Easterns on
The 2014 Eastern championships are called on for February 1st and 2nd in the Plattsburgh NY area. The launching area will chosen tomorrow. There are multiple potential site between Plattsburgh and Burlington VT and we will wait for more information before making a final decision.
Eben Whitcomb and Oliver Moore
DN NA Photos
Hey Folks- A photographer was on hand to catch the action last week at the NA’s- Click the link to see her work and for evidence that the regatta actually happened!!
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Easterns this weekend
The Easterns are tentatively called on for this weekend February 1 and 2. We will make the official call Wednesday night but we are going to try to get the regatta in this weekend. At this point our most likely site will be sailing out of Plattsburgh where the North Americans were sailed last week but we are going to look into other suitable sites.
Stay posted here for further updates.
Oliver Moore and Eben Whitcomb.
DN NA’s DONE!
Well, some of these regattas go down without a fight and others can be stubborn…. This one is squarely in the latter category!
After the four races I wrote about earlier the fleet sailed in to see what the following day would bring (I’ve completely lost track of what day was what. I’m fairly sure today is Monday….) Although the conditions looked OK out of the hotel window the reports said the breeze was way up there and a team of scouts went to the lake to see how it was on the ice.
The report was short and sweet when they got back: “30 KNOTS and gusting higher- awards here in thirty minutes!!” And there you have it folks- the 60th DN NA’s are in the books.
Results here: https://ice.idniyra.org/Yearbook/History/North_American/2014
Thanks so much to everyone who made this one happen- and this time the list is much longer than usual- y’all know who you are!
Back to the pile of mail and bills on my desk…. Stay tuned, we are hoping to get more racing in locally as soon as possible!
Think Ice!! T
James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Big Day….
Miracles do happen- And the weatherman ain’t always right!
Yesterday was supposed to be light and fickle but at about 1030 the breeze shifted south and increased…. And increased some more…. And then increased a little more just for kicks.
Full-on, heads-up sailing was the order if the day- Four races sailed, each one in a bit more breeze, hoar frost blowing around, fast and furious all day-
We had all the stuff that keeps us coming back- Insanely high speeds, neck and neck duels, bear-always at the top mark that squeeze the breath out of you, and our fascination with seeing expensive carbon and glass rigs being bent into pretzels never ceases. I went around one top mark just behind Oliver and Eric as a big gust hit and I HAVE NEVER SEEN RIGS BEND THAT FAR- Words fail me, I’m amazed that they didn’t pop- What a visual… Wow.
Anyway Oliver Moore is top New Englander at the moment in 6th, Chad Atkins a point or two behind in 7th (he was 2nd in first race- Not bad dude!). and yours truly back in 10th after a tough day- bad runner choice in first race and a few mast inversions in the big breeze cost me dearly…. Lessons learned!!!
Vice Commodore Dave Buckley made the trek to his first big event and is sitting in about 7th in the Silver Fleet- Go Dave!
Ron Sherry is doing well for a rookie and leading the Gold Fleet with a string of bullets and a 7th place finish due to an out-of-boat-experience at the bottom mark. Glad to say he is bruised but ok- Jokes aside Ron is no rookie and it shows-
Will see what today brings- Guaranteed to be interesting!
Stay tuned….
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
What A Winner Looks Like
See article below….. Way to go Steve!
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
DN NA’s Under Way
Big news in Plattsburgh NY as the first race was run yesterday afternoon…. Want to know who won? Tough, I’m not telling you until later.
The day started well before dawn with Chad, Oliver and a few other hearty souls scouting a new plate of ice a few miles from the snowy, drifted-out one we were on originally….
They came back with glowing reports and so we bugged out and headed for the new- Worth the trip, this new plate is gorgeous- Smooth with some very cool looking hoar frost on the top.
Still wondering how the first race went? Wait for it….
Prior to that at race HQ there was some red tape to be dealt with as we didn’t know if we needed insurance or permits to launch out of the public ramp- At one point Chad jokingly asked the woman who runs the restaurant at the hotel if she knew the mayor by any chance- When she responded that in fact she did he grabbed her arm and led her into the war room while stating in his best movie secret agent voice “Come with me.” Maybe you had to be there- Trust me, it was classic.
So who won that first race? Keep reading.
Turns out we were good to go anyway and once on the ice Bob Schumacher stepped up to the plate to have a safety meeting and point out a few hazards out by the starboard layline- As soon as he said the word “hazard” the ice flexed under the group and we all dropped down about three inches as we back-pedaled away from each other to spread the weight…. Can’t make this stuff up.
Bet the suspense is killing you now, dear reader.
Line set, just enough breeze to get around the course, flag dropped and off they go…. That first boat around the top mark looks like it has a white mast with lots of orange tape on it…. Good speed down wind…. A little closer…. White hull…. Red jacket…. Could it be….
Suddenly the NEIYA’s own Steve Madden goes flying around the mark in fine form- You could almost see him grinning under his helmet and face mask. After the race he was smiling so much the snot-cicles in his mustache cracked.
Now aren’t you glad you stayed with it???
Way to go Steve! With his win he qualified up into the Gold fleet and also finally got this darn regatta started. Who knows what the hell today will bring- In theory we may have some new faces as Jeff Kent and Greg Cornelius may just get out of the car shop in Manchester and Dave Buckley is purported to be on the way- Pretty sure late arrivals will be welcomed if you ask nicely… Anyone else gonna head up?
Folks, this has been an epic journey- You should hear the stories I can’t or won’t write about- Lotta laughs along the way- Wish is luck on getting this one in the books!
Stay tuned-
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Rumor Has It….
….. That there may be a fresh plate of snow-free ice just a few miles from here….. Some intrepid, cold- resistant scouts are gonna spike their coffee with glycol and check it out at first light….. This could be the carrot we’ve chasing folks….
See the IDNIYRA site for late registration info….
https://ice.idniyra.org/hotline/
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
Ten Degree Rule
Ya, chilly up here…. Some discussion about the too-cold-to-sail rules…. It’s been said that anything below 10F isn’t kosher but these days that seems like more of a guideline than a rule…
Depending on conditions (wind strength, sun, humidity, time of day) it seems as though there is some wiggle room- As in wiggle your fingers, wiggle your toes….
We sailed yesterday in breeze and zero F and it was do-able!
Stay tuned- Registration tonight- Get a move on folks!
T
James “T” Thieler12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840
401 258 6230
t_thieler
New England Ice Yacht Association 