The Icemaker’s Real Challenge!

The answer is: DNers Are OLD!, Older than Average! 15 years older!
______________________________________________
The Average Age at DN Worlds 2008

Gold Fleet : 42 years old!

Silver Fleet 48 years old!

Bronze Fleet 52 years old!

The Average US Competitor was ~ 49 Years Old!

The Quiz:

1. It this OK? Y/N ______

2. If No, What have I done to change it: ____________________________________

3. If I’d gone the fleet would have been Older or Younger on Avg. O/Y ______

The World IceRacing Tour's Closed Course Champs, Great Racing in A Video Intensive Format, is ON for WHITE BEAR LAKE.
This Weekend, Full Details at
worldiceracingtour.com
If you've alway's wanted one of those pics with you in a tight pack of DN's, out front and smiling to show all your buddies, this may be the opportunity of a lifetime. The shooters and equipment there have never been seen at an IceRacing Event.

Shooting in Still and High Def, 4 professional videographers and 3 professional photographers will be capturing iceboating images like they've never been seen before! A 25' platform, on boat and full course coverage, We all know how sweet IceRacing is, but if your really want to show your buddies what this is all about, this is the to get your mug shot!

This just in, and totally unofficial! Seven Races Sailed, one Drop.

What we know of the top 10...

DN US 4691 John Dennis of Mound MN Wins the 2008 Western Regional Championships in very challenging conditions. US 4824 Mark "the Doctor" Christensen of Mound finished in 3rd Place behind IDNIYRA Commodore and perennial light air threat Dr John Harper leading a strong continged from Detroit Michigan, and in front of a much higher ranked, Aaron Stange US 4480,(he's really from Toledo, but they let him into Michigan) and Rising Star in the Michigan Fleet Jim Hadley reported to be in 5th, followed in 6 by the top Wisconsin Sailor, Steve Olebeke...of the Pewaukee Ice Sailing Squadron, no further finish information until 10th, well earned, by Emergency Replacement Regatta Chairman John Davenport...

From the DN Western Regional Regatta Hotline: (Loosely)

Woodstock on ICE! Give me an F... Give me an A... Give me an S... Give me a T... What's that Spell? FAST!

The Western Reional Regatta begins Saturday March 8, on the Best Ice Lake Geneva's seen since Dwight Eisenhower was the President of the United States!

The entire lake has been sailed every day since Tuesday this week by the SIBC, and is ranked a solid 9 on the 10 points are perfect SIBC Scale.

The launch site is on the West End of Lake Geneva, in Fontana near the legendary Chuck's Bar & Restaurant.

All manner of Iceboats will be Sailing this weekend; A,B, and C Skeeters, Renegades, Nites, and Stern Steerers, will be competing in the ISA & IRIYA and the WSSA Championship Regattas also ON for Geneva Lake in Fontana, Wisconsin... plus DN Fleet!

Icemaker’s Open, 2008 Closed Course Championship,Important Announcement... March 15 & 16 2008

The wind forecast for MSP this weekend, best we can find is 2-5 MPH & variable, others suggest the wind will be 0.0

Based on this local forecast, the 2008 Closed Course Championships will be postponed exactly one week. March 15 & 16 2008.

Be wearing your green, we've made a special request and had St. Patrick's Day Rescheduled in support of this event! Remember, In Iceboating...Kilts are for the Fair Lasses only please.

The Primary Site Remains White Bear Lake, MN.

The 2008 DN Western Regional Regatta has a primary site of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin for March 8 & 9. The local DN fleet has scouted the ice and the reports are very favorable. The launch site will be Fontana, Wisconsin on the West end of Lake Geneva. We will need to be courteous of the ISA event and possibly the WSSA event. This should not be an issue, as there seems to be plenty of ice. Continue to monitor the DN Hotline (414) 297-9238 for additional regatta information. Final confirmation will be Thursday 7:00pm. Get your runner sharp and be ready to have a great time on Lake Geneva!

Copied from DN website. The weather forcast is even promising.

Matt Struble, US 183, of Michigan, has achieved one of the great pinnacles in Sailing, Winning the North American, European and World Championships in a Single Season, successfully defending his 2007 World and North American Championships, Matt take his place as one of the true great ones in Sailing, hard or soft water.

Struble's demonstrated spectacular speed, winning all but one of the 6 North American Championship Races, on Lake Pepin, MN and consistency by winning only one of the 12 Races Sailed at the Worlds and European Chamionships, but always being close. In what one former world champion called a veneue that is always flukey in the wind department. His worst finishes (throw out race) in 18 major regatta starts, was a 9th, in the Europeans, 7th in the Worlds, and he threw out a 4th place finish in the North Americans.

From: European Championship Provisional Scores

American Sailors and those we know who sail in Minnesota...

GOLD
                               R1  R2  R3  Points Pos
1   US- 44     Sherry, Ron      6   1   1    8,00    1   
3   US- 183    Struble, Matt    4   2   9   15,00   3 *1 pt to 2 
5   US- 4691   Dennis, John    11   13  7   31,00    5   Better!
8   US- 4480   Stange, Aaron    2   8   22  32,00    8 
10   G- 107    Zeiger, Bernd    3   27  4   34,00   10
18  US- 4379   Harper, John    16   28  14  58,00   18

Provisional Results DN Worlds After Day 2

Pos Sail   Skipper   Points

1   US- 183   Struble, Matt   12,00  
2   US- 44   Sherry, Ron   14,00  
3   S- 81   Lindgren, Thomas   20,00  
4   P- 155   Zakrzewski, Lukasz   21,00  
5   P- 55   Zakrzewski, Tomasz   24,00  
6   S- 8   Lonegren, Fredrik   24,00  
7   G- 624   Bock, Andreas   30,00  
8   G- 107   Zeiger, Bernd   33,00  

Northwest Called ON for Lake Geneva

Via Paul Krueger: The Northwest Ice Yacht Regatta has been called on for February 22,23,24, 2008. Check the answering service at 608-838-3861 after 1:00 P.M. CST on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 for the final confirmation.

G 107 Bernd Zeiger sent a couple shots from the Opening Ceremonies, on Lake Lipno, Czech Republic. We'll post more as they come in. 2008 Worlds Images

We had a great day of practice today in Lipno, Czech Republic.

We have black ice that is 15-20cm thick with small bumps. (way better than Pepin - JD) JD has 1000 kronner bills in his pocket and is having a great time. Everyones equipment made it here safe with a few delays and we are looking forward to a great event.

Qualifiers start tomorrow with 180 sailors racing. Check back for more updates.

-Mike Rehe (with some help from everyone else talking my ear.)

IDNIYRA WORLD COMMODORE, Niklas Müller-Hartburg OE 221 writes on http://www.icesailing.org/

Dear friends,

as I wrote before we were driving all night long from Rostock to Lake Lipno to check ice conditions here.

When we arrived at 06:30. Temperature was -10°C

Iceconditions: hard ice about 15cm - 20cm thick, partly bumpy. (Some areas are thinner but that doesn't concern us)

So this is the FINAL DECISION:
LAKE LIPNO; CERNA V POSUMAVI (Village); CZECH REPUBLIC.

weather forecast:

Tomorrow I fly to Germany.

I hope they take all of my stuff.. In order of importance; Trophy from last year, 16 runners, runner plank, boom and sails, wires and tools, helmet, sailing clothes, a few clothes. Lets see.... With me that makes about 500 pounds! I hope the plane gets off the ground.

Looks like we could be sailing anywhere at this time.

JD
US 4691

The Western Region hotline reports as of Friday morning Feb 1, they again had a snow event in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Ill. The Westerns are again postponed, awaiting suitable ice.

Mike DN5369