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….

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Lots of ice has set up over the past couple of days but conditions are challenging. We were on Quabag before Christmas recent weather puts it in the unsafe till proven otherwise status.

New Hampshire has a number of rumors and people have skated including Otter pond, Squam and Winnipesaukee off Leavitts Beach and Wentworth. Sunapee though sailed yesterday is not considered safe now by those who were there a little over 24hrs ago. There have also been reports of ice on Sebago and Mallets Bay in VT has reports of decent ice.

T is trying to find the best option for the remaining unsailed regattas from 2019. His call will be made later in the day. Remember just about anyone can get on the course and if your not racing they can always use scorers or just sail outside of the course.

With so many new plates coming in all at once it is hard to say where the best and safest conditions are. Remember there is safety in numbers. We need further information from people on the ice. Buddy up scout and sail with extreme caution. There have been a lot of pretty ice pictures from skaters (some sail too) floating around on social and the web but we need a little higher confidence level.

I believe there are good sailing venues out there but things just need to be checked and please share so that we can spread the word.

Thinking about checking out ice leads and following the skaters? Buddy up. Don’t have a buddy post a comment below. Report back your findings via comment below or ice@neiya.org. You will be rewarded when others come out to sail with you.

Sail Fast and Sail Safe,

John
DN5023

We are getting optimistic reports on ice in Malletts Bay VT and Sunapee NH. Bodes well for the weekend…. That said there is a bit of challenging weather headed this way (a little snow, maybe some rain, some high winds and warm temps) which may throw a wrench in the works- so we will keep an eye on things-

IF we can find a safe plate we will try to have the 2019 Doc Fellows Regatta, possibly another race the next day. Would love to fill the NEIYA 2019 regatta slate…

As always this nit limited to DN class yachts- any class with three or more boats will get a start! And don’t forget the vintage/classic award; if you don’t have a boat that is exactly cutting edge you may still get a prize….

Stay tuned to this site for details- if you have ice let us know at ice@neiya.org and if you are out remember to know and obey all the safety protocols.

Think Ice!

Scouting Sunapee

Miss out on anything today? Didn’t get what you had hoped for? Well, dig way down to the bottom of your sticking for a super present. Jay and locals have been keeping an eye on Sunapee off of the State Beach and reports that there is solid black ice all the way across to the far shore with a surface of about a 9!

The rest of the lake has not been scouted so be very cautious if you venture into the larger body but plenty of space without wandering off.

Launching is from the state beach with carry on access from the parking lot to the pit area. People will congregate around 10 am.

Come to cruise come to tune up whatever just come. There will be cones for those looking to hone their skills.

Before setting foot on the ice seek out local recent knowledge. Remember the season is young.

Sail fast and safe,

John
DN5023

…Consider the central region champs. Keep an eye on IDNIYRA site and stay tuned….
https://www.idniyra.org/2019/12/23/2019-dn-central-region-championship-be-ready/

That said we hope to be sailing in NE that weekend so hopefully we can stay local and still have good racing and cruising-

Keep an eye here for updates on all!

5224

John Pepper sent this shot of Quaboag Pond at sunset the other day- A nice view after a great day!
Gotta love that little body of water, always seems to deliver early in the season and draws a great crowd-
Hopefully it will stay frozen over the next few weeks and we can get some more sailing in to wrap up 2019 and welcome in 2020.

Meanwhile we are hearing rumors of some good ice in NH- Stay tuned, more details to come….

If you have ice let us know about it at ice@neiya.org and we can all have an excuse to get out of the house over the holiday.

Think ICE!