2020 Northwest Ice Yacht Racing Association Information
March 13-15,2020
Lake Waconia, Minnesota
Regatta Watch: Nite Nationals Called ON
Nite Skippers
Nite Nationals has been tentatively called ON for February 9 & 10, 2019.
Potential locations are:
Madison area (Mendota, Monona or Kegonsa)
PewaukeeSouthern Wisconsin has experienced thawing conditions during the past 24 hours with another 12 hours of above-freezing temps and rain. Current forecasts call for a hard freeze and below freezing temps beginning on Monday. We expect that this may produce sailable ice on one of these four lakes. Ice scouts will be out the next few days and also Wednesday and after their reports and careful review of the forecasts we will make a final regatta call on Wednesday, February 6, by 9 PM CST.
Please check the class website for more updates.
Pre-register for the regatta now on our class website and save the $10.00 late registration fee that will be charged those who register after 12 noon, CST on Friday, February 8.
Shop Watch: First, the Paint
Via Greg Whitehorse’s post on the 4LIYC Facebook page.
Down at the Whitehorse/Krueger Boat Works. Measuring up a spot for upcoming lettering on Ken’s new Skeeter. WARRIOR VI. Previous: Skeeter Swap Meet.
Regatta Watch: WSSA Postponed
Thank you Thomas Olheden for sharing these photos of this historic stern-steerer NORA of Sweden.
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to February 16 and 17, 2019. The next update will be Sunday, February 10. Check back here at that time.
Winnebago was totally covered in 6″ of snow yesterday with large drifts. Today it is 90% clear with 2″ to 6″ deep water on the ice. Conditions are changing rapidly, we may be able to sail soon!
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
4LIYC Meeting News
Photo: gretchendorian.com
Angelo’s Italian Restaurant, home base for 4LIYC meetings, suffered a major kitchen fire during the recent extreme cold snap. Angelo’s will be closed for at least a month while they repair the damage. In the meantime, we continue to look for another meeting place. We hope to have news for you tomorrow as to where the club will meet this Wednesday, February 6.
In The News: Toledo Ice Yacht Club
Happy 100th to the Toledo Ice Yacht Club where they are hosting Winterfest today. If you are in the area and want to see what iceboating is all about, this is the place to experience it. Check out the article and accompanying video.
Ice boat racing a pastime in Point Place
JAY SKEBBA
Blade Staff Writer
jskebba@theblade.com
Mr [Kent]. Baker said ice boaters and racers have created a sense of community with each other.
“I’ve been in the club over 20 years, so I’ve known a lot of these people that long,” he said. “You make friends and end up traveling together with random people. The guy I went to Maine with, we’ll call each other up and talk about going somewhere to race. A lot of times we’re the only ones nutty enough to do it.” Read more.
Windsurfing Championships @ Fond du Lac – Feb 5-10
Andy Gratton & WISCONSIN enjoying the festivities at the 2015 WISSA on Lake Winnebago
While we wait for slightly warmer weather and the great Zamboni to arrive, George Gerhardt passes along news of an event that will keep our winter instincts sharp, the WISSA Windsurfing Championships on Lake Winnebago at Fond du Lac. Not only is there windsurfing, it’s also the Sturgeon Spectacular, a big celebration of winter. Check it all out here.
February in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin can only mean one thing. Sturgeon Spectacular. We will be celebrating our 4th year in 2019 and will be welcoming back the Ice & Snow Sailing World Championships presented by Alliant Energy, The Wisconsin State Snow Sculpting Competition, Boogie & the Yo-Yo’z, Running of the Sturgeon Parade, an outdoor curling competition, the Inaugural Sturgeon Spearing and Beering event at Lakeside Park presented by Lakefront Brewery, and much, much more! Read more.
“Graceful Boats” of the Northwest
Enjoy the artistry of how iceboats look from an eagle’s point of view. Thank you Steve Brown for sharing your video of 2019 Northwest regatta on Lake Pepin.
Snow Means Shop
Perfect conditions this weekend for building at the Spaight Street Syndicate. Junior sailor, Soren Hughes, glued up the sideboards of his new DN with assistance from friend Seth.
Regatta Watch: WSSA Postponed
Photo: Gretchen Dorian
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to February 9 and 10, 2019. The next update will be Sunday, February 3. Check back here at that time.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
Tropical Party Feb 23 @ Breakwater
Invitation to a Tropical Party via Eric Kerlow:
Tropical Party
By 4LYC, MYC, LMSC, 4LIYC, Madison Kiteboard, MadisonRCsailing.orgSat. Feb. 23rd, 6pm Drinks, 7pm Buffet Dinner
Breakwater Restaurant, 6308 Metropolitan Lane, Monona$20 & Cash Bar (Advanced Purchase Required)
To help the cook shop, please RSVP by Feb. 16thWe’re turning up the thermostat to 80°F.
Wear shorts, Hawaiian Ts, and sandals.
Enjoy blender drinks and Jimmy Buffet
Skeeter Swap Meet
Some big developments at the Krueger/Whitehorse Boatbarn-
The Krueger/Whitehorse Boatbarn hosted a sort of swap meet on Saturday, January 26. Recent NIYA and ISA Class A Skeeter regatta champ, John Dennis, made the 5 hour drive from the Minneapolis area to pick up Ken’s Class A Skeeter, WARRIOR 5. This will double the size of the Class A fleet in Minnesota!
That frees up space on the trailer for Ken’s latest acquisition, a very fast modern Class A skeeter originally owned by Bob Kau and built in the attic of a Suamico Skeeter builder. Everyone has had their eye on Kau’s blue Class A Skeeter since its been for sale and the 4LIYC is glad that Ken decided to make the boat part of our Skeeter fleet. The paint schemes will switch up with JD putting WARRIOR 5 in blue and Ken changing the blue Kau Skeeter to the traditional 4LIYC red and white livery.
JD and PK talked at length about runner technology. JD shared his vast knowledge of the numbers on crown and flat. Much thanks and credit to Jay for coordinating the sale. All participants are very pleased with the exchange. The Skeeter fleet is growing!
DN European Championship Complete
Chris Berger US5166 and Rafal Sielicki P254 on Lake Śniardwy in Poland Photo: Gwidon Libera
The DN European Championship was completed today in Poland. Congratulations to Chris Berger US5166 for his 7th place finish in the A fleet, not an easy thing to accomplish in Poland.
Head over to the DN class website to see more about this regatta including some incredible photography.
Results
Geneva Lake Ice Cam
Geneva before the snow deluge.
Mary Jane Schalk alerts us to a live web cam set up at the Lake Geneva Yacht Club. What’s really cool about this one is that by clicking on the left of the image, a menu slides out with links to time-lapse images from previous days. Above is a screen shot from Monday, January 21, where you can see the beautiful sheet of ice now covered by snow.
LGYC Ice Cam
Northwest C Stern Steerer Trophy Request
ACE OF SPADES, Mike Peter’s C Class Stern Steerer at the 2019 Northwest on Lake Pepin. Photo: Pat Heppert
Mike Peters (with crew Terry Reynolds) won the C Stern Steerer division at last weekend’s Northwest regatta. Mike is asking if those who attended could check to see if they mistakenly took the C Stern Steerer keeper trophy last Sunday. He saw it on the trailer before the awards ceremony but then it was gone. Please get in touch with Mike or myself.
UPDATE: 2 4LIYC Racing Rules Proposals
Daniel Hearn and Pete Orlebeke line up to race their DNs on Lake Pepin at the 2019 Northwest. Photo: Pat Hepper
Angelo’s Italian Restaurant is open tonight so come on out to help us celebrate our 4LIYC sailors who brought home some “pots and pans” at the Northwest. Of special note are Tim McCormick who placed first in Renegades and Daniel Hearn who placed first in DNs and second in Renegades. See you all at 6:30!
Tonight is the deadline for By-Law or Racing Rules Amendment Submission. Submissions will be voted upon at the February 20 Annual Business Meeting.
UPDATE 1-24-2019: 2 proposals were submitted at the meeting of January 23, 2019
PROPOSAL #1
Racing Rules
Part III Race Management
C. Special Races
Add :
3. A Weekday Series may be sailed and scored for the DN, Renegade, Nite, and Skeeter fleets for races sailed on Lake Kegonsa, Lake Wingra, Lake Monona, or Lake Mendota for races taking place on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Weekday Series scores will not be included with weekend or holiday series scores.
Submitted by Deb Whitehorse
PROPOSAL #2
Racing Rules
Part III. Race Management
B Racing
Currently reads:
3. The club will sail a maximum of 8 races per fleet, per weekend, with 4 races per fleet on both Saturday and Sunday. Start time is 10:00 AM. Minimum of 3 boats per race. A lunch break should take place after the 2nd set of races on each day, but is at the discretion of the Race Committee. If a break is taken, the starting time for the next race shall be set and announced by the Race Committee prior to the break. (2/20/2002)
Change to:
3. The club will sail a maximum of 8 races per fleet, per weekend, with 4 races per fleet on both Saturday and Sunday. Start time is 10:00 AM. Minimum of 2 boats per race. A lunch break should take place after the 2nd set of races on each day, but is at the discretion of the Race Committee. If a break is taken, the starting time for the next race shall be set and announced by the Race Committee prior to the break.
Submitted by Ken Whitehorse
Northwest Photos from Gretchen Dorian
Iceboat photographer specialist Gretchen Dorian made the 9 hour drive from northern Michigan to photograph the Northwest, one of her favorite regattas. She set up camp at the weather mark in brutally cold conditions on Saturday and somehow managed to keep the batteries and cameras working. Her first set of photos have been posted on her website. Take a look and stay tuned for more.
Northwest Notes
Jim Gluek among the ATV tracks with his Skeeter, MERLIN. Photo by Jonathon Ringdahl. See the rest of his photos here.
NIYA Secretary/Treasurer receives key to Lake City from Mayor Mark Nichols
There are a thousand little stories that happen at a Northwest regatta. Watching the magnificent stern-steerers take to the stage brings us back to the roots of this sport. Here are a few random stories from the regatta. And hey, you should plan on going next year!
I’ll post more photos and commentary tomorrow.
Regatta like the Northwest do not happen without the time and work from volunteers like the following:
NIYA Secretary/Treasurer Steve Schalk
NIYA Regatta Chair Tim McCormick
NIYA Race Committee members Jay Yaeso, Andy Gratton, George Gerhardt, Chip Sawyer, and John Davenport.
PRO Joe Norton
Assistant to the PRO Scott Goetz (who also brought the 4LIYC ATV)
Tabulating from the Fontana Home Office: Mary Jane Schalk
Lake City Mayor Mark Nichols
The Residents of Lake City
PRO Joe Norton receives key to city from Mayor Mark Nichols
The support that iceboaters receive from the entire town of Lake City is phenomenal. Mayor Mark Nichols has made sure that a porta-potty has been at the landing for the last 3 weekends. He attended our banquet. Saturday night and gave out 3 keys to Lake City (Steve Schalk, Joe Norton, and myself) that recognized our efforts as regatta volunteers. Not only that, but he sailed out to the course on Saturday in his DN and raced! Think about that, how many mayors do you know of that sail iceboats?
3 times 3
There are 4 of us who have attended all 3 regattas in Lake City this January (the DN Western Regions, the ISA, and the NIYA) : John Dennis, Jim McDonagh, Steve Orlebeke, and myself. JD & Jim McDonagh have spent more than half of January on Lake Pepin checking ice and sailing.
ACE OF SPADES & LITTLE WIND line up to race. Photo: Pat Heppert
The Davis stern-steerer family never miss a Northwest regatta. John was thrilled to only have a 3 hour drive this year, the closest the regatta has ever been held to his home in Clear Lake, Iowa.
Daniel Hearn gets ready to race Fred Stritt’s D Stern Steerer Photo: Pat Heppert
Daniel Hearn not only raced and did pretty well in the DN (1st) and Renegade (2nd) classes, he took up Fred Stritt’s offer to race Fred’s D Stern Steerer. Daniel was also seen test driving Pat Heppert’s fast C Skeeter earlier in the day.
Mike Kroll and Gretchen Wilbrandt.
Stern Steerer fanatic Mike Kroll gave soft water Minnesota sailor Gretchen Wilibrandt a ride in his D Stern Steerer. He handed the tiller over to Gretchen and she drove it like she owned it. Could there be a new stern-steerer sailor at the next WSSA?
Northwest Trophy Giving
Sunday morning’s bitter temperatures and no wind at the Northwest meant the regatta was called complete. Prize giving was set up in the parking lot. My phone’s camera did not appreciate the cold weather as you can see by the quality of the pictures. Congratulations to all who participated and to those who took home some hardware. Thanks to all who made the effort to come to this historic regatta which hadn’t been sailed in 3 years. Well done!
A Stern Steerer 1st & Stern Steerer Overall: Erik Sawyer & crew Rick Hennig
C Stern Steerer 1st: Mike Peters & crew Terry Reynolds
D Stern Steerer: 1st Joe Terry, 2nd John Davis
E Skeeter: 1st John Dennis, 2nd Jay Yaeso
Skeeter Triple Crown for winning both Northwest and ISA: John Dennis
Renegade: 2nd Daniel Hearn, 1st Tim McCormick
DN: 2nd Peter Orlebeke, 1st Daniel Hearn, 1st Junior Soren Hughes
Regatta Watch: WSSA Postponed
Stern-Steerers racing at the 2019 Northwest Regatta on Lake Pepin at Lake City, Minnesota. Photo: Gretchen Dorian
The Wisconsin Stern Steering Association regatta has been postponed to February 2 and 3, 2019. The next update will be Sunday, January 27. Check back here at that time.
Andy Gratton
WSSA Secretary/Treasurer
NIYA Day 2 PM Update
Provisional Results Back in from an an extremely cold day with light to moderate breeze, enough too power through the snow. It started out light and built throughout the day. All fleets now have 3 races completed.The Northwest had a first today, the mayor of a town where we are sailing joining in to race. Lake City mayor Mark Nichols races soft water boats and raced his first iceboat race today. Off to the banquet.
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