by Deb Whitehorse | Sep 25, 2020 | 2020, 2020 North Americans, Home Page
Steve Orlebeke US4926 at the 2020 North American Championship on Fort Peck Reservoir, Fort Peck, Montana. Photo: Gretchen Dorian.
DN iceboats in the press alert! Seahorse Magazine has an article by Steve Orlebeke about our sport.
Not many sailors only ever have one go in a DN ice yacht. US sailor Steve Orlebeke explains why…
One hundred kilometres per hour downwind in 15kt of breeze. That’s what got me hooked. And I am terribly hooked.
This past January I drove 1,000 miles from Wisconsin across Minnesota and North Dakota to a lake in eastern Montana to sail in the North American DN Championship. Some sailors drove over 2,000 miles from the east coast including regatta winner James Thieler. Read more.
by Deb Whitehorse | Sep 18, 2020 | 2020, Home Page
Runner Tracks
The Online Magazine of the International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association
Current Issue: September 2020
RUNNER TRACKS IS AVAILABLE IN THREE DIFFERENT FORMATS:
Flipbook Magazine
Download pdf file (best for tablets)
Download single page pdf (best for phones)
IN THIS ISSUE
- Annual 2020 IDNIYRA Governing Meeting Minutes
- Making the Best of Spring Ice by Mike Madge KC5449
- Minutes from the 2020 European Secretaries Meeting
- A Summary of Proposals from the European Secretaries Meeting
- 2021 IDNIYRA International Ranking List
Get this issue in a full color soft cover book for $18. 
Cover photo: Connie Hartviksen
Runner Tracks is brought to you by these fine sponsors:
by Deb Whitehorse | Sep 5, 2020 | 2020, Home Page
A video to whet the appetite for the upcoming season of DN ice sailing from the 2020 Gold Cup champ Łukasz Zakrzewski P155.
by Deb Whitehorse | Aug 16, 2020 | 2020, Home Page
Meet Aniela Gracyk of Poland. She’s an accomplished Ice Optimist sailor who is following in the runner tracks of her father, Robert Gracyk P31. This coming winter could be the perfect opportunity to introduce your kids to ice sailing. Ice Optimists are specifically designed for junior sailors. Buy a used one or you could easily build an Ice Optimist as a family project. Learn more about the Ice Optimist and ice sailing for kids here.
Video filmed and edited by Tomek Zakrzewsk P55.
by Deb Whitehorse | Aug 12, 2020 | 2020, Home Page
Photo: Debbie Parker
2021 Gold Cup Q&As
The soft water regatta scene has been significantly affected by COVID 19. Will it do the same for the hard water season? Members have been asking questions of the IDNIYRA Governing Committee, so we have prepared the following Q&As.
Q: Will the 2021 Gold Cup happen?
A: We don’t know yet. If it were to be held now (pretend it is winter), the answer would be no. But public health conditions may be better in late January and allow the regatta to be held.
Q: What is the Governing Committee doing about it?
A: We are planning on the basis that there will be a regatta but have contingency plans. John Curtis, the Canadian Rear Commodore, is our regatta chair and key regatta volunteers have already been identified and agreed to serve. Some work towards the regatta has already started.
Q: What are the contingency plans?
A: Our dates are fixed for January 24 to 30, 2021, since there is a coordinated regatta schedule between North America and Europe. As Gold Cup host we had first choice of dates and those are the ones we selected. The base plan provides for the usual seven race Gold Cup series followed by a seven race North American Championship.In the October time frame, Europeans would ordinarily begin planning their travel to the Gold Cup. If in October, we still have travel restrictions or quarantine requirements in place (and no prospect of removal) that restrict or prevent international competitors from attending, then it would be inappropriate to hold a Gold Cup. At that point we would consider cancelling the Gold Cup and holding a 14-race North American Championship series instead.
If the Canada/US border remains closed, or significant quarantine requirements remain in North America, then Canadian participation in a US-based regatta (or vice-versa) would not be feasible and it would be inappropriate to hold a North American Championship. This decision can be made much later than a Gold Cup decision. If we do not hold a North American Championship, then we would hold a US-based event, perhaps the ‘annual regatta’ of old or a US Championship. All our key volunteers are American. Jody Kjoller, our Vice Commodore, would assume the chairmanship of the US-based regatta. This would not be a ranking regatta. Canadian members might choose to hold their own national championship at the same time.
Q: What would cancellation of the Gold Cup do to my ranking?
A: DN ranking is established annually “using regatta results from the previous two (World Championships, North American Championships, and European Championships)” (2020 Yearbook, p.110) and is defined in Section 14 of the Regatta Management Agreement (2020 Yearbook, p. 188). If a ranking event is not held, whether due to COVID 19, a snowstorm or unsafe ice conditions, the two previous events are still used for ranking purposes. If your ranking is based solely on North American events and we do not hold a ranking regatta in 2021 your rank will not change.
Q: What does this mean financially?
A: The COVID 19 situation increases our financial risk. We are making financial contingency plans too. We could limit our up-front financial risk, for example, by not pre-purchasing keeper prizes and limiting regatta freebees. We could then order keepers according to actual attendance and mail them to recipients. Such measures might also allow reduced registration fees.
Please feel free to engage the Governing Committee if you have further questions. We are committed to offer racing this winter subject to constraints that might be imposed by COVID 19.
