DN Regatta Reports
iceboat.org On the Road: DN North American Championship Day 2
Time lapse video from Jeff Kent’s 40 hour journey from Boston to Montana. Jeff and his traveling partners Charlie Blair of Martha’s Vineyard, MA and Bernd Zeiger of Kiel, Germany drove nearly non-stop and completely avoided winter storm Jacob with a wide rounding maneuver.
The scorers practicing counting boats on the line.
A quick update before heading to the launch. Our caravan pulled in to the hotel at 9 PM Sunday evening. The winner to the race to Montana goes to Jeff Kent and crew who arrived a few hours ahead of us. The drive was fairly uneventful with a few miles of black ice to deal with in Minnesota. We stopped near sunset at Keelboat Park on the Missouri River in Bismark, North Dakota to let it sink in that we had reached the west. Heading to the launch in an hour and will update later. At breakfast, Peter Johanson, IDNIYRA Vice Commodore Jody Kjoller, and Trey Rose appeared after having driven straight through from the Toledo area. They stopped at the launch before coming to the hotel and planted the TIYC colors.
One giant step for the Toledo Ice Yacht Club.
iceboat.org On the Road: DN North American Championship: Day 1
Go West
We were somewhere around Alma Center on the edge of the snow line when the coffee began to take hold and the wireless hotspot was strong enough to post. We should make Montana sometime tonight, Glasgow to be specific, population 3300. Lewis and Clark traveled within 15 miles of our sailing site on Fort Peck Reservoir, which has to be another first for an iceboat regatta.
ice sailing is not new to Montana nor Ft. Peck. Canyon Ferry is legendary for ice boating but this will be the first major regatta west of Minnesota. Our ice sailing friends in Montana, John Eisenlohr, Dave Gluek, and Dale Livezey have given advice and done some legwork that will result in a bunch of hardcore ice sailors converging on a 350 square mile sheet of ice. Fort Peck DN sailor, Tim, has scouted ice in brutal temperatures. Thank you all, for everything and for the adventure.
With apologies to Hunter S. Thompson, every now and then when your life gets complicated and the weasels start closing in, the only cure is to load up a pile of 440 stainless and then drive like a bastard from Madison to Montana with the music at top volume and at least a pint of ether (for the lock de-icer.)
All official information on idniyra.org.
Patience
Fort Peck Reservoir: Waiting for the show?
The snow storm that rolled through the Four Lakes area is now headed east to temporarily cover up any sailable ice they may have. In the good news department, Joe Norton, the Admiral of Green Lake, WI, reported on his Facebook page that the “west end of big Green is still open! East end may blow out if wind comes up. We may have dodged a bullet!”
Co-PRO Joe Norton, event chair Daniel Hearn, myself, and the rest of the race committee of the DN North American championship are patiently waiting for confirmation that some of the only ice in North America is suitable for the regatta. If it happens, we’ll experience some serious seat-time as we drive to Fort Peck Reservoir in northeast Montana, a 15 hour drive from Madison (longer than a flight to Europe!) DN sailors from Nova Scotia, the east coast and beyond are driving west, taking the gamble that it will all work out. They don’t want to miss being part of something historic, the first continental iceboat regatta ever sailed in Montana. Where ever we go, I’ll post my personal updates here. Following along at the IDNIYRA and New England Ice Yacht Association websites.
Regatta Watch: DN Westerns Called ON for Puckaway
Great Western Challenge DN racing on Lake Puckaway. Photo: John Hayashi
Lake Puckaway survives recent warm temperatures, rain, snow, and comes through again for ice sailors. The DN Western Region Championship is called on for Lake Puckaway on January 4-5, 2020. Go over to idniyra.org for the latest information.
DN Great Western Challenge
Chris Gordon US5590 leads the pack rounding the weather mark on Lake Puckaway at the 2019 Western Challenge. Photo: Puckaway Ice Sailing Squadron
Breeze and hard, fast ice arrived on Lake Puckaway just in time for the 2019 DN Western Challenge. This regatta will be remembered by many of us for years to come.
RESULTS
Go West: Minnesota Monday
The right way to start the week, a video from Jim McDonaugh from the weekend sailing on Buffalo Lake in Minnesota, potential site of the Western Challenge DN regatta.
The Great Western Challenge is “ON” for December 13-15, 2019.
Primary location is Lake Buffalo in Buffalo, MN., sailing out of Sturges Park.
Check back for update on Wednesday and for hotel information.
Think ice!
Western Challenge: Postponed
Via iceboating.net:
The 2019 Western Challenge is Postponed.
We will try again on December 13-15, 2019, at a location to be determined.
Think Ice!
Remembering Randy Johnson DN US4000
Condolences to the family and friends of Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club, Michigan sailor Randy Johnson who recently passed on. His passion for ice sailing made for an extraordinary and beautiful funeral where his DN set up was set up in remembrance.
Sail Siberia 2020
Ice sailors, in March 2020 you have an opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime. Sailing on the largest freshwater lake in the world in one of the most remote areas of the planet is an adventure you’ll never forget. Below, German DN sailor Jörg Bohn G-737 shares his love story to Baikal.
Baikal: What To Know for 2020
Going East!
By DN G-737 Jörg Bohn
Regatta Watch: TWO Western Challenges in Minnesota
Drone shot from the 2019 International Skeeter Association Regatta on Lake Pepin, Lake City, MN Photo: Steve Brown
It’s time to start thinking seriously about ice! The Minnesota Ice Sailors have announced back to back
fun-regattas (non-sanctioned events) for December 2019. Both regattas will take place on the best ice in Minnesota, location to be announced. Information will be posted on the Minnesota Ice Sailing website, iceboating.net.
DN WESTERN CHALLENGE
December 6-8, 2019
Location: TBA, best ice in MN
Mini-Skeeters are also invited to attend and join the party!
SKEETER WESTERN CHALLENGE
December 14-15, 2019
Location: TBA, best ice in MN
Classes: A, B, and C Skeeters
Online Ship’s Store
National Iceboat Authority Web Page
4LIYC Governing Documents
Click for 4LIYC Meeting Dates
- January 2 THURSDAY Honor Roll Nominations
- January 15 Deadline for By-Law or Racing Rules Amendment Submission
- January 29
- February 12 Business Meeting
- February 26
- March 12 Last Meeting of the Season
Location: In person at the Elks Lodge 711 Jenifer St, Madison, WI 53703
Time: 6:30 PM
YOU ARE SKIPPER NUMBER
TO ROUND THE MARK SINCE NOVEMBER 1999.
