After what was a spring-like weekend temps are coming back to freeze up the Zambonied lakes and ponds. Venues need to be checked thoroughly but reports are coming in of some great potential.

We are keeping an eye on Sunapee in NH.

There were eyes on Bantam in Litchfield CT over the weekend and local wisdom a few cold nights might make it ready to sail. Again this is just a tease, we need some more cold and have it thoroughly checked out.

If you are planning on checking it out please double and triple buddy up. People have been leaving notes in the comments section below as well as the Forum at the top of the page.

Many of us (current count is 10) are planning to head out to the midwest for DN North Americans but I am betting we will have sailing choices closer to home. Be vigilent, scout safely and communicate with the rest of the group. And don’t forget to check in on the guys in Maine https://iceboat.me.

Think Ice,

John
DN5023
john@neiya.org

P.S. Don’t forget to report back on your scouting activities.

Hello,

With just a week remaining until the North Americans and warm temperatures forecast for this weekend, I decided my day job could take a back seat to my DN training. T was up for heading up to Quaboag this past Thursday and I was glad. My goal for the day was to improve my leeward mark roundings.

To me, the two most exciting aspects of any one design sailboat race is the start and the leeward mark rounding. I love the strategy, the jockeying for position, and the count down at the start. At a leeward mark rounding, fun happens when several boats start to convene towards the mark. You execute your strategy to get inside, you call for room, you come in wide, sheet in, and ideally you are close hauled just as you round up hugging the mark close enough to almost touch it. Love it!

Well, I did that aggressive maneuvering last year at the leeward mark in my DN up in Vermont on Lake Champlain when the wind was pretty big. Chris Gordon’s words still haunt me. "Well, she was coming in really HOT."

Do I remember flying out of my boat? No

I just remember the excitement I felt at the approach, wanting to catch Eben, and seeing Chris standing by the starting area. Then, I was sliding on my back across the ice with my eyes still closed. When I finally stopped, I took a deep breath. I looked back and saw my boat dismasted about 30 yards behind me. Chris came over to make sure I was okay. I was fine and so was my boat. Reconstructing the scene, the gash in my right pant leg meant my leg hit the side stay as my body lifted and flew out of the boat. Is that horizontal G force action? I don’t know, but I don’t wish to repeat it and I have been hesitant at the leeward mark roundings ever since.

So on Thursday two marks were set, the breeze was up, and doing a ton of leeward mark roundings was my job for the day. My teacher is patient and wise. He gave me all the tips and advice he could give, but I gotta DO IT to LEARN IT.

Hour after hour after hour with a small warm up break in the van I basically went around and around and around the two marks. I even started cutting short the windward leg so I could fall off and build speed and just do more leeward mark roundings. I was fast downwind and with my mast all popped out I’d do my final gybe. With my eyes on that mark and still going fast, I’d bear off straight down to lose some speed as instructed. Then, I’d ease the sheet and head up and make my approach. But I just could not pick the best point at which to turn up and round the mark close hauled. I’d either come in too HOT or NOT.

After sailing directly behind T a bunch of times and trying to mirror his track, I thought I had the whole approach down. In a late day attempt, with a few folks watching, I felt confident I was going to nail it. Unfortunately, I didn’t. Instead, I almost spun out. Argh!

I kept trying and I remained inconsistent. It was getting late in the day, my arms were getting tired, and it was not going to happen. Clearly, more work remains.

I will head to the North Americans with some leeward mark regret. Maybe if I just stayed out another hour, but the moon was rising over Quaboag when we finally called it a day.

I’ll keep you posted on the trip west.

Think Ice!

Karen DN 5630
NEIYA Secretary

Thanks to Deane Williams for more photos of Gervolino’s Wing. Have to love it!

Have to hand it to J.P. Gervolino for the job he did on this wing mast. Not only is it well engineered and built, but the paint job and fighter-plane wing motif wins style points galore! Note the fuel fill and machine gun barrels…. I have to wonder if they are functional….

Nice report and photos from Quaboag- thanks to the CIBC scribe Bill Bucholz for posting-

https://iceboat.me/2020/01/10/quabog-pond-1-89/

Whizzes, J-14’s, DNs, a Lockley Skimmer, and a bunch of Freeskates had a great day on Quaboag Pond- ice was good all around except where the creek flows in-

Congrats to newbie MacKenzie Reeser for getting her DN out for the first time!

No doubt people will be sailing there tomorrow- if you go take all precautions and have a blast!

There will be some people sailing Quaboag Pond in Brookfield MA today- The intel on the lake is that it is generally good-
As always, stay away from the river entrance and the south shore and exercise caution at all times-

IF the weather doesn’t get too bizarre we may be holding a regatta this weekend- stay tuned for that-

That said we will see you there if you dare!

T Thieler US 5224

Some good raw video from last weekend’s event in WI- have a look and listen! Love all the accents and the action!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxNFaSQy-Mg

TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT!

AT WEEKS YACHT YARD.
Great refreshments. Great conversation. Great atmosphere.
7:00 pm the fun starts at Weeks Yacht Yard in Patchogue.
View attachment for directions.

ALL ICE HOUNDS ARE WELCOME, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A MEMBER.

TIS THE SEASON… THE HARD WATER IS UPON US.

So many places to choose. All we need are the ice reports.
We need to keep in contact.

Club Membership STILL only $15, must be received by Tuesday, January 7, 2020
to be eligible for year end honor, achievement, competition awards and discounts on
competition entry fees. Any membership application received after 1/7/2020 will still
be included in the automatic “ICEALERT!” email communication system but will NOT
be eligible for any year end awards.

For more information pertaining to how your club dues are specifically used,

please see your treasurer John Ziermann.

If you are a returning member, please fill out the 1st page if there have

been any changes to your membership info.

For NEW members, please fill out both sides of the attached document so
that we can add your information to our list of members and place you on
the automatic “ICEALERT!” email communication system.
“ICEALERT!”, will instantly provided you with the latest ice reports for
the upcoming season, weekend, or day, and will allow you to instantly
communicate with all of our club members.
Knowing when and where to sail is so important, so don’t miss out on
“ICEALERT!”. Get your membership fee in by January 7, 2020.

Please create a check “Pay To The Order of” LRIBYC and send to:
LRIBYC
C/O JOHN ZIERMANN
58 BELLECREST AVE.
E. NORTHPORT, NY, 11731-1205

Important Dates:

January 7, 2020 – Club Meeting (first Tues. of the month)
January 7, 2020 – FIRST DAY OF THE 2020 CLUB MEMBERSHIP PRIVILEGES
February 4, 2020 – Club Meeting (first Tues. of the month)

March 3, 2020 – Club Meeting (first Tues. of the month)
April TBD – Season Ending Awards Dinner

The club board members, with the approval of the club membership, shall at
all times have the absolute right to suspend, for a definite or indefinite
amount of time, the membership privileges of any member whom the club
membership finds has violated any rule, regulation or policy of the Club
or whose behavior is abusive or disruptive to the operation of the Club.

Thank you …. THINK ICE! ……. Thank you for your support.

John Ziermann DN-5426/Gambit/LS45/Treasurer

WeeksYachtYard.pdf
LRIBYC-Membership-Application.pdf

You may have seen the article NEIYA rookie Karen Binder wrote on her starting learning curve- It was picked up by the folks at Scuttlebutt https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ Very cool that they are giving iceboating so much coverage and we appreciate it a lot!

See the article here:

How they do it on the ice >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News

Sorry for late notice but figured someone people may be able to sail last minute on a Tuesday.

Bob S reported this morning. “checked quaboag yesterday 5 to 6 inches sailed the north end for 3 hrs. going back today check south side wind permitting.
Quaboag lake Brookfield ma.”

Be sure to check with Bob or locals before venturing out. Quaboag has know hazzards that must be respected.

Can this survive fri and saturdays thaw? Who knows get it while its there.

John

John@neiya.org

P. S. Bob thanks for sharing!

John Pepper checks in with this idea to save wear and tear on your back and your wallet- take a look….

Hi guys,

I am putting together a system to set up a ‘big’ ice boat and not hurt my back, so here is a method to do so.

I copied a snowmobile dolly to make a lift for the Whizz. They work great and are genius in design simplicity. It is a big wheel lever that goes under near the balance point and has a long arm to create mechanical advantage.

The handle is tied to the rear deck. Varying rope length allows height change, maybe with blocks and a cleat in the future. The goal was solo unloading from trailer and lowering onto the plank. I need to tweak the geometry slightly to go higher, but its nearly there. It rolls easily. The force to lift the bow is about ten pounds. The lift bar is at the bulkhead at the front of the cockpit. Gravity holds it there. It moves, lifts and turns well, albeit on a smooth driveway.

After set up, it goes out over the bow.

Handle is bent from a 1 inch EMT ($10), the donor wheel chair was $30. The 1.5 inch square tube i had in the shop. The EMT slip fits, for storage.Total $40, Wheel chairs may be had cheaper, but i was in a hurry. Detailed pics to follow. I hsve some tube left over if anyone is going to build one.

I have an improved connection locking means in process, but as with the trailer lid, am excited, and wanted to share the progress.

Think ice.

Regards,

John