Headin’ east…

Western Regionals are in the books!

Three races today in good breeze saw tight racing at high speeds- the stuff that keeps us all coming back!

Nothing like flying down the run skate to skate w the next boat over at 50mph… can’t find that in the summer that’s for sure-

The battle for first was between Sherry and Struble- amazing to watch these two world champs push each other around the course- Struble was able to hold Sherry off for the win.

Close- and I mean CLOSE- behind the battle for third was between Berger and Thieler- After two very close races it came down to whoever beat who in the last race- It was an old-time-hockey style bloodbath of a race with high speeds, lead changes, and nothing left on the football field. (Tired of the mixed metaphors yet?) Thieler was ahead at the finish and goes home w the bronze.

GREAT weekend of racing- thanks to all RC, scorers, helpers, and competitors!

Results here:
http://dniceboat.org/idniyra/2019westernchallenge.html

Here is the regatta so far- five races yesterday in medium to strong breeze saw Struble and Sherry setting the pace with a whole pack hot on their heels- Great racing, great turnout too! NEIYA represented well by Atkins, Gordon, Miller, Kent, and Thieler.

Results so far here:
http://dniceboat.org/idniyra/2020westernregional.html

Looking forward to more races today- will see what the weather has in store for us-

Think Ice!

Here’s a little photo essay on the trip so far:

Loading the gear into Jeff Kent’s amazing Sprinter van.

Big Ford vs Giant Mercedes… guess which one we took?

This is a rest stop in Illinois. Really.

This is the bathroom at the Acorn Lodge, Princeton, WI. Love the color scheme. Also the people that run this place are the BEST. No better spot if you’re out this way.

Stand by, more to come….

T

Heading out to race course on Puckaway Lake

End of the day in the pit- five races for each fleet- not bad!

Chris Miller’s foot heating system, bottom view.

Miller’s foot system, top view.

More to come, stay tuned….

Western Regional DN champs were called ON (see IDNIYRA site) for Puckaway Lake in Princeton WI so the three dopes in the photo (Kent, Miller and Thieler- who all should know better) decided to abandon common sense and head on out.

Not surprising as common sense has little to do with sailing in general and iceboating in particular. As well all know!

Not to late to hit the road if you are interested in joining the fun- Will be sending updates from the road-

Stay tuned and if you know of sailable ice email info to ice@neiya.

From the road….

Hi,

As I mentioned in my last post, my goal was to do 100 starts ASAP. After two days on Quaboag last weekend with no wind practicing starts were pretty much all I did each day. T, Jeff Kent, and Eric Anderson joined in for various parts of the those sessions. This weekend at Lake Something With a Very Long Name in Sidney Maine it was a combination of starts and scratch racing. By yesterday afternoon, I met my goal of doing 100 starts. Here are some things I learned.

1. Pointy spikes make a difference. On a track, I am a very fast sprinter. At the Western Challenge and for one day at Quaboag I was not able to get off the line, push my boat as I expected, or beat anyone in the sprint aspect. At the Western Challange, I thought it was just because I am beginner. But on Saturday my traction wasn’t great and I was getting frustrated because I was getting beat so handily right off the line. Saturday night I finally looked at the bottom of my borrowed spikes and compared them to a new set. New spikes are POINTY. Mine spikes were ground little nubs with some even missing from the tread. Fortunately, a nice person switched the old nubs out and Sunday was a whole different ball game in terms of traction and speed. I have been so focused on "boat stuff" I didn’t think my own personal gear made that much difference. Then, for Christmas, Santa got me a set of spikes that fit my foot better and zoom zoom. Lesson learned: Good gear can help.
2. I was realized I was standing too upright. When I ran my feet were getting too close to the plank. Since I am dreadfully fearful of repeating the superman scene at a start, I realized I was looking down too much at my feet rather than ahead. Solution, crouch down at the start and lean more into your shroud and tiller with your upper body. Hard to explain, but my feet are now farther aft of my plank and I get a longer stride and don’t come to close to my plank when I run. Lesson learned: Body position matters.
3. I also started to feel as though I was not getting a good push on the tiller. I realized my tiller and tiller extension were too long for my body type. Fortunately, a nice person cut a few inches off and, wow, what a difference. I can really push and the boat moves. Lesson learned: Your boat needs to become an extension of you and must be tuned to you.

By yesterday morning, I was consistently really fast off the line and easing to my boat smoothly automatically. By 3:00 pm yesterday everyone else had left for the day. It was getting cold and you could feel the air was getting wet. I was cold, but I still wanted a bit more practice so T and I agreed to go back to van to warm up. Just as we were getting ready to go back out to the ice, six bald eagles circled around and landed in the area where we’d been sailing all day. They were standing in a circle as though they were having a meeting of some sort and commiserating to each other "Finally, those ice boaters have left the lake." Little did they know that I wanted to practice more. We gave them some time to chat and then T and I went out for one more fast start, a very fast upwind leg, and then a gybing practice session downwind. We got off the ice just as the snow was starting. It was lovely and peaceful and I felt a great sense of accomplishment.

I said on the van ride home, the next element I need to practice is leeward mark roundings. Stay tuned.

And as secretary my New Year’s request is IF YOU HAVE NOT RENEWED YOUR MEMBERSHIP PLEASE DO SO ASAP! Look to the right and you will see the area to click and renew!

​Happy New Year and Happy Ice Time,

Karen Binder DN 5630
NEIYA Secretary

Dave Fortier looking for the oil drain plug on Messolonski Lake on Saturday.

Really what he was doing was checking out the boom block adjustment system on Karen Binder’s DN.

Couldn’t resist posting and also check out the ice! Was a good plate- hope it survived the snow…. stay tuned

A good day in Maine for a bunch of Whizzes and few DNs, a CheapSkate, and a few Lockley Skimmers-

Light breeze on Messolonski Lake allowed all craft to rack up the miles on some ice that was a bit bumpy in patches but otherwise about an 8-10!

We will be keeping an eye on this lake for future events. Good launch ramp, lodging and food nearby, what more can you ask for!

Looks like snow on the way there but it’s New England, ya just never know!

Stay Tuned and if you have ice let us know at ice@neiya.org

Think Ice!

Nice sailing on Messolonski Lake in Sidney, ME. Four DNS and and handful of Whizzes and other misc boats enjoyed good ice, albeit with one long pressure ridge down the middle of the lake. Will be there again tomorrow, hope we can do some scratch racing before the snow arrives- Launch from the ramp off Hosta Lane, just off Rt 23 on east side of lake.

Think Ice!

Looks like we can salvage a day or so in Maine before the new year- take a look at the link and see what you think!

https://iceboat.me/2019/12/28/sailing-on/

Sorry Folks, the weather just isn’t cooperating- warm temps and rain are giving us pause and we’ve decided to err on the side of caution and cancel racing for the weekend. As we all know, warm temps and water on the ice can be trouble…

Exercise caution if you are going out! Bring picks and rescue gear and don’t go out alone!

Stay tuned….