by Deb Whitehorse | Feb 6, 2024 | 2023-2024, Home Page
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Mosquito Season Comes Early
By Pat Heppert
Despite the vast postponing of most regattas due to warm weather this weekend, the first annual “Minnesota Mini-skeeter Mayhem” regatta was completed as scheduled on 2/3/24. The warm humid weather sure does bring out the skeeters! The small fleet size of three Minnesota boats, piloted by Bruce Wegger, Tom Kvale and Pat Heppert were fully dialed in and wound up around a 0.5 mile course on tiny Lake Riley, Eden Prairie, MN. The small lake size in a metro area seriously did make for a lot of tactical decisions with plenty of shifts, gusts, and shoreline effects, which was super fun. The mini-skeeters shared the course concurrently with about 10 boats total from around the lake including DN’s, Nite, JX-14, and Skimmer. The PRO, race committee chairman and venue provider John Bushey took great care in ensuring a safe, fair competition among a competitive fleet. The 12” of flat black ice with zero obstacles stayed hard until 2 PM, which was plenty sufficient to get the regatta completed in one day. Boat speeds were so blazingly fast that I thought the loud “crack” I heard was me breaking the sound barrier, but it turned out to be a broken bulkhead apparently from builder error. No problem, kept sailing. The scoring team had incredible difficulty writing finishing numbers at the speed and tight formation of this group, but the conclusion of the day was that everybody was a winner, and the trophy awarding is being held off until next year.


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by Deb Whitehorse | Feb 4, 2024 | 2023-2024, Home Page, Renegade

During the nationally televised Purdue v Wisconsin basketball game yesterday, Greg McCormick glided across the screen in his Renegade sailing on Lake Monona.
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by Deb Whitehorse | Feb 4, 2024 | Home Page, ISA, NIYA, Regattas

Rob Evans sails his A Class Skeeter on Lake Monona, January 15, 2022. Photo: Joe Berger
NORTHWEST:
The NIYA is postponed one week to February 16th, 17th, and 18th 2024. Colder weather returning The week of the 12th should provide one or more viable locations.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
Northwestern Ice Yachting Association
ISA:
The ISA Regatta is postponed to February 16th, 17th, and 18th, 2024. Colder temperatures the week of February 12th will allow for multiple locations to become available.
Steve Schalk
Secretary/Treasurer
International Skeeter Association
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by Deb Whitehorse | Feb 2, 2024 | Home Page

No Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club racing this weekend, February 3 – 4, 2024.
We will wait for some colder temperatures to return.
This is Deb – posting while on the road in Latvia to Estonia for the 2024 DN World Championship. Stay tuned for reports.
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by Deb Whitehorse | Jan 31, 2024 | Home Page, ISA, NIYA, Regattas, Renegade

Greg McCormick
The Northwest and International Skeeter Association & Renegade Championship Race Committees have postponed for one week to February 9th, 10th, and 11th, 2024. Both Committees determined that the high temperatures, sun, and lack of overnight freezing will make the ice too soft for acceptable regatta conditions. The presence of plenty of ice that should stay in place until colder weather arrives gives us a good chance coming later in February.
Steve Schalk
NIYA & ISA Secretary/Treasurer
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