Ames Farm launch Winnipesaukee 2010 Seeking Photographer

Anyone recognize the above picture? It was taken at Ames Farm on Winnipesaukee in 2010. Bill Buchholz from Maine and President of the Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club  is looking to track down the original picture for an iceboating book project he is working on.

If you have no idea where Ames Farm on Winni is you might just be a newbie and should be on our call next Wednesday details below.

Let the fun begin. Remember all members, non members, racers, cruisers, seasoned, and newbies welcome. Seriously if you have ever thought about iceboating this is the year to do something about it. Email me for password john@neiya.org.

Zoom Meeting Info:

Topic: Annual Gathering Venue & Newbie Intro
Time: Sep 30, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88295236307?pwd=TnE0a090RFZrVjVRa01zc1FSaUdXZz09

Meeting ID: 882 9523 6307
Passcode: Email John at john@neiya.org for password
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,88295236307#,,,,,,0#,,5023# US (New York)

Think Ice and be safe,

John Stanton
NEIYA, Commodore
DN5023
john@neiya.org

And you thought your travels are tough…

To clarify the Zoom meeting is next Wednesday, Sept 30th. Sorry about the confusion. Details below and just email or text me for the password.

John

All,

I know I said there would be an announcement on our annual gathering location but in typical iceboating fashion, we have to put off the announcement till next week. Some conditions have changed in the background and our first choice has fallen through.

Several people have expressed interest in or are new iceboaters this season. I would like to take the opportunity to welcome them and answer any questions during this zoom meeting. Don’t have a boat now is the time to start putting one together. Hope to have lots of newbies online next Wednesday. Please feel free to reach out to me directly.

Zoom Meeting Info:

Topic: Annual Gathering Venue & Newbie Intro
Time: Sep 30, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88295236307?pwd=TnE0a090RFZrVjVRa01zc1FSaUdXZz09

Meeting ID: 882 9523 6307
Passcode: Email John at john@neiya.org for password
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,88295236307#,,,,,,0#,,5023# US (New York)

Dial by your location
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 882 9523 6307
Passcode: Email John at john@neiya.org for password
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/khaRTbGlE

Think Ice,

John Stanton
Commodore, NEIYA
DN5023
john@neiya.org

And you thought your travels are tough…

All,

I know I said there would be an announcement on our annual gathering location but in typical iceboating fashion, we have to put off the announcement till next week. Some conditions have changed in the background and our first choice has fallen through.

Several people have expressed interest in or are new iceboaters this season. I would like to take the opportunity to welcome them and answer any questions during this zoom meeting. Don’t have a boat now is the time to start putting one together. Hope to have lots of newbies online next Wednesday. Please feel free to reach out to me directly.

Zoom Meeting Info:

Topic: Annual Gathering Venue & Newbie Intro
Time: Sep 30, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88295236307?pwd=TnE0a090RFZrVjVRa01zc1FSaUdXZz09

Meeting ID: 882 9523 6307
Passcode: Email John at john@neiya.org for password
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,88295236307#,,,,,,0#,,5023# US (New York)

Dial by your location
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 882 9523 6307
Passcode: Email John at john@neiya.org for password
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/khaRTbGlE

Think Ice,

John Stanton
Commodore, NEIYA
DN5023
john@neiya.org

Eric Aho: Ice Cuts (1932), 2010 Oil on linen / The ice, competitors, friends, and your boats are calling. Heed the call!

All,

Current members, past members, fellow iceboaters, those with any interest in iceboating, and those dealing with a loved one affliced with ice fever all are welcome to this years NEIYA Fall Gathering on Saturday October 24th.

I do not have to remind everyone that things are different this year and understand that some people legitimatly may not want to attend a traditional gathering. These concerns have weighed heavy on myself and the managment commitee but everyone of us want to make it happen. And so it shall be.

Things will be different this year as we navigate state the and local regulations and even more important our own comfort levels.

We will be holding a short Zoom meeting next Thursday evening to discuss the venue and the upcoming season. All are welcome. Please email me for details.

If you have any thoughts or concerns please reach out to me directly.

Think Ice,

John

Commodore, NEIYA
DN5023
John@neiya.org

The Oyster Ponds Historical Society in Orient has a display of iceboating photos and memorabilia. The late 1800’s Orient Stern Steerer “Red Bird is on display with many OIYC and earlier photos. Doug Hardy, Richard Gluckman and I participated in a Q & A session this morning and were able to talk iceboats and iceboating. Richard had his DN set up outside. It was a nice way to get back in the swing of things. Mikehttps://oysterpondshistoricalsociety.org/event/summer-exhibition-iceboating-in-oysterponds-open-to-the-public/

Take a moment, folks.

Spare a thought for the victims, responders, survivors….

….kind of anyway. Mike Bloom sent this photo of frost on a windshield out in Minnesota…. tune up, kids….

Must be getting cold up there…. Andre, Robin and Jacek have their boats out and we can only guess at what they are up to….

Time to get cracking!

James “T” Thieler
12 Channing St.
Newport, RI. 02840

401 258 6230
t_thieler@yahoo.com

Comet Neowise C/2020 F3 Photo Credit: Mike Acebo

I can’t speak for everyone but know many of us have been looking for answers. Since the beginning of time man has looked to the stars. I got a great glimpse of the comet in July. Comets have been and still are considered harbingers. Comet Neowise C/2020 F3 is the harbinger of fast-moving ice and water and a great iceboating season to come. Thanks to Mike Acebo for his frozen water comet picture.

We have been agonizing over our annual meeting for well over a month. Staying optimistic has not changed the grim realities of the COVID-19 virus. Let’s remember that is we are iceboaters. We persevere through the adverse, press on through the night and early morning hours, and find a way to make it happen.

That said, we have scheduled the gathering for October 24th. Due to circumstances, the format will be different and the venue at this moment is not firm. Kind of like iceboating in general. I promise the venue will be somewhere in New England and certainly not in Montana. Though I know some would drive that far to attend. Our gathering will be held in a safe, legal, and responsible manner.

We will announce the venue and additional particulars on Thursday, September 24th via our website. Stay tuned.

Can’t make the event? We will be holding a series of online events covering various topics and hosted by some of our resident experts. More details to come. Topics include but not limited to how to get started, connecting equipment buyers and sellers (online open-air iceboat marketplace), building and maintenance, race prep, race tactics, and more… Suggestions are welcome of course and if you want to host a topic just let me know.

Stay Safe & Sail Fast,

John Stanton
NEIYA, Commodore
john@neiya.org

Hey Folks- Hope everyone is having a safe and happy Labor Day. Winter sailing season is right around the corner, and this video should get you fired up if you aren’t already- click and enjoy! T

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwbssUi4kyA

Hey Gang- If you are ready to hit the road and get in on some wind-powered fun take a look at the CIBC website-

Bill Bucholz has been organizing a landsailing event up in Maine, should be a good one!

Check the link and keep an eye on the CIBC site for details-

https://iceboat.me/2020/08/28/two-weeks-to-loring-2020/

If you are ever in Osterville MA there is something to be seen….

On your way to Crosby’s Yacht Yard (72 Crosby Cir, Osterville, MA 02655) you’ll see a big red boat in someone’s back yard. It will look familiar and yet out of place, odd to see a boat that size in a back yard.

A closer look will reveal that it is Il Moro De Venezia, the 1992 challenger for the America’s Cup. She was the fifth(!) boat built by that syndicate and won the challenger series by a nose from the New Zealand challenge. The Kiwi campaign was notable that year for a boat with a twin keel and a bowsprit. She showed flashes of speed but the Kiwis just couldn’t get her dialed in enough to edge out the Italians. There were some amazing moments along the way, with some races being decided by a matter of feet.

As you pull away, scratching your head and making a note to look these races up on YouTube you will next be taken aback by the boat Il Moro met in the Cup final that year, Bill Koch’s America3 (“America Cubed”). The boat sits on the grounds of the Nauticus Marina (339 W Bay Rd, Osterville, MA 02655). She was the end product of a massive, science-driven, spare no expense campaign. They went through several design iterations, tried out dozens of crew, went through several skippers, developed a totally new sailcloth (known as “cuben-fiber”), and recruited the best builders and technicians available.

Two of these were Bill Mattison and Jeff Kent. Bill had worked on the Heart Of America campaign in 1987 and had been building and racing soft water and hard water boats in Madison, Wisconsin for decades prior to that. He is a legend in the Skeeter class and among any type of iceboater. In fact, he is going into the National Sailing Hall Of Fame this fall (see my earlier post about him). His years of building and sailing Skeeters helped develop the skills needed to be a key part of the shore support team for the delicate, highly strung IACC class yacht. His fingerprints are all over that program….

We all know Jeff Kent. He started messing around with carbon fiber in the early 1980’s, making parts for DN iceboats and Tornado catamarans and who knows what else. He was drawn into the A3 program to build spars, spinnaker poles, jockey poles, steering gear, and miscellaneous other bits. His fingerprints are also all over the place on that boat….

One of the key bits was a kelp cutter on the leading edge of the keel. The kelp in San Diego was all over the place and frequently would get caught on the vertical leading edges of the keel fins. Crews would try to dislodge the strands with poles, poking at them as the boat sailed along. The extra drag was bad enough but the distraction had to be even worse. As I understand it Bill and Jeff went to work and developed a system that would slice the kelp off, basically a utility knife blade that slid down a VERY narrow groove on the front edge of the keel fin when pushed down by a crew member on the boat. It worked like a charm and certainly was a factor in the close races!

So congrats to Bill and Jeff for being part of that. Another iceboater that was involved was a guy named Buddy Melges, another Wisconsinite who sailed scows and Skeeters a bit….

Of course he is yet another legend and he was the man who steered during the races. No doubt the scows and skeeters prepared him well- The proof is in the final score! His fingerprints are there too- And I’m willing to bet that even in the middle of an America’s Cup race his mind was on winter sailing here and there….

Well done boys!

Check out the photos-
First is A3
Second is the top of the keel fin- look closely and you can spot the tube that housed the rod used to push the knife blade down the leading edge- you can see the groove in the leading edge as well
Third is the deck of A3
Fourth is Il Moro on somebody’s lawn….
Fifth is the head on view
Sixth is looking in from the stern, traveler track and steering wheels