iceboating.net Minnesota Ice Sailing Association

What a difference a day makes! Wisc. was hit with snow which took out all of the potential regatta sites close to home. So, with time winding down the race committee selected Charlevoix MI as the site of the DN North American Championships. Racing starts Thursday. Good luck to the Tonka boys. Sail fast. Think ice.

It looks like we are on for racing. Plan on a 2 day shoot-out this Thursday and Friday. Madison seems to be the best ice. Thay will tell us the exact location tomorrow(wed) at 1pm. If it’s Madison, load up your car and plan to drive down on wed after work. Keep an eye on DN North America (http://na.idniyra.org/) for updates. Think Ice!

Publicly, the organizing committee's official positon is that unsettled weather conditions continue to hamper site selection. However, an unidentified source with ties to the committee claims the real reason the regatta was postponed was so Tonka DNers can watch the Vikings’ NFC Championship game on Sunday from the comfort of their homes.

No matter which story you believe, the announcement has been postponed another 24 hours. Next update will be 7:30 PM EST Sunday, January 21, 2018. Keep an eye on DN North America (http://na.idniyra.org/) for updates. Think Ice!

Deb Whitehorse of the IDNIYRA reports: "The organizing committee has postponed the selection of the regatta site until 4:30 PM EST, Saturday, January 20, 2018. ....Registration has been moved to Monday evening, January 22 at the earliest. ...Changing ice surface conditions as the weather pattern moves through these areas is causing the delay."

The odds makers predict we will sail in either Madison or Michigan. No excuse for anyone not to attend if we sail on Mendota. Keep an eye on DN North America (http://na.idniyra.org/) for updates. Think Ice!

Per DN Class Secretary Deb Whitehorse: "The regatta site decision has been postponed for 24 hours because of
unsettled weather conditions in all regions. Thank you for your patience. Next update Friday, January 18 by 10 PM EST."

Keep an eye on DN North America (http://na.idniyra.org/) for updates. Once I hit the road I will be unable to update this site (DN 5432)

The Tonka boys did well this past weekend in Madison. JD was 2nd. Doctor tied for 3rd but finished fourth when he lost a tie breaker to Chicago's Chris Berger. Rob was 5th. Mike 6th. Solum 9th. That's 5 Tonka boats in the top 10! Steve Orlebeke of the Pewaukee Ice Sailing Squadron (Team Piss) took top honors. Despite the bitter cold it was a great regatta sailed on hard fast ice. Western Region Commodore Dan Hearn and his crew of volunteers deserves high praise for their hard work. See you at the North American Championships. Until then, THINK ICE!

https://youtu.be/xAIl7z9uJfU
I hope all of Mn is on the road to this grade 9 ice. If not pack up and hit the road at 4AM Sat.
You won’t be disappointed!

checked ice some 1” drifts. somewhat marginal for dn but ok for nites etc. forecast for sun temp and wind favorable. meyer. ps. dn still hoping to be in madison for west reg

We sailed the Western Region Championship regatta on Minnesota’s Green Lake in Spicer, MN., back in 2012. For that one weekend in January the sleepy town of Spicer was abuzz with excitement as “those crazy ice boaters were racing around the lake at freeway speeds.”

To paraphrase Yogi Berra; " It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future!"

The current storm heading our way is definitely a concern. Will it be rain or snow or miss us altogether. Who knows?!!! Western Region Commodore Dan Hearn said today that we need to wait until Thursday, and maybe even Friday noon, before he is able to make a regatta decision. Stay tuned and keep an eye on DN North America (http://na.idniyra.org/) for details!

Think Ice!

This could be the weekend for the DN Western Regional Championship regatta. We all know it has been colder than snot so ice thickness should not be an issue. Regatta organizers are watching the weather and will should make a preliminary call late Wednesday. Keep an eye on DN North America (http://na.idniyra.org/) for details.

Think Ice.

Here's the video, pretty tough conditions today, but had a blast!!!!! Ice was awesome, snow was super sticky. I made the mistake of bringing my short runners, and there were way more 3" drifts than I thought. The new high wind blade sail was perfect to keep it safe today.
https://youtu.be/eV9WLUqJp4c

(click for picture and more) I went ice skating this morning (-5F) on Lake Minnetonka from Minnetonka Yacht club. As you already know, the snow is about like Styrofoam, but in the sailing area of the main lake the snow covered areas were generally less than 0.75" with very occasionally up to 1.5", and I was able to skate through most of it with some effort. I don't see any reason why this plate isn't sailable, especially with warmer temp tomorrow. I plan on setting up the Skeeter on Sunday 1/7/18. Should be a good day, so come out and play.

miller and i found 1.5” drifts wed. wind and temp up for sun. might be boatable. anyone up for it. sail out of? harrys. behind light house island. tonka nay. meyer

...something about frigid temps, styrofoam drifts, light air and, oh yeah, Meyer!

Green Lake or Lake Geneva could easily freeze. It could be called on for Jan 13 and 14. Check back next Wednesday. Keep an eye on DN North America (http://na.idniyra.org/) for details. They typically update the site on Wednesdays.

Think Ice.