Happy Thanksgiving to all. Hoping everyone is safe and enjoying some level of the usual traditions. Things are not the same but I am thankful we can preserve some level of normalcy. We have already gone virtual for a few events and there are discussions about more as well as safe, sensible, responsible, and compliant ice time. We are in a fluid situation so stand by. Keep Saturday, December 12 in mind. Details to follow.

Big events are just not going to happen this year but with miles of ice coming to bogs, frog ponds, small lakes, and big ice we will sail.

Hope everyone enjoyed the Iron Duck Movie featuring a couple of our own Vermont Iceboaters Bob Dill and Schumacher. Through their endless determination, they earned a place in sailing history. Special thanks to the director of Iron Duck Ben Dolenc for bringing the Iron Duck Story to all of us last week and to screens of all sizes. While the NEIYA sponsored watch party has come and gone you can still see the film here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/iron-duck-watch-party-tickets-130323688661. If you love sailing on ice, dirt, and going fast it’s a must-see.

Make and keep a promise to call an iceboat friend this long weekend. Talk about the great times you have had, what you need to get on the ice again and how and when blades will meet the ice again. Be thankful for the ice time we have had together and for the ice time yet to come.

Think Ice and be safe,

John Stanton
Commodore, NEIYA
DN5023
John@neiya.org

P.S. Check out the Pocket Skeeter that just went up on our Classified Section. Available from one of our premier boat builders Bill Buchholz. https://theneiya.org/classifieds/

Brian Langley reports that Bella, the youngest sailor in our fleet, is just too big to fit in her BDX-8 this year. She will be upsizing to a brand new BDX-10. The craft will be running a small 24″ springboard to bring it to LOA @ about 12ft. This will sail on a glass mast formerly owned by John Pepper with a clean 45 sq ft skimmer sail.

Brian modified the plan to lighten the overall weight of the hull. The lightening mods include 3/4 x 3/4 frames and truss work, 3/8th one pcs ply-wood floor, and 1/4″ side skins. He believes it should come in right around 60 pounds with foot steering assembly and springboard. The craft also features a nice 7″ trunk for safety gear, lunch etc. And open bulkheads with corner bracing. Given the light weight of both craft and pilot it ought to really scream down the ice.

Also on the building bench are two new BDX-12’s one for himself and one for Doug sharp they should be on schedule for this season’s ice. Doug has been in semi retirement for a few years and this proves that once bitten by the iceboat illness you are a lifer. We are looking forward to seeing Doug back on the ice again.

Go Bella! Good luck with your new rig. With your power to weight ratio you may just have the fastest acceleration out there. Can’t wait to see our youngest member ripping up the ice again this season.

What can I say about this video? There is beautiful ice and a desire to slide across it. Hopefully the wind picked up later as I am sure Charlie S. wore himself out after picking for a while.

We are moving towards that first sail-able ice part of the season but it may out of reach for many of us. Have patience there is will come to your state.

Covid will impact some of our usual pre-ice activities. Traveling to different states to gather and discuss tuning and safety topics may not allowed and not a wise idea at this time. We are looking to focus more locally and are open to ideas and suggestions. Whatever happens looks like we will be staying closer to home so lets start looking locally.

One thing we can all enjoy is the viewing of Bob Dill and Schumacher’s Iron Duck Documentary. I am in the final stages of setting up the group viewing and will make the announcement shortly.

Think Ice and be safe,

John
DN5023
John@neiya.org

As announced Sunday we are a GO for our Go Fast, Go Faster, Tune for Speed and Win conference call. Tonight Tuesday, November 10th, 7:00 pm. We have a panel of experts lined up to share their secrets and to help you finish closer to the top.

Send me an email for the conference call login info, John@neiya.org. See you Tuesday, November 10th 7:00 pm

John Stanton
Commodore, NEIYA
DN5023
John@neiya.org

P.S. Don’t put it off the season is coming.

In the past couple of months, we had doubts about whether we could have our annual event. Well, we pulled it off in a Covid safe way. Thanks to everyone that adhered to Covid guidelines. From the Swap through lunch and our Annual Meeting things moved smoothly.

The Thompson Speedway was a fitting venue for a group of speed enthusiasts and a good collection of competitive individuals. The theme of the day like most everything we do was “Go Fast”. Fast cars and fast boats. This place was made just for us.

It was nice to chat with some new boaters and also to speak with others who are returning from a long time away. It reminds me of how much information we have gathered over our time on the ice and how valuable it is to others who are trying to get some blades on the ice. A common feature among members of the NEIYA is that we enjoy passing on any advice we have.

Boats changed hands and went home with new owners. We welcomed a couple of new iceboaters into the fold this time around and wish them well in their first season. We as a club have committed to helping them get up to speed in this and future seasons.

Big boats and small boats. There was something for everyone and more than enough equipment to fulfill many dreams. DN sailors looking at bigger boats and everyone trying to figure out how they can take home a BlowKart for the warmer and the time leading up to first ice.

Following lunch, we had our Annual Meeting where we closed out the 2020 season with a checkered flag and welcomed the new season waving a green flag. Full meeting minutes will be published soon.

Highlights include The recognition of the intrepid who ventured all the way to Montana for the DN Gold Cup and NAs. The epic ice many of us sailed on at Winnipesaukee over a couple of weeks. We ran all of our key races this past season and ended up with a lot of cruising ice time as well. On the new race front, Bill Buchholtz took first place in the inaugural Presidents Day Cup. We look forward to Bill defending his throne next year. Speaking of thrones. As most of you know James “T” Thieler returned from Montana as the New North American DN Champion. Way to go T!

Vice Commodore Jay Whitehair a First Responder in Norwich VT specializing in ice rescue, gave a safety and rescue demonstration and I know every one of us learned something from Jay. We are very lucky to have a seasoned pro standing by to help us learn to be safer. To quote Jay First thing one does in an emergency is “Call 911” and begin rescue and first-aid. One of the recurring themes in Jay’s lectures is putting together a personal safety kit.

To help members build their own kits, Mylar Space Blankets were distributed to all attending members in good standing. The blanket giveaway was made possible through a bulk at cost purchase through Landfall Navigation. If you couldn’t be at the event yours will be coming in the mail. Nudge Nudge, pay your dues!

Thanks to all that that helped make this event possible. I may not have been able to talk to everyone but I know that our Secretary Karen Binder did. Thanks, Karen for working the crowd and collecting member information from everyone. Our membership role is our most important and pretty much only asset. I feel very confident in entrusting it to your care. Everyone, please remember to update Karen if your contact info changes during the season.

Thanks to Bob Haag for keeping our number balanced and in order and providing insights on where we are from a financial perspective. Bob was wandering about the Swap and im sure many of you had the opportunity to speak with him about building and boat maintenance. If you did not there will be other opportunities in the future.

T what can I say but thanks for your tireless dedication to our sport and the time you devote to helping others compete and go fast. Thanks for shepherding NEIYA racing last year and congratulations on getting the races in. We are all looking forward to your carrying on as Race Committee Chairman this coming season.

Special thanks to Henry Capotosto for suggesting the Thompson Speedway and working behind the scenes to make this happen. Henry has held many positions in the NEIYA leadership team over the years and currently sits on the Governing Committee. Next time you see Henry on or off the ice please thank him for his tireless behind-the-scenes efforts. Without Henry and other volunteers, the NEIYA would not exist.

And of course thanks to everyone who attended and those that wanted to but were logistically challenged. During these times it is important to ground ourselves with familiarity and to us that is iceboating. I am glad we were able to put together an event that people felt comfortable enough to attend. Outdoors is safer and we will see people out in the elements this winter.

We are all looking forward to a safe and fast sailing season. I know the people in Maine are keeping a watchful eye on Plymouth Pond. This could happen before Thanksgiving so drag your boat and gear out of storage this weekend.

Think Ice and Sail Safe,

John Stanton
NEIYA, Commodore
DN5023
John@neiya.org

P.S. We are moving ahead with lining up the right people for our race and race tune conference call. Stay tuned for more details.