Hello All- One of these days I’m hoping to sit down and write up a report about the DN NA champs… As Mark Keifer would have said, “It was EPIC…” Plenty of stories to be told but one of the big ones certainly has to be the success of the Canadian team. They have really stepped it up quite a bit in the last few years and deserve some recognition. We’d also love to know how they’ve done it! Maybe a few clues in this article…. Canadians Best Ever at DN NA’s – Sailing in Canada ..read more

Windswept snow but not Moosehead The weather balance once again turned against us. In the Nort Woods of Maine, we have had warmer temps setting up the potential to sail on Moosehead and the counterbalance was a good dose and more of the white stuff. We are shut out for the weekend with more of the white coming Saturday. Don’t give up just yet. According to Bill Buchholz, a foot of good solid ice is waiting to be uncovered. There are warmer temps and rain next week which could get us out late next week. Last night’s call also included discussions on communication improvements for next season as ..read more

Hey Folks- the March issue is out- take a look and keep tabs on what is going on in the class here and over on the other side of the Pond…. Runner Tracks Newsletter March 2024 – DN North America (idniyra.org) Runner Tracks Newsletter March 2024 – DN North America Deb Whitehorse ..read more

Moosehead Moon 1/23/2016 I have not put pen to paper or fingers to plastic keys since our last piece of sailing most of us did in late February or early March. This would be the time we talk about the proverbial fat lady. The inevitable post that is written with the passing of another iceboat season. Well, I’m not ready just yet. Not ready to tear down and stow my DN. There is a slim chance that Moosehead Lake will give us one last grand send-off. The weather of course will play her hand and we will see. While we await word from the North Woods, we have a few planning details to tackle for nex ..read more

I know many of you are still seeking that, “last sail”of the season, but I have started the transition from hard water to soft…….at least in my mind. I,myself, am satisfied with the season. Although late in arriving, it came in with some sweet plates of ice nearby. this allowed me to leave the rigs, (yes multiple) set up for extended periods. If I arrived and there was no wind, the skates were on in minutes to provided miles of gliding over some wonderfully smooth ice. I even managed to get in a few bike rides with the studded tires pumping more of that fresh air into the body. I was also hap ..read more

After 4 days of racing the Race Committee did an amazing job of getting off a total of 22 races (11 for each fleet) in all kind of conditions. At the awards ceremony, T led with a toast and thanks to "All the boats, planks, and equipment that gave themselves up to the challenges of ice and big wind this week." I won’t go into specifics, but lots of iceboaters will need to go shopping and many more will spend some quality shop time rebuilding stuff. Even T and I suffered damage with my hound breaking on the first windward leg of the 9th race and just as conditions were turning a bit lighter and ..read more

7 hardy souls ventured cautiously onto lake Wentworth today for a march sail. The lake was definitely alive as cracks opened, water seeped up, and barely covered drain holes jumped at you. A safe area for play was established and fresh air and sunshine prevailed ..read more

The Zamboni has visited lake Wentworth and has made a great improvement. Not quite a 10 but a definite sailable 7. Tight to shore still at the 109 launch areas but a few things not perfect. There is a big lead area about 100 meters off of Albee Beach. Don’t know about the backside of Stamp Act Island either. I plan on one more sail, setting up tomorrow. The liquid part off of Albee beach ..read more

We awoke to 3F, snow drifts on the lake, super hard ice, and a building wind. I am pretty sure I have not experienced such a set of changing ice conditions at a regatta before. Although, I am relatively new to this and the gentleman I sat across from at the restaurant has been racing ice boats for 50 years! Each fleet had four races with each race involving a bit more wind than the previous one. Most sailors switched to their MS1 sails and either 95 degree or 100 degree runners. Despite the insane winds of yesterday, I found sailing today much more difficult. The hard ice makes the boat vibrat ..read more

Sorry…I tried posting this yesterday morning but it didn’t go thru….standby for the report on day 3 of sailing. The forecast was for big winds today and the forecast was spot on. The temperature dropped overnight and solidified the surface, but Pat Heppert noted at the skippers meeting the ice depth went from 9-11 inches to 7-9 inches given the incredible heat the day before. Race Committee called the Silver Fleet to the line and Ed Demerest, having had issues with his mast the previous day, finished in third place. Nicely done, Ed! Milo is sailing very consistently, avoiding the big bummers ..read more