By: Steve Madden DN4512

Volume 1 Edition 2 1997

Due to the untimely weather, it's been another tough year on our Commodore for calling the Regatta’s. Nevertheless, he was able to get 2 out of 3 completed. The big boat regatta remains elusive. Good job.

Matt has also kept us well informed over this season with his NEIYA Web Page. We really appreciate this effort because we all know how little time we have these days and it takes considerable time to keep it updated. This web page while being informative and fun, helps our club’s image and makes us world class. Anyone can contribute to this page if you have something to share with your fellow iceboaters. Just Do It!

Matt to the rescue - On two separate occasions during the Worlds I witnessed our Commodore helping others in trouble and thus giving the NEIYA a good name. The first incident was when the race committee and it's four wheeler and trailer went through the ice. Matt took charge and supervised getting the equipment out of the water. That was no easy task. The second occasion was during a race when an unfortunate sailor had an accident at the leeward mark and was struggling to get his boat out of harms way. Matt was watching the race and was the only one to immediately rush to his aid while risking being hit himself. Well-done Matt!. I am sure those involved appreciated your help and we are grateful for your good representation.

We are very fortunate to have this World class sailor and person in our own backyard. This past season Jeff devoted many hours for us with his racing and tuning clinics on the ice. He did this while unselfishly sacrificing his own sailing time. We are truly grateful for this. The clinics that were held at Webster Lake on two separate occasions were tremendously informative. The tuning clinic focused on skate alignment. Jeff, with some help from his pit crew, tirelessly checked skate alignment for just about the entire fleet. This was no small job since each fully rigged boat was lifted onto saw horses and the plank loaded by squeezing the side stays together. He then could use his combination gun scope and laser to sight in to the transferred runner cut marks several yards away. As he finished each boat, he critiqued what he found and in some cases made corrections on the spot.

The racing clinic was held on a small course in the center of the lake. This clinic discussed the many aspects of racing such as proper setup and equipment for the conditions, proper approach and rounding of marks to name a few. Its main focus however was getting "good starts" and "power-up." Jeff demonstrated his starting and power-up skills. Each topic was then followed by practice racing. In one race, Jeff used my boat for demonstration and proceeded to kicked butt. I always knew deep down it was the operator (me) and not the equipment. OUCH! Jeff is a great person and always willing to help with your sailing questions. Thanks Jeff. Hope you can continue next year.

Some of us from New England were fortunate enough to have time to attend the Worlds in Wisconsin... I mean Vermont...no Iowa...yes finally Detroit Michigan. You get the picture. Things do change thanks to Mother Nature. This event is a great experience and great fun. The first four days I thought I was on Pee Wee Herman’s Big Adventure Show. Are we there yet! Lloyd Robert’s "Think Ice" for this chapter was right on the money although I think we could have written a couple of comical chapters ourselves. Finally its race time, then OUCH! five members of the race committee in their Honda four wheeler and trailer with all of the race equipment go through the ice right in front of the launch area. Another delay. To the rescue we go. Thank God we got everyone out safely. I am sure you will read more about this in our upcoming IDNIYRA Runner Tracks.

The conditions for this race were not what I would call comfortable. I really do not want to say... unsafe. The race committee did a good job keeping most of us out of trouble considering the conditions. The ice was on the move and opening up large cracks, a large boat size hole in the course and to make matters worse, a short course with 50 boats to maneuver around (sometimes into). Major carnage... minor injuries. Coming home from an event like this was like leaving a major battle, like a war. We came. We conquered! The best part however, was the feeling that you now belong to a special fraternity of sailors, where the initiation was dealt out by Mother Nature and you won , even though you may have come in last place.

You should do this event with a travel companion preferably your tuning partner. It makes things much easier. Many thanks to my tuning partner and travel companion Greg Cornelius for getting us safely there and back.

I have not been in the racing game too long but, it seems more this year than others that the top sailors in our area are sharing more information (sort of like trade secrets if you want to call it that). This encompasses sailors from every NE State. I think this is good for the class as it makes us Easterners more competitive against our western and foreign counterparts. Judging from race results of the past few years, there is room for improvement. The new Millenium Edition 1997 of "Think Ice" is a good example of shared information. You should obtain a copy of this edition as it has good information. You will also find many interesting articles in the IDNIYRA Reprints# 1 book. It is a compilation of many past articles written over the years on DN sailing and construction. A lot of "beef " is in these paperbacks. They are available by contacting IDNIYRA Secretary Ron or Jane Sherry (810)791-1489 or Treasurer Ken VanWagnen (216)288-3497. With the adoption of the new mast specification governing materials, we need technical articles published covering instructions and lay-up schedules for fiberglass masts. It is hoped that our more experienced builders out there can make this happen soon.

Steve