Tim McCormick Archives - Page 2 of 4

4LIYC Racing Report: Fun For the Faithful

by Deb Whitehorse | Mar 6, 2023 | 2022-2023, Home Page

Ken Whitehorse’s Class A Skeeter WARRIOR. Photo: Ethan Brodsky

Fun For The Faithful
This time of year, when both the weather and the Fat Lady are warming up, it’s only the faithful who show up for possible ice sailing. What looked to be a questionable weekend turned out to be loads of fun. On Saturday morning, the ice had firmed up nicely, but there didn’t appear to be a lot of wind, as our launch area was on the protected shore. Undeterred, as the rest of the faithful had what we’ll call a casual setup pace, I pushed off to check things out. Once clear of the point, Chaos, my Renegade, hooked up immediately. For about the next hour, I explored the entire lake, never seeing any ice to be concerned about. By about 11:00 or so, the rest of the fleet made their way out to the .9 mile course set up by our esteemed Treasurer and Saturday PRO, Jerry Simon, assisted by the Goddess of All Things Ice Sailing, Deb Whitehorse. It became apparent that racing might be a challenge at this point. And since we were now conveniently located on the Springer’s side of the lake, we decided the wise call would be to head to lunch. We summoned our Ice Uber, a red Bombardier with license DX 4967, driven by Jerry, who promptly delivered us to our destination. Delicious lunches were had by all. And one beer, but not by an iceboat pilot.

Shortly after 1:00, we decided it was time to give it a go. By the time the first flag dropped, the ice had softened up quite a lot with the increasing temperatures. The Renegades went off on port and the DNs went off on starboard. The first lap was great for everybody, but then the combination of slushier surface and lighter wind turned the remainder of the race into a pushing contest. The former runner and the former triathlete, both with bad knees, continued their battle until realizing the RC had taken down the bottom mark. The sailor who prefers a supplemental push at the start and the one who had some work done on his ticker, were much smarter than the over-the-hill athletes. They retired after the first lap chuckling to themselves watching two knuckleheads try to sail in slush without enough wind. Chris Berger in his DN was able to keep her going for three laps, so he was our one race overall winner.

Hoping the forecasted afternoon wind would arrive, we made our way back to the pits, some with motorized assistance. After an hour or so of visiting in the pits, the breeze did indeed fill in. The surface was slushy in spots, but we now had enough velocity to blast right through. The DNs ventured back out, along with Greg McCormick and me in our Renegades. We had a wonderful afternoon just sailing around. Once it started to drizzle, we decided it was time to call it a day.

When I pulled up to the ice Sunday, it was already a great day. It warmed my heart to see my friend, Tim McCormick, on the ice setting up his Renegade. Tim has been fighting a more important battle, so I was thrilled to see him. And joining the optimism for the day, were Kenny and Pk setting up their A-Class Skeeters, with the newly MacGyvered DN Western Region ATV stationed nearby. As the morning progressed, many guests arrived with Nites and DNs. It was wonderful to meet so many new people who share our passion. Also joining was a couple who came all the way from the Twin Cities just to check out ice sailing. They’ve been following the action on our website, so with an open weekend available, Greta and Handan (sorry, doc, if I just sent your name to the ER) to see if they could get a ride. After a tour of the various boats and a spin on the motorized kick sled, they took turns driving my Renegade assisted with the new boat-pusher Kenny made for the WR-ATV. With the coach just astern, “left-right-sheet in-sheet out” were the only instructions needed. They both did great and also took turns in Tim Mower’s DN. Hope they’ll join us again!

By mid-afternoon, the breeze had filled in nicely. With the, now, pretty slushy conditions and wise age of our A-Skeeter pilots, they elected to do flying starts for their races. We’d wind them up with the WR-ATV; they’d get themselves in close formation and pass through the line together to start each race. It worked great and PK and Kenny had a ball. At least until PK’s mast dropped near the top mark. You’ll have to get those “dets” from him on that. The Renegades ripped off four races, each won by a McCormick. And the DNs also notched four, with Matt Meyer setting the pace.

Back in the pits, it was a group effort to get everything off the ice using the aluminum ramps to protect the ice. Andy McCormick showed up at that time. It was either a meeting of the Irish Republican Army–Madison Chapter, or a discussion about the Northwest. Maybe both.
Daniel Hearn

Boom — Greg & Peter comparing Renegade boom deflection.

Mccormicks One Two Block — Tim & Greg McCormick

Mccormicks One Two Block 2 — Peter, Tim, and Greg McCormick

4LIYC By Laws Proposal for Feb 15 Business Meeting

by Deb Whitehorse | Feb 2, 2023 | 2022-2023, Home Page

Joe Norton flags Damien Luyet at the 2023 Renegade Championship on Lake Kegonsa. Photo: Will Johnston

Proposal to Change the 4LIYC Bylaws & Racing Rules
Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club scoring chair, Tim McCormick, has submitted a proposal to change the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Bylaws and Racing Rules. Tim’s proposal will “alleviate the confusion we had last year in the Skeeter fleet and clarify scoring classes with multiple fleets at regattas.” The changes are marked in red in the pdf document and affect the following:

Bylaws: Article 6, Section 6
Racing Rules, Part III Race Management, 7. Scoring, h. Fleets
Racing Rules, Part III Race Management, 8. Stay-At-Home-Series & Regattas, c.

Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club members in good standing will vote on the proposal at 4LIYC Business Meeting on February 15, 2023. Please review the proposal.

2022-2023 Renegade Newsletter & Ice Making

by Deb Whitehorse | Dec 16, 2022 | 2022-2023, Home Page, Renegade

Tim McCormick and Skip Dieball on Lake Monona at the 2022 ISA championship. Photo: Will Johnston

Two subjects today, but closely intertwined.
One: Via Renegade Secretary Ron Rosten, 2022-2023 Renegade Newsletter

2022 IRIYRA Championship Recap by Skip Dieball
What a fun weekend in Madison Feb 18-20. The collection of iceboating enthusiasts really encompassed the spec-
trum of abilities, which makes the experience so fun. The way folks light up when they have first ride…and the
hardened veterans that tweak their set up. Continue reading

Two: I’m not going out on a limb to predict there will be ice across Wisconsin in the next two weeks. Accuweather says…

Forecasted temperatures in the Four Lakes for the last 2 weeks of December 2022. Are you ready?

“Tradition, Fun and New Friends – 2022 Renegade Class Championship”

by Deb Whitehorse | Feb 21, 2022 | 2021-2022, 2022 ISA, Home Page, Renegade

Skip Dieball R555 and Tim McCormick R385. Photo: Will Johnston

2022 Renegade Champion Skip Dieball shares his “inside the helmet” perspective about his first Renegade Championship.
Renegade Home Page

2022 Results

Tradition, Fun and New Friends
2022 Renegade Class Championship
-Skip Dieball R555

What a fun weekend in Madison Feb 18-20. The collection of iceboating enthusiasts really encompassed the spectrum of abilities, which makes the experience so fun. The way folks light up when they have first ride…and the hardened veterans that tweak their set ups.

The Renegade Class has been around since 1947 (75 years!). Through the years, the boat has stayed true to its One-Design roots and has produced some of the best iceboaters the sport has seen. This year’s championship fielded a talented group, which included 5 past class champions.

I’m new to the class, but not new to iceboating. I’m a generational sailor from Toledo, Ohio where Renegade sailing was quite popular when I was growing up. My father, Denny Dieball, sailed #76 through the 70s and 80s.

My brother and I cut our teeth in the local DN fleet as we grew up. As life moved on, I became a professional sailor and spent the winter months in Florida from regatta to regatta. Iceboating was just a fill in. In the early 2010s, I got serious about DN sailing and worked with my friend Ron Sherry to get geared up and competitive. I loved it and was hooked again, but I always had great offers for soft water sailing in Florida, so it wasn’t until this past summer that I told myself I needed to sail and have fun on my own and iceboating fit the work schedule nicely.

With the help of Deb Whitehorse and Daniel Hearn, I got in touch with Don Anderson and purchased a Renegade and took it back to Chicago and started rehabbing. Just like so many fleets in both hard and soft water sailing, it is truly the PEOPLE that make the experiences special. These folks helped me get set up with a boat and offered any advice that I had a question for.

I had some unscheduled quarantine time, so I dug into the boat and before long was applying new paint and working to make sure it would be ready for the maiden voyage…which would be later in January in the 4LIYC club races.

My first few races I could tell that the “One-Design” aspect of the Renegade would really appeal to me. The racing was close and speeds so similar. I love that and having only the equipment with the boat, it made focusing on sailing a lot easier for me. No lugging runners and sails to the starting box, etc.

This year’s Championship was what seems typical of multi-day iceboating events. The weather not fully cooperating, our Friday and Sunday skunked with BIG winds. I didn’t mind as it allowed me to get to know more folks that I hadn’t previously met. The Renegade class members are a great group and everyone has a great passion for the boat, history and tradition. Saturday’s provided plenty of variety to make up for the down time.

Before getting into some of the racing details, hat’s off to the Race Committee. The wind was predicted to shift all day and it did! They did their best to race all classes in the best breeze available and did an incredible job getting three races per division to ensure the minimum number of races were met to call a regatta. Great job!

The first race was in a dying breeze. In fact, at the start, it was difficult to get the boats rolling. For me, I was lucky enough to catch a small zephyr and get the momentum going. I was able to keep it going to the top mark and only a few from the other side crossed. Not having raced a Renegade in this light of wind, I was happy to get round the 1st mark. With the voice of Ron Sherry in my head, I focused on “don’t worry about the angles, just keep the boat going”. It was all I could do to focus on that and not lose my mind when I saw someone catching that next puff. There were boats moving, boats stopped and I really lost track of where I was with the leaders and those that were right behind. I felt fortunate to keep the boat going as nearly everyone at some point stopped. I finished right behind past champ Tim McCormick for a 2nd. Many fell behind and others had pushed back to the pits, resulting in DNFs. Tough opening race, but the breeze was shifting and increasing so there was hope.

I’m sure optimism was low with the entire group of sailors, but the wind did fill in. By the time the Renegades were up for a race, it was over 10 knots. This made for a great race. Super fast and competitive. For me, I came off the 2 starting position and had a great start to lead the fleet from the left. We all had a little something the right didn’t have and our side looked great and I was leading (!!!). I had that Ron Sherry voice in my head again (I know that’s dangerous LOL) saying “just go fast Skip…keep the pedal pressed”. I was so happy to have opened up a huge lead…you know one of those leads you never lose. Unless you are a newbie and get soft in the upper right corner and watch the fleet get wound inside! UGH! I managed to fend off Jim Gluek at the top mark, but he proved why he was the reigning 2-time champ by putting me in his dust to win the race. Mentally, it could have been a downer for me, but I was just psyched to be in the top and happy to get another 2nd.

Our last race was in some bigger winds, maybe gusting 13-15. Again starting in the 2 position, I had a good start, but had to tack under Don Anderson who was smokin’ from the left edge. Again our group crossing on port had a little special puff and crossed the group from the right. What tight racing. Don, myself and Mike Derusha were nearly three wide at the top and flying downwind. All three of us were jockeying for position at the bottom with Don edging myself and Mike right behind. I was able to point a little higher than Don and get inside of him to take the lead. I got around the top in good shape and sent it downwind again. Last beat, I had a nice lead. Nothing could go wrong, right??? How about déjà vu? Mike gets wicked up inside of me as I go soft on the right again. NOT AGAIN! Like the previous race with Jim, I was able to hold off Mike at the top, but it was a true dual on the run. Mike split with me to have starboard advantage at the bottom, but I caught a nice puff and finished for the win. With 2,2,1, I was ecstatic. What a great opening to the event. My goal of top 5 was looking quite good.

After the long day, it was fun to rehash the excitement back at the launch. I really appreciated all the kind words and truly was having a great time learning, talking, meeting folks in the class.

The forecast for Sunday was big winds. Bigger than Friday’s abandonment, so it would have been easy to play the odds and finishing counting scores, but I kept focus and took the runners back to the hotel get to get the edges sharp and focus on the next day. As luck would have it for me, the winds were too much for sailing and the regatta was called off. I’ve been on both sides of this one. Sitting 2nd and dying to go, but being in the lead “at the cocktail party” is never a bad plan if you can do it.

Renegade Class champions from left, Andy Gratton 5th, Ron Rosten 4th, Greg McCormick 3rd, Tim McCormick 2nd, and Skip Dieball 1st.
You know, the racing seems to be the “story” of an event, but let me tell you about the people in the Renegade Class. So many are so generous with their time and volunteerism. It keeps it going. And for those that embraced the newbie….Don Anderson for a wonderful introduction to “Renegading”, the McCormicks for showing me the fun side of Madison, Mike Derusha and Jim LaFortune for the talks at the hotel. What a great collection of personalities.

Special thanks to those that helped me get organized and fast. Deb and Daniel continued to help as leaders of the 4LIYC and involvement me as a newbie. Ron Rosten became a friend right away as he helped me get my runners tuned up. He’s so generous with his time…I can’t thank him enough. Ron Sherry for the tips and encouragement. Mike Boston for his tips and encouragement (and really fast sail, by the way!). Ken Sabin who always helps and lends perspective. It’s been great and I can’t wait for the next one!

Photos by Will Johnston. See all of Will’s Renegade photos at this link.

Photo Will Johnston Renegade Sailing — Jim Gluek

Will Johnston Photo Renegade Derusha — Mike Derusha pushes off at the start of the race.

Will Johnston Photo Renegade 2boats — Andy Gratton R81 and Don Anderson R420

2021 Renegade Championship – Nite Commodore’s Cup Day 2

by Deb Whitehorse | Mar 1, 2021 | 2020-2021, 2021 Renegade Championship, Home Page, Renegade

4LIYC members Tim McCormick, left, and Ron Rosten, right, line up in the one and two blocks for the fourth Renegade race.
Results

Sunday’s conditions were a paradox of wind with intermittent fog. The Nites were the first to sail, and Green Lake Ice Yacht Club’s Byron Hill won his first race of the day.

The wind picked up, which made for an exciting and competitive Renegade race won by Tim McCormick. The Nites were able to sail one more, again won by Byron Hill.

The Renegades lined up for race four which was a four-lapper. After two laps, a competitor pulled in and informed the Race Committee that the weather mark had fallen because he had hit it. Chief Judge and Nite Commodore John Hayashi, assisted by Pat Heppert, immediately decided that sailors fishing around for the weather mark in the ever-lower visibility was a lousy situation and black-flagged the race.

Congratulations to Jim Gluek for his second Renegade Championship and Byron Hill for his victory in the Nite Class. Thanks to John Hayashi, the Green Lake Ice Yacht Club, and Pat Heppert for all his help.

The celebratory braunschweiger and onion sandwiches provided by Green Lake Ice Yacht Club’s Debbie Biermann at the trophy presentation were much appreciated. Her husband, Dan’s, birthday is coming up, and he asked her to make them rather than a birthday cake. We all hope it’s a new tradition.

Class A Skeeter sailors Ken White Horse and Paul Krueger haven’t had the conditions to sail this season. Mike Ripp made sure Ken kept his racing skills tuned up and lent him his Renegade to race in the regatta. Paul Krueger joined Ken as a coach, pit crew, and ATV driver.

Thanks, Peter Sarelis, for traveling to the regatta from Michigan and representing the Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club.