe some other sights further south could be sailable as well. We hope to have some first hand reports in the next few days so keep an eye on this website.
We really want to get the Eastern Champs in before we stick a fork in this season so don’t stow the gear yet!
If you have never sailed Moosehead before you really need to. It’s way up north, the ice goes on and on and on, and the scenery is amazing. The clear night sky is something to see as well!
So cross your fingers, stay loaded up, make sure your angles and plates are in good shape, and hope to see everyone this weekend!
T Thieler
Despite a forecast for light winds about a dozen boats showed up to make some tracks on Watuppa Pond in Fall River last Sunday!
About 8 DNs had a bunch of short scratch races around the marks; it was a great chance to experiment with rig tuning and boat setup. We did a bit of boat-swapping as well, that is always very instructive. We didn’t keep score but Atkins showed that he still has the mojo and several other boats were in the hunt as well. We also welcomed two new sailors, Al and Rowan. Watch out for these guys!
Meanwhile a handful of Whizzes and turbo’ed up DNs were having a blast ripping through the drifts closer to the shoreline. Quite a sight and a good time had by all!
In any case it was a great day and we all made it home before the snow started. Looks like southern New England is done for awhile but maybe, just maybe, northern parts of NY, VT and ME might have dodged the bullet. Stay tuned!
Hope springs eternal! Thieler, Atkins and maybe a few others will be sailing out of the South Watuppa Boat Ramp tomorrow (Sunday the 22nd).
Thieler and Stanton walked the lake today, found a bit of slush but a good base underneath. There is one ridge the looks hazardous near the eastern edge of the lake but it is easily spotted and avoidable. It’s only about 50 yards long.
It’ll be interesting to see if plates, angles, or some other runner is the best choice- bring them all and try them all!
I’ll be there around 9:30. Hope to see a few people!
T Thieler
We continue to look for a sailing window within a narrowing band of sailable ice across the Northeast. Our larger lakes remain snow covered, and the current and future fronts moving through the region are not helping the coastal ice we have sailed or are monitoring.
A wintery mix is falling across much of the region with more to come. As a result, all previously sailed areas will need to be re-scouted, along with any new opportunities that may be developing. The Cape will be checked again, and new scouting is planned for Watuppa Pond in Fall River. Scouting is the key word, these areas are being evaluated and are not considered safe in any way till checked In addition coastal Midcoast Maine locations are also being monitored as well as information from the Champlain Valley and other points.
Where will we sail in the next couple of days? Ice will be checked Saturday, and we will have a clearer answer about Sunday after the checking is completed.
Conditions are changing, but opportunities remain. Stay tuned for updates.
Think Ice,
John
DN5023
John@neiya.org
To fulfill our insatiable need for instantaneous information I am posting just the results of the Bean Pot now. Full writeup to follow once I’m off the road.
Congratulations to Jeff Roseberry on the win. The second goes to Paul Camberland and third to Ed Demerest.
Congratulations to the top finishers and all that competed special thanks to our race committee. Again more on the day to come.
Think Ice,
John
DN5023
John@neiya.org
The Doc Fellows is in the books! Ten sailors showed up today to a shifty, surprisingly breezy, long pond near Brewster Massachusetts.
No breeze, bright sun, and high temps in the morning didn’t have any of us optimistic but sure enough the clouds rolled in and the breeze picked up and the ice stayed good all day.
Seven races were run and Paul Chamberland showed that putting the time in pays off! Today was his 40th day on the Ice this year and what better way to celebrate by putting together a consistent regatta. Congratulations to Paul on a well deserved win!
Out the top three were Jeff Roseberry in second and Sean Healey in third.
We will roll right into the Bean Pot championship tomorrow; same time and schedule as today, see the post about the Doc Fellows for information. Come and join the fun; tomorrow’s forecast looks pretty good!
Many thanks to Nina Fleming for tabulating the scores and posting them on SailWave for us and to Rick Bishop’s friend Craig for helping out with running races!
Hey Folks-
After a short discussion with Atkins we decided to tweak the regatta slate for this weekend. He rightly pointed out that the Eastern Champs should be on a big plate with plenty of room to stretch out.
So we will hold off on the Easterns and instead do the Doc Fellows this Saturday and roll into the Beanpot Regatta on Sunday. This regatta is the MA state championship and comes with a very cool trophy!
No matter what name we call it we should have some good racing! To paraphrase Shakespeare, “A rose by any other name is still a rose…”
So here are the details again:
Hey Folks! We are calling the Doc Fellows Regatta ON for this Saturday!
The place will be Long Pond, MA out on Cape Cod. Not the biggest lake in NE but it’ll do!
IF we get the regatta in on Saturday we may roll right into the Beanpot Regatta on Sunday. We will play that by ear.
The launch will be at Long Pond Brewster Beach. Take Rt 6 east, turn north onto Rt 124, take a right onto Crowells Bog Rd, and follow that until you see the launch area on your right. Follow these directions closely as there is more than one “Long Pond” out there….
We will have a skipper’s meeting in the parking lot at 9:30, with the first start at 10:30. Normal rules apply. All contestants must have proof of $300,000 general liability coverage. NO EXCEPTIONS!!
Saturday is Valentine’s Day so make sure to figure out how to work around that….
Stay tuned to this site for updates!
Hey Folks! We are calling the Eastern Regional Champs ON for this Saturday!
The place will be Long Pond, MA out on Cape Cod. Not the biggest lake in NE but it’ll do!
IF we get the regatta in on Saturday we may roll right into the Doc Fellows Championship on Sunday. We will play that by ear.
The launch will be at Long Pond Brewster Beach. Take Rt 6 east, turn north onto Rt 124, take a right onto Crowells Bog Rd, and follow that until you see the launch area on your right. Follow these directions closely as there is more than one “Long Pond” out there….
We will have a skipper’s meeting in the parking lot at 9:30, with the first start at 10:30. Normal rules apply. All contestants must have proof of $300,000 general liability coverage. NO EXCEPTIONS!!
Saturday is Valentine’s Day so make sure to figure out how to work around that….
Stay tuned to this site for updates!
It’s going to be cold again. But if you can push through the low temperatures, the payoff over the next few days will be worth it. The bonus is that our big lakes are continuing to build ice, and this looks like a pattern that’s going to stick around.
Reach out to your buddies and travel to what makes sense to you this weekend. And yes the weather may play a big part in your decision.
As always, stay tuned for updates, scout carefully, and sail safe. More as reports come in.Don’t get suckered into unsafe conditions.
Think Ice,
John
DN5023
John@neiya.org
It will probably happen to most of us in our Iceboating career, that we will have a breakdown on the ice. If we are lucky it will happen near the launch where tools and spare parts are nearby. Usually though it happens somewhere a mile away leaving us to our own resources to effect repairs or make it back with a long walk. If you happen to be on a small pond or bay. This is not too traumatic. On the other hand, long distance cruising can make a mishap a major undertaking.
The first thing you might want to consider is what I call, “pocket parts”. These are small things that take up little room but when needed can really save the day. Things such as, quick pins, slit rings, clevis pins, cotter pins, runner bolt and nut, 10 feet of spectra line, a few spare screws of varying sizes, a small crescent wrench, and the ubiquitous Swiss Army knife. A small shackle is also a great backup item. Since I have stay adjusters, I keep a couple of spare pins in the unused holes. It’s always nice to have more than one in case you see a mast down due to a lost pin. On the other hand if it’s a frayed stay, the spectra line can be rigged to at least get you home. Check out some videos on how to splice loops or tie knots as spectra acts a little different than other line material. Screws can refasten that block that pulled out or maybe even be used to hold the fuselage to the runner plank due to a broken stud. I did have a large fender washer to help in that case. Captive pin shackles on the halyard are a good choice. That way if it does let go you don’t have to search the ice for the missing pin.
If your craft has storage space feel free to add whatever you feel comfortable carrying. You don’t have to go too overboard though. My BDX and older DN has good storage behind the seat back. My super DN doesn’t have that luxury but I did make a set of saddle bags using some crampon bags from my old mountaineering days. I’ll usually carry a throw bag everywhere I go just in case. I’m working on a small backpack for my skimmer that will hang off the back.
Ice repairs can be quick and easy with the above mentioned parts. If, however, you suffer a RUD, ( rapid unplanned disassembly), more creativity may be needed. Sometimes all you can do is tie the pieces together and slog on back. Maybe some kind atv fisher person will help you drag the pieces back. Try to make it as slidable as possible such as lashing the runner plank on. Or if that is in two pieces, overlap and lash. I did have the opportunity to have this work as a fellow boater dropped a runner in a hole. The plank was still whole but no longer attached. After kick straightening a bent runner, we put our Boy Scout skills to work and tied everything together. The next piece was new to me as I played tow truck. The owner could sit in his boat and steer and sitting on the lashing also helped keep it tight. We then used my throw line to tow him back about 2 miles. We had two reefs to cross so I was concerned about releasing the tow rope quickly if needed. Therefore I suggested we just hold onto it at both ends, that way either of us could let go quickly if needed. My old arthritic hands said you’ll have to work on a better quick release system. He did have to push the last 100 yds but the tow worked.
Hopefully this will help anyone who feels they are still learning about this great pastime and with good ice still available, happy sailing, but be prepared.
Hello All- Paul Chamberland is getting a group together to do some scratch racing in Westport, NY this Friday and Saturday.
If you are interested the launch is just south of the Westport Lakeside Motel at 74 Champlain Ave, Westport NY, 12993
Scratch racing will likely commence around 10-11AM and if you know Paul it won’t stop until the sun goes down!
As always use caution and talk to locals and other sailors before letting it rip. The SW side of the bay has thin ice so avoid that; see attached photo!
If the plate is still ok in a week we are hoping to host the DN Eastern Regional Champs! Stay tuned….
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