It is with profound sadness that we mark the passing of our dear friend and fellow iceboater, Paul Gervais, who left us on September 11, 2025. His passing leaves an eternal Void over Champlain.

For over three decades, Paul was a steadfast presence on Lake Champlain. He was the trusted voice for ice conditions, covering the lake with unmatched dedication and care. Even after shifting his winter pursuits to skiing, Paul remained our go-to source for Champlain ice. His reports, shaped by a lifetime of knowledge, were relied upon with confidence. If Paul said the ice conditions were good, we knew it was at least as good as he reported. Along with the usual caveat of hazards.

Many of us owe countless days of sailing on Champlain to Paul’s vigilance. From Inner and Outer Mallets to Burlington, Shelburne Bay, south of the bridge, and elsewhere. His keen eye and tireless devotion opened the way for racing and cruising that might otherwise never have been possible.

I will always remember, some time in the early or mid 90’s, venturing across the pressure ridge between Inner and Outer Mallets Bay to race, the promise of vast, black ice opened up before me. It was my first true taste of big ice, a gift made possible by Paul’s watchful presence.

Paul’s spirit will live on in every stretch of black ice, and in every breeze that carries us across Champlain with speed. May he now find eternal joy carving perfect lines through mogul-packed slopes and sailing forever fast across endless black ice.

A Celebration of Paul’s Life will be held on Saturday, September 27 at 3:00 PM
at Champlain Marina, 982 W Lakeshore Dr, Colchester, VT (Mallets Bay).

Friends are warmly invited to gather, honor Paul, and share stories of a life so richly lived.

Think Ice,

John
DN5023
John@neiya.org

P.S. Please share your memories of Paul in the comments section and send any pictures you have to me.

I’ll start by saying that in true frugal yankee form, I have not turned the heat on yet. I’ll hold out until October like the die hard I am. That being said, this little cold snap has many of us thinking ice already. I did move my trailer to assess the delaminating plywood covering and contemplating a more robust covering. (Okay I should have used marine ply.)

Any way, to get back to the title, I’d like to share a small display on Iceboating that I stumbled upon in a small museum in Mahone Bay , Nova Scotia. Our little camping excursion this year was the Cabot trail and following the coastline around the rest of Nova Scotia. Being a bit of a museum addict,( of certain genre) I caught several nice museums on this trip. Yes even the one on Rug Hooking in Cheticamp was nice. Yarmouth had a great one on the cod fishing industry and Lunenburg had a nice historical waterfront with a dory shop and a cooperage that is still making barrels with original machinery.

Mahone bay had just an older house of historical value and artifacts. I noticed two small models in a glass case and then caught the write up. It seems the bay would often freeze over and play time would occur. I was aware that the Maritimes did have ice sailors and often have seen their post.

I hope you enjoy this little display.

Think ice.

If you’re up around Lake Winnipesaukee, check out the iceboat display at the New Hampshire Boat Museum. There is also a steamboat gathering at Lee’s Mills on Winni and the classic/vintage race regatta is going on in Wolfeboro this Friday and Saturday.

Members, Guests, and anyone with an interest in Iceboating or getting onto the ice:

The green flag is waving and we are a go on Saturday, October, 25th for the New England Ice Yacht Association’s annual Swap Meet, Lunch, and annual meeting. We will be once again returning to The Golf Course area at the Thompson Speedway in Thompson, CT.

Join us at NEIYA’s annual event—an ice enthusiast’s dream! Reconnect with old friends, plan future adventures, and revel in the warmth of camaraderie, sans helmets and goggles.

Upon Arrival be sure to check in with our with Secretary Karen Binder. We want to be sure all your contact info is current.

This is your go-to Northeast event for all things ice sailing, and Ice, whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro. From masts to sails, planks to runners, gear up and go faster with us! Don’t miss out—be part of the vibrant NEIYA community. If you live outside the Northeast its a great excuse for a road trip. Shout out to the boys and girls in NJ, the Hudson Valley, and Adirondacks regions as well as those a to the west of us. There is a prize for the person traveling the furthest.

NEIYA Swap Meet, Lunch & Meeting Information:
When: Saturday, October 25th, 10:00am (Vendors set up early so you might want to come before 10am)
Where: Thompson Speedway Golf Course, 205 E Thompson Rd, Thompson, CT 06277
https://goo.gl/maps/DbGpTekm4ZLNnV8n7

Now is a perfect time to pay your 2025-26 dues and reserve your seat at our annual Luncheon and Meeting. All are welcome to attend.

Please Pay Your Dues

Dues Time	Price
2025-26 Membership	$30
2025-26 Membership + Lunch	$45
2025-26 Membership + 2X Lunch	$60
2025 Lunch	$15
Mail in Form We prefer you pay online – Thanks

Do not wait till after the swap met to begin preparing for the season. It’s been a long summer and if you have not already shifted to thinking about iceboating, now is the time. Drag your gear out set it up in the driveway and be sure you have everything. Have anything extra in storage? Now is the perfect time to free up some storage. Put it up on the classified section. Remember your older equipment may be far better than what someone else has now.

Stay tuned for the beginning of our weekly ice calls starting up in a few weeks. Never too early to talk ice boating in front of a like minded crowd.

Till then Think Ice,

John
DN5023
John@neiya.org

P.S. The Classified section is being worked on at the moment and any old ads from last season will be purged. If you still have the item(s) for sale let me know so we can keep them up.

Hey Gang-

The DN Rank List for 2026 has been published! Take a look and see how you, your friends and rivals all stack up. Good for inspiration and motivation!

Speaking of motivation, there is a chill to the air this morning… Time to get into the shop and the gym and start prepping for the season. Looking forward to it!

T Thieler DN US 5224

Rank list here:

2026 Rank List Published – DN North America

Summer is in full swing, yet winter is coming. By August 31 we’ll have lost an hour of daylight and the march towards winter accelerates.

The estate auction of fellow ice boater John Eastman features his Meade and Gambit (built by Lloyd Roberts), plus other nautical and aviation treasures:
Full Auction: https://www.proxibid.com/EstateBid-Auction/Estate-Auction-for-Renowned-Hobbyist-John-Eastman/event-catalog/282017

Meade: https://www.proxibid.com/Meade-E-Skeeter-Iceboat-Ice-Racer/lotInformation/94895594
Gambit: https://www.proxibid.com/Gambit-1-Iceboat-designed-and-built-by-Lloyd-Roberts/lotInformation/94895595

My personal favorite, a Vintage Standard Gauge Fairmount Motorcar for exploring the 100,000+ miles of abandoned railroad track throughout the country. No doubt something John was planning but ran out of time.
https://www.proxibid.com/Vintage-Standard-Gauge-Fairmount-Motorcar-Railway-Car-with-Trailer/lotInformation/94071305

Read Jory Squib’s tribute to John on the Chickawaukie Ice Boat Site: https://iceboat.me/2024/11/11/in-memoriam/

Time to get ready for ice season. Our annual swap meet will again be at Thompson Motor Speedway, Thompson, CT. Details coming soon.

Think Ice,

John
john@neiya.org
DN5023

Hey Gang-

This video has been around for a long time and I wanted to get it out there as it is one of my favorites!

It is a behind-the-scenes look at every aspect of designing and building the 12 Meter yacht that won the America’s Cup in 1987.

Some very smart people are involved and it is very interesting to see how they went about deciding what type of boat to design, which avenues to pursue, which ones to ignore, and how they investigated and verified all of their conclusions. They even talk about how they raised the money to pay for it all! Lots of cool footage of everything from sailing to tank testing to design meetings.

I know 12 Meter yachts are a world away from iceboats but the concepts and ideas presented in the documentary are relevant and applicable to iceboating, whether you are racing or cruising!

Watch, learn and enjoy!

NOVA: Sail Wars (1986) | America’s Cup Comeback ⛵🏆 – YouTube

NOVA: Sail Wars (1986) | America’s Cup Comeback ⛵🏆

New Hampshire Boat Museum

The first advice I received when I retired was, “Don’t volunteer for anything for 1 year.” Good advice to give you time to prioritize everything on your retired “to do” list. I think I held out for 6 months. Anyway since I’d already done some stuff with the NHBM, I figured it wasn’t new so it didn’t really qualify. It started as 3 hours on Monday morning with a great group of retired boat people restoring wooden boats for the museum housed in the old Allen Albee summer resort in Wolfeboro, NH. Three hours a week wasn’t too much time to devote to something I liked doing and the coffee and donuts were good. 10 years later I realized my mistake! As anyone knows, volunteering for a worthwhile cause always exceeds the estimated time you feel you can give. Three years ago the museum acquired its new home now on route 25 in Moultonboro, NH. That’s up the north end of Lake Winnipesaukee. My 5 minute drive is now a forty minute drive. For some reason I don’t clearly recall, my wife and I became part of the exhibits committee as well. Notice how my free time is diminishing. To add to this, the new museum needed volunteers to refurbish the new digs to make it really look like a museum. Thus I was back to a 40 hour workweek, still fueled by coffee and donuts with a few nice lunches thrown in on occasion.

To get back to the title, my off season this year was to help with construction and design the ice boat display. Naturally I have my own vision of what it should be, but then reality hits with space, number and types of craft, and acquisition of said craft. The museum had a Marconi rigged stern steerer from a few years back. (It was one of my first restoration projects with them.) A sweet little number that is still ice worthy even with cotton sails. This was to be the focal piece and does have a commanding presence. Although I could have easily expanded to at least 20 boats, I don’t really have that much authority…….yet. A DN would obviously need to go in along with the “Blue Streak” development story. Luckily I had recently acquired one from the last NEIYA swap. I thought it should look pretty so after another 40 hr work week I think visitors will get the idea of what the early DNs were like. This one is estimated early ‘60s based on sail info. A future display may have a modern one for a compare and contrast exhibit. (Now if only power ball would pay off so I could afford one.) a third item ended up being my wife’s Skimmer. Newly powder coated red with a new sail. (See previous post on diy.) due to the ease of setup and small storage needs, hopefully we may see growing interest. Maybe even a Skimmer Hardway fleet. And finally a trip to NY to get a loaner Ice Optimist. Another few days of labor had this one looking spiffy too. Right beside it is an Optimist dinghy that was built in one of the museums classes and used in their sailing program. Maybe we can get some youngsters involved in our winter activity. Lastly I felt that a Hardway display was needed since, after all, this is Winnipesaukee territory.

So this is how I spent my off season. Okay I’ll add a trip to Vermont to pick up a gaff stern steerer, originally from this area. Hopefully we can get a group of locals to do like the Hudson River group does and get these craft back on the ice.

So if you find yourself in New Hampshire this summer, stop by to get a quick fix for your winter passion and to see a great display of watercraft related to the waters of New Hampshire. Nhbm.org is their website. Now I think I can finally start working on my own soft water fleet that I didn’t get to in my other off season. Happy summer and think ice, if only in your drink.

This time of year, there’s a familiar hesitation to put fingers to the keyboard. Not writing about the inevitable finale to another iceboating season somehow delays it for another few days. The proverbial fat lady may be waiting in the wings, but she hasn’t sung just yet.

Moosehead Lake continues to defy the odds, offering late-season sailing when other venues have long since surrendered to spring. Just two weeks ago, the lake delivered with strong winds that kept some sailors on the sidelines, but for those who ventured out, it was some of the most exhilarating iceboating of the year. If you have not read the reports check out the CIBC’s site iceboat.me. But be prepared to kick yourself for not taking the drive. The high winds kept myself and others in the pit, but we tried.

The latest Moose chapter unfolded yesterday as Jeff Roseberry and Paul Chamberland set out for Moosehead in the pre-dawn hours, arriving yesterday morning with cautious optimism. Armed with a bit of intel but lacking any recent firsthand reports. No iceboaters had been on Moosehead for two weeks so they approached with measured hope. Their instincts proved correct. Moosehead was sailable! Jeff noted, the lake had finnaly melted down to reveal her original seasons Black Ice. The ice was bordered by a maze of frozen hummocks that formed a makeshift slalom course, that was as challenging as it was thrilling. The ice remained hard throughout the day.

Way to go Jeff and Paul for adding yet another highlight to your log of firsts, lasts and milestones and spreading ice envy across the ice tribe.

What’s next? Do we have another chance at Moosehead or any ice adventures further north in Quebec? Let’s see how the week goes and touch base on Thursday or before. Keep hope alive and let’s squeeze in another day on the ice before we sail on soft water.

Think Ice,

John
DN5023
John@neiya.org

Iceboaters tend to fall into the DYIers of life category . Maybe it all started way back when with the Bluestreak 60 in Detroit, spurring on many home builders. A vast majority of ice craft that we see, tend to be either home built or purchased from a few skilled builders. Perhaps due to the limited time and places to sail, the sport has scared away the big factory entrepreneurs from hitting the market. Even to find the simple parts is becoming more limited. The first set of plate runners cost me $295 from that old reliable William B Sarns company. I’m not sure who produces them anymore. (I have a few sets so haven’t really been looking.) Thank you Northwind for picking up the slack out east for other hardware. Inset runners tend to be the most seen gear on the lakes, at least in the racing circles. The vintage sailors tend to brag about their “classic” gear such as cast iron, T iron, or iron shod runners, and of course their wooden mast. I will admit to not seeing too many cotton sail these days. I digress though. Even if you bought a starter boat, chances are you had some patching and painting to do. (Although I do know those who have hired this out.)

I think my DIY gene came from both my parents. My dad was a pattern maker by trade and had the tools and the knowledge to take a set of plans and produce a quality product. My mom was constantly sewing clothes for myself and 3 sisters. It only seemed natural that when I finally settled down in ice country that I make my own craft. With at least a dozen new craft and many more rehabs to my name, I still enjoy the Zen of the build. Whether it be hard or softwater, there is nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. That includes building them too.

This season found me refinishing my super DN after 30 some years of use and abuse and sewing a couple of new sails. One for my wife’s Skimmer, and a second for my friends. (Sailrite gave a good deal if I bought 2 kits. Okay so I didn’t lay out the sails myself, although I do have the book showing me how.) so with the old office counter top revamped as a sewing table, two new sails were completed, in time for the last sail of the season. They’ll be all set for next year as long as they keep the mice out!

My wife drew the line at me buying tools for a metal shop, but I did acquire a stick welder that has produced a few usable items. The grinder helped too. A local, “Maker Space” does have a nice setup if I desperately need to manufacture an obscure part.

So if you have been blessed, (cursed) with the DYI gene, embrace it and set your mind for the meditative zen of Doing It Yourself.

If you are on the fence about traveling to Moosehead tomorrow. Jeff Roseberry is set up and waiting. According to Jeff snow is not a factor. The snow can be brushed away with one’s hand.

Think Ice and remember the season’s end is right in front of you.

John
DN5023
John@neiya.org

The word is out from our friends at the Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club (https://iceboat.me/) of Maine. There will be people prepared to sail Moosehead from Greenville boat ramp on Sunday morning @ 9:00 AM.

Looking like it will be cold and breezy. Heed Bill’s cautions and be prepared. For the latest go to https://iceboat.me/.

If anyone was planning on crossing into Canada to sail reach out to me directly and I will pass on contact info to get details directly.

Remember it is going to be a long hot spring, summer, and fall till we are back on the ice again. Questions, ping me.

Think Ice,

John
DN5023
John@neiya.org

Spring has been teasing its arrival for weeks, but at 5:01 AM EST today, it’s official. And with it comes the possibility of one last shot on the ice.

Sailable ice is always a moving target, and this time of year brings added uncertainty. What might have looked like the end changes with the updated weather forecast. Currently, Moosehead Lake and a few cross-border locations near Montreal remain in play. But as with all late-season ice sailing, conditions are highly variable. We won’t have a definitive answer for another day or two.

So, hold off on packing away your ice boat gear just yet, there may still be one final ride before the season melts away.

We’ll convene on our conference call at 6:30 p.m. tonight for updates, though we are a day or so from more accurate info. Stay tuned here and on iceboat.me for reports from our friends in Maine.

Think Spring. Think Ice.

John
DN5023
John@neiya.org