Hey Folks-

If you are DN Class member be sure to vote on the latest ballot- only takes a few minutes to get familiar with the items and cast your voice heard.

Vote early and often!

Notice of Electronic Ballot – DN North America (idniyra.org)

It may be June but the hard-water world is still out there waiting…. Pass the time with the latest Runner Tracks!

See it online or custom order a paper copy- And congrats to cover boy Jost Kolb!

Runner Tracks – DN North America (idniyra.org)

Hey Folks- Sad to say another legend has gone over the bar…. Raise a glass and toast a life well lived!

Sail on Buddy- I don’t know how the hell you did it, but you sure as hell did!

One of my favorite “Buddy Moments” was during the 1987 America’s Cup in a Fremantle, Australia.

A reporter was asking him what is was like to drive a highly tuned, thoroughbred racing machine like a 12 Meter…. obviously looking for a response along the lines of “Well you’re on the edge the whole time…. One wrong twitch and it’s disaster, have to be afraid to panic etc….”

Buddy just shrugged his shoulders, grinned ever so slightly and said “Well, it’s like drivin’ a truck.”

The reporter was slack-jawed.

Classic!

More here….

https://www.iceboat.org/2023/05/18/buddy-melges-fair-winds-endless-black-ice/

Hey Folks-

If you have some time this Saturday and want to learn about a true legend make your way to the CT Spring Boat Show and catch this biography of the one and only Buddy Melges!

This guy has done it all- He has won Olympic Gold, the America’s Cup, Star World Championships, a ton of Scow championships, and a metric ton of iceboat regattas. Just amazing. Obviously and real competitor and by all accounts a good guy to boot!

Learn more about the man at the premier. If you can’t make it we will try to find out where we can all see it later on.

Think ICE!

April 29

Buddy Melges Documentary Premiering at the CT Spring Boat Show in support of Sails Up 4 Cancer Saturday, April 29 MELGES: The Wizard of Zenda, a film about the life of sailing legend Buddy Melges, will have its Connecticut premiere in conjunction with this year’s Connecticut Spring Boat Show at Safe Harbor Essex Island in Essex, CT, on Saturday, April 29. The ninety-minute movie will have two showings hosted at the Essex Yacht Club at 1:30 and 4:30. Tickets will be $20 with half of the proceeds going to benefit Sails Up 4 Cancer. These RSVP-only tickets will also provide access to the Connecticut Spring Boat Show all weekend long. Tickets are available at https://www.windcheckmagazine.com/shop/ These premiers are being sponsored by the Eastern Connecticut Sailing Association and Precision Tech Manufacturing, maker of stainless steel turnbuckles and other marine products. The two showings are limited to the first seventy people. Advance ticket purchasing is strongly encouraged as these shows will likely sell out. Wizard of Zenda takes the viewer on a wild ride through the career of one of the greatest sailors in the history of the sport. The movie tells the untold story of Buddy Melges, a fiercely competitive but beloved sailor who won Olympic medals and championships, and his quest to capture the pinnacle of sailing, the America’s Cup. Melges was an entertaining character who shared everything he knew and refused to take himself too seriously. His intuitive, some would say mystical, powers to see and feel the wind, along with his home base of Zenda, WI combined to earn him the well-deserved nickname: The Wizard of Zenda. Melges won the respect and admiration of his peers and adversaries. Many of sailing’s biggest icons were interviewed for the film, including three-time America’s Cup winner Dennis Conner, Australian champion John Bertrand, former ESPN sailing analyst and America’s Cup winner Gary Jobson, and Bill Koch, the billionaire businessman who teamed up with Melges in the 1992 America’s Cup. Quicklier Film Partners Executive Producer Anne Peterson chose longtime partner and filmmaker Mark Honer to write and direct Wizard of Zenda. “It’s been a long road, but we’re excited to share this amazing story,” said Peterson, who grew up sailing the same waters as Melges at Lake Geneva, WI. “Many people know about Buddy’s championships, but not many know how he used that winning platform to teach not just sailing, but lessons about humility, honesty, persistence and overcoming adversity.” Through exhaustive research, the filmmakers uncovered film and video ranging from a 1946 regional regatta, when Buddy was 16, to a world iceboat championship in 1991, which he won at the age of 71. “We told sailors we were producing a film about Buddy Melges and doors magically opened,” said Honer. “The jackpot was getting unprecedented access to over 100 hours of behind-the-scenes archival footage of the 1992 America3 campaign.” Quicklier Film Partners is partnering with organizations and sponsors to distribute the documentary through private screenings, events and film festivals. To learn more visit Sail.  For more information about the CT Spring Boat Show, including the screening time for Wizard of Zenda, a list of exhibitors, schedules for seminars and live music, and to purchase advance tickets, log onto CTSpringBoatShow.com. Sails Up 4 Cancer | su4c.org Connect with us courtney powered by Try email marketing for free today!

Hey Folks!

The season may be in the books but there is plenty to keep us all interested here-

Hosted by Henry Bossett and Deb Whitehorse, this promises to be a real treat for racing and cruising fans alike.

Click the link to have a look and register- Look forward to comparing notes with everyone afterward.

Think ICE!

Virtual Lecture “The Exciting World of Iceboating” April 30 – iceboat.org

Hey Folks-
Sounds like last weekend was good up at Moosehead Lake- the ice was solid and there was plenty of it, vertically and especially horizontally!

Could be in play this weekend too- great excuse to blow off Easter and tax deadlines and do something fun-

Keep an eye on the CIBC website for details- Here is the latest:

Great forecast, conditions getting better by the day. It’s a sweet bone tossed out by Mother Nature for we iceboaters. It was a challenging season; the least she could do is give us back to back weekends on The Big Ice.
We have six skippers own board so far. Just use the comment thing below to check in if you are coming.
The goal will be to circumnavigate Sugar Island, which we did successfully last year. Iceboater’s Banquet at Kellys Landing Saturday night!
Launch at Greenville Junction public landing.

No secret we are getting to the end but I know people are still itching for one more day on the ice.

The CIBC recently updated their Pushaw lake potential to a NO but still believe Moosehead has possibilities in a couple days. If it is sailable I know the guys in Maine will find a way to make it happen and throw out the welcome mat.

Our Iceboating friends to the north are very hopeful for sailing outside Montreal.

Bertold Park in Baie d’Urfé, Quebec, just outside Montreal. It has a big parking lot with good ice access and is situated next to the Baie d’Urfé Yacht Club. This plate will be checked again tomorrow.

Both potential venues will be checked out over the next couple of days, and we will report back.

If you are looking for an ice adventure that is not sailing there is a world record attempt going on right now on Long Lake, Maine north of Caribou and Loring AFB (former) home of the Northeast’s biggest landsailing venue and regattas. There will be more Loring info in the next few weeks.

The Northern Maine Ice Busters group is currently attempting to construct the World’s Largest Ice Carousel. Finland currently holds the record at 1,692 feet (516 meters). The Ice Busters are aiming for an independence-like record of 1776 feet (541.3 meters). This should be quite a spectacle and not something one sees very often. Check out coverage of the attempt https://www.facebook.com/NMIB21

We will have our usual call at 6:30 tonight and maybe our last to discuss any breaking news, details, etc. The call may spawn a caravan to Montreal or Northern Maine.

Think Ice,

John
DN5023
John@neiya.org

Does anyone know where we might be able to get 900 million gallons of heavy water? It freezes at 39 degrees Fahrenheit and would be enough to fill a 500-acre pond to about five feet deep. That would surely extend our season on both ends. Start working on your deuterium-based steel runners for peak performance.

Spring is only days old and we are looking to make the most of it with some sailing. Some of the best iceboating days I have had over the years have been in spring-like or officially spring days.

After last week’s great Pushaw turnout and the CIBC’s successful completion of the Century Race (100 miles), the next venue rumors are again flying about where the next sailing opportunity will be. Moosehead Lake in Maine as well as locations in the greater Montreal area. The Canadian locations are typically just north of the St Lawrence River. Even though you will need a passport it is not that far and for some of us closer than domestic options.

Note, the above are just rumors at this point and will need to be confirmed over the next couple of days.

Don’t put your gear away just yet, as there is more hardwater sailing to be had.

Our regular call will be at 6:30 tonight. Not sure we will have any definitive weekend plans but show up to discuss.

Think Ice and Sail Fast,

John
DN5023
john@neiya.org

Hey Folks-

Don’t throw the towel in just yet-

As you may have heard Pushaw was in fine form last weekend and we are hearing rumors of the ice hanging in there around Kingston / Montreal, Pushaw Lake and also Moosehead Lake a little further north up in Maine.

Don’t forget that we sailed Moosehead in early April last year… It was a blast! So get your taxes done, keep the boats loaded and ready, and stay tuned to this site (and the CIBC site at Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club) for the latest info.

Could be cruising, another Century Race, scratch racing, or even a regional regatta. You never know!

Think Ice and stay tuned…. T

Hey Folks-

Last Monday several sailors were able to complete a 100 Mile race up at Pushaw Lake in Maine.

Looked like a good day for it- good breeze, hard ice and a big lake….

While I didn’t participate I did pick up at least one tip for anyone trying this; Make sure to have a reliable way to count the laps! When each lap is over 12 miles it’s easy to lose count!

In any case congrats to all the finishers, especially the folks in the smaller boats. Well done!

Check out the video here: Thanks to Herb Crosby.
Century Ice Boat Race – YouTube

Century Ice Boat Race

It’s been quite a while, since I have been able to press fingers to keys with something hopeful. Well, there is a whisper coming out of the PIne Tree State. Bill Bichholz has reported potentially favorable conditions on Pushaw Lake. That name has been tossed around over the last few weeks during our open weekly discussions and reported on both here and on the Chickawaukie site.

At this point one should read what Bill’s condition report on Pushaw. I know that sometimes the best ice times, like skiing, are often the first tracks. Taking a chance and being rewarded is a rewarding and unique natural sailing experience.

Check out the Pushaw Report: ON post and decide if and when you want to travel North. More updates promised so check iceboat.me for the latest, including where people are considering staying.

Think Ice,

John
DN5023
john@neiya.org

Typically the news of a winter storm is exciting, as they are all part of the winter experience and contribute to the freeze cycles of our lakes. The snow is for skiing, but we have not gotten in much local sailing this season.

Our ongoing mantra, “we are not done yet” or “I am not done yet” continues to ring. Black Ice prospects are gone, but there is some grey ice, in our near future.

According to fresh local intel, only a few inches of the white stuff fell on lakes surrounding Bangor. Purshaw Lake is often a first-ice mecca. The lake is outside Old Town, Maine home of Old Town Canoe. I stopped by to visit my canoe’s birthplace the last time I was there. I was not the only tourist doing the same thing and bet many readers of this piece have a canoe or two of the same heritage.

Why is this important? Looking across and a little outside our region the potential sweet spots look to be around Bangor and perhaps Pushaw in a few days. This is outside many people usual travel zones but this year has been a challenge and iceboat fever is raging.

Block some travel time, coordinate with travel partner(s), and stand at the ready for the call. It will likely be last minute and any day of the week, so have your travel bag ready.

We will again gather on the phone to help coordinate our next ice pilgrimage.

Think Ice,

John
DN5023
john@neiya.org