iceboating.net Minnesota Ice Sailing Association

https://youtu.be/xAIl7z9uJfU
I hope all of Mn is on the road to this grade 9 ice. If not pack up and hit the road at 4AM Sat.
You won’t be disappointed!

To paraphrase Yogi Berra; " It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future!"

The current storm heading our way is definitely a concern. Will it be rain or snow or miss us altogether. Who knows?!!! Western Region Commodore Dan Hearn said today that we need to wait until Thursday, and maybe even Friday noon, before he is able to make a regatta decision. Stay tuned and keep an eye on DN North America (http://na.idniyra.org/) for details!

Think Ice!

This could be the weekend for the DN Western Regional Championship regatta. We all know it has been colder than snot so ice thickness should not be an issue. Regatta organizers are watching the weather and will should make a preliminary call late Wednesday. Keep an eye on DN North America (http://na.idniyra.org/) for details.

Think Ice.

...something about frigid temps, styrofoam drifts, light air and, oh yeah, Meyer!

Green Lake or Lake Geneva could easily freeze. It could be called on for Jan 13 and 14. Check back next Wednesday. Keep an eye on DN North America (http://na.idniyra.org/) for details. They typically update the site on Wednesdays.

Think Ice.

Daniel Hearn, Area Commodore DN Western Region
Dear Ice Sailors:

Are your runners sharp?

The smart money says we will sail the DN Western Regional Championship regatta this coming weekend, January 6-7, 2018. Several sites are being considered, including Minnetonka. Keep an eye on DN North America (http://na.idniyra.org/) for details. Think Ice.

Regatta completed on 12/09/17 with three races. All classes were well represented. John Dennis was the overall winner. Thanks to Northern Cowboy bar and grill on North Long Lake for the use of the launch and great venue.
Results:
R1 R2 R3
John Dennis U-194 1.0 1.0 2.0
Pat Heppert I-291 2.0 2.0 1.0
Jim McDonagh I-234 DNS 3.0 3.0

Despite heavy air sailing on Thursday, tons of scrub races Friday and some hot laps over the lunch hour on Saturday, the Gold Fleet only sailed one "official" race. Here are the results:
1 M 53 Peter Hamrack -- Hungary
2 US 5432 Mike Bloom
3 US 5469 Chad Atkins
4 US 4824 The Doctor
5 US 216 Rich Potcova
6 H 467 Dideric van Riemsdijk -- Netherlands
7 US 5352 Dan Hearn
8 US 4868 Julie Richards
9 US 5166 Chris Berger
10 US 4480 Aaron Stange

Thanks to all those who traveled extreme distances to sail the GWC.

Sunday first race silver fleet 10 am

Skippers meeting 10 AM at the Northern Cowboy launch.
Racing shortly after.
Per JD

The Northern Cowboy Flame & Brew. The owner Brian will be happy to let us park up to 15 trailers on the lower yard next to the lake. They can be left there all night. The boats can park right on the lake next to the restaurant. Vehicles may drive down to this location on the grass. Once you unload, move vehicles to the east on the large grassy space behind the storage building and home, as he owns 600 feet of shoreline.

Do not park your vehicle or trailer in the restaurant parking stalls!

Hollywood ice as good as it gets! North Long Lake. Drilled a dozen holes all thicker than 5” ice. No hazards noted.
Do not back trailers on the ice. Need to keep it solid. We will look at 2 additional launch sites on North Long shortly. Meyer proclaims Oh Yea!

Our ice is holding fine, in case you were concerned.
Just got off a FaceTime call from my local icescout. The launch site is solid. Lake is still a 9 rating and only one on it now was a guy ice skating all over!
Monday morning we had a legendary ice surfer on it in AM. He reported “magical ice”. He covered most of the 1 mile X 1.1 mile bay. The only reason he left at 12:30 was fear of falling on the skim coat of 1/4” moisture. Today it has no shell or standing water. Reported to be 4-5” thick.

Launch Site right on Hwy 371, 6 miles north of Brainerd. Note at this point the sailing area is the scouted smaller bay of North Long Lake right next to launch.

Headquarters Hotel is the Days Inn- Baxter/Brainerd. Phone is 218-829-3080. Located 4 miles south of Launch Site, just north of Brainerd.
https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/days-inn/baxter-minnesota/days-inn-and-sui...

The Great Western Challenge is called on for Dec 1-3, 2017. Primary Site is North Long Lake. 5 miles north of Brainerd, MN. The boys did a great job scouting in light air. No soft spots like last year!
Watch for lodging information by the end of the day.
3 possible back up sites located near Twig, MN, 120 miles NE will be scouted this week. Just about zero chance of snow or rain with below freezing temperatures each night look promising.
See library image for photo taken today.