Talk Talk…

Vixen image borrowed from the http://hudsonrivericeyachting.blogspot.com/ – Hope we her up on Winni this Spring.

It seems like that is all I have been doing the past few weeks. Talk about iceboating with friends, family, fellow softwater sailors and of course all of you ice devotees. Some of the non-devotees have lost interest so I was forced to go on the road this past weekend.

Saturday, first stop Week’s Yacht Yard Patchogue NY on Long Island. Located about halfway between the Throgs Neck Bridge and Montauk right on the Great South Bay. Thanks to all the guys at the Lake Ronkonkoma Iceboat club for good conversation and a freshly grilled burger. My first iceboat sail was on Lake Ronkonkoma so I always have fond memories of the place and people. Great to see all the LI people in one place and know our conversations will continue on the ice somewhere.

Sunday, brought me to Hudson NY and the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club‘s annual meeting. The HRIYC are iceboat historical custodians for the Jack Frost, Vixen and so many other boats. From time to time over the past 20+, I have ventured onto the Hudson to sail with the museum boats. The Hudson sailors might be the most patient iceboaters in the northeast as their venue does not freeze ever year and its a real chore to cart 1000’s of pounds of boat parts and gear to a new venue. We all share a passion for iceboating whether piloting a craft made of carbon fiber and constructed in an autoclave or rescued from a barn and lovingly restored to 1800’s splendor.

I let the group know that we have been keeping a keen eye on Winni over the past couple of years and wanted them to once again bring some of the big boats up for a Frolic. All were keen on the idea and pledged to make it happen if conditions cooperate.

The 2020 Wooden Boat Calendar featured Vixen one of the HRIYC’s boats for January. Nice to see an iceboat make the cut. Here are a couple places to check it out or just Google. NOAH Publications and Landfall

See everyone at the Lamb Tune-up in Canton MA this Saturday 10 – 3 PM. Details Here   https://theneiya.org/2019/11/17/annual-tune-up-saturday-december-14th/

SO ENOUGH, TALK TALK and on to the doing part. Good luck to the NEIYA members that have ventured out to the Western Challenge to tune with the top tier. We look forward to hearing about what looks like near-perfect conditions.

Lastly, reports are coming in from all over and some are venturing out for a look and test. Careful out there with new ice and keep the information flow coming so we can gather when conditions allow.

Think Ice,

John
DN5023
John@neiya.org

P.S. FYI as some have noted Yahoo is about to turn off the Yahoo Groups including the Iceboating group many of us have been on for quite a few years. Doug Sharp and I are in the process of archiving all the content so it is not lost forever. I encourage everyone that has content on the Yahoo Iceboating group to download their own content HERE and follow the instructions. last call is December 14, though there are rumors they will extend that through the end of January but I would not bet on it. Now is the time to get your stuff before Yahoo does a big purge.