iceboating.net Minnesota Ice Sailing Association

Lake Christina at 11 am Thursday. The same seams and holes we avoided last Sunday are still open water but larger! Mike says a lot of duck and goose activity in the area recently too.
The landing and solid ice is still a good 4” so there is space for short course scrub races this weekend. However, Friday’s forecast in Ashby with wind, warmth and some light rain could change things.
He also scouted the small east bay of Pelican Lake. Two large open areas and poor launch site makes it unusable.
Mike will do a comparison look again late on Friday for an update.

Based on the preliminary ice report it looks like we will be sailing Lake Christina in Ashby on Saturday. Check back Thursday or Friday for an update. Friday looks like a "no-go." Weather Underground predicts winds in Ashby on Friday of over 20 mph by mid-day. The tentative plan is to head up Sat morning. Hopefully, the Doctor will have had time to rebuild the weather mark that US 5432 bulldozed in the second race last weekend. Sorry, Doctor.
If you are new to the DN fleet this weekend would be a perfect time to come out and get some pointers.

It should only take a few cold nights to solve any issues that may exist with the ice on Lake Christina.
The plan is to return to Christina after Thanksgiving for the 3rd straight week of sailing. Hopefully, the Past Commodore will have an ice report later this week.

DN sailors of all abilities are welcome to join us. We have seen several newbies the last 2 weeks and all have left with huge grins and sore necks.

First boats there must check the ice. Never sail alone. Wear ice claws.
Think ice.

Sunday's forecast looks the best so Tonka DN crew plans to scrub race and sail on Sunday.
It’s been a warm week so scout the ice. JD reports a large duck hole west of the launch.
First boats there should check the ice. Wear ice claws and never sail alone.
Think ice.

After a spectacular opening session the plan is to return to Lake Christina for week #2 of the 2017-18 iceboat season. The forecast looks favorable for sailing on Nov 18-19, 2017.

Check back later this week for confirmation. Also, lets us know if you pan to sail.
First boats there should check the ice. Wear ice claws and never sail alone.

Think Ice!

Lake Christina at 4 PM Thursday. 1/2” or less fluffy snow. The snow on the ice 50 feet out pushed aside with boot easily.
Drilled hole 2 3/4 “ hard black ice. With super cold tonight and below freezing should be 4” Sat. No open areas seen. The first 6 feet from shore is ice, supporting Mike R weight, but felt a bit softer. Plan is to set up Sat AM at Rylander’s property about 1 mile further from the old Mile Marker 6.

I stopped by Christina this morning about 8:30. looks to be froze over and very smooth! I waked out a few feet and found about 1 1/2" of nice ice. By the look of the temps the next few days it should be good sail by the weekend!

Many of the smaller lake in the area are froze over, but most of the bigger lakes are much more open than froze.

Dirk

If you have been watching the forecast you know its been cold up north.
Sharpen your runners. Load your trailer. Be ready to go.
Saturday could be the day...but you'll need to drive a bit.
Stay tuned....

North Sail loft owner Henry Bossett is retiring after 42 years in business. His customer base included E-scows, M-16s, A-Class Catamarans, and, of course, DN's.

Henry qualified for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow with crew Jeff Kent only to see the games boycotted by President Carter due to Russia’s occupation of Afghanistan.

Henry was a gifted ice boater who raced DNs and Skeeters. He won three World Championships in the DN (1977, 1981, 1983) and four North American Championships (1982, 1983, 1990, and 1993).

Congratulations to Henry on a long and successful career.

The September 2017 issue of RUNNER TRACKS, the official magazine of the International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association, is now available on-line at: http://na.idniyra.org/runnertracks/

Think Ice

The boys at the Riley Sugarbush and Ice Yacht Club are on the podium, again!!!
The Riley Sugarbush scored not one but two MN State Fair ribbons for their amber and dark syrup.
John Bushy (US 5158) is the operation's chief cook and bottle washer. We congratulate the RS&IYC on its continued success.

Another hot summer day, and I know I'm not the only one thinking about iceboating. Make that repair list or upgrade plan now! Think ice!!

Ice conditions today: Waconia still has a relatively consistent 8-10 inches of solid ice (except the open water), but it is way too rough for any iceboat to survive. It has gotten much worse since I last sailed it. I seriously had trouble just walking. Constant 1"-2" bumps on the entire surface. Trust me, I will sail anything, and this simply just isn't possible or smart. Swede Lake has a little less ice, but still about 6"-7" in all the spots I checked. Swede is also un-sailable with the same rough texture as Waconia.

Don't believe everything the Hammer puts on the internet. Tonka ice from harry's to excelsior is far from excellent. Way too rough for a DN. No scrub racing occurred today.

DN scrub racing is on for tomorrow and Sunday. Launch at the Cottagewood firelane. The ice looks excellent!
US 4975