The Central Lakes Regatta for the weekend of February 19 – 20, 2022 has been postponed. Please keep me informed of any sailable ice in the Central Region and we will try again.
The next update will be on Wednesday Feb 23, 2022 after 1 PM ET.
Rob Holman
IDNIYRA Central Region Commodore
Michael Pettersson L65 and Tomas Lindgren S81 line up at the two and one blocks to race.
DN Finland organized the third annual Grand Masters regatta on Lake Öljaren near Katrineholm, Sweden, February 8-10, 2022. In 2018, Ollie Virta L121, Timo Caravitis L37, and Richard Gustring S713 originated this informal fun regatta noted for its unusual starting procedure. Running starts are prohibited. Competitors must be at least 60 years old, start the race with one leg on the plank, and push off with the other leg. And yes, the regatta committee does watch for any infractions to this rule.
DN Finland and DN Sweden take turns managing the regatta. John Winquist L601 served as PRO assisted by Vesa Karhusaari and Dideric van Riemsdijk S867.
Snow put a temporary hold on ice sailing in North America after the U.S. Nationals. I had always wanted to see the Grand Masters event and took a chance on traveling to Europe, which was a bit more complicated because of pandemic restrictions.
The O’Hare Delta agents were baffled whether I needed a visa to travel to Sweden (a visa was not required) or even fly through Amsterdam. The regulations were so confusing that they passed me off to the next flight. And so it went until I presented my test results at immigration in Gothenburg, Sweden. I had made it!
When I arrived, Sweden didn’t have many restrictions, and all regulations ended a few days later. Ice sailing life was back to normal, the same as my last visit here for the World Championship in February 2020 before the world shut down. Our pandemic lives were a big topic of discussion, and we were overjoyed to be back on the ice and with friends again.
DN Finland was kind enough to give me a yellow vest and scoring tools. Hard black ice with a skim of water with winds around 15 mph, gusting to 20, made for sporty conditions. The regatta was called complete after six races. The camaraderie among these long-time friends was the focus of the regatta and the four-race per day limit assured plenty of time for socializing and evening group dinners.
Thank you, DN Finland, DN Sweden, and all ice sailing friends, for welcoming me to your special event. Perhaps it’s time to organize a Grand Masters regatta in North America.
2022 US Nationals MP4 from Sean R. Heavey on Vimeo.
Here’s what many of you have been waiting for, Sean R. Heavey’s drone video from the U.S. Nationals. The drone video starts on Lake Monona in Madison, WI and transitions to some fantastic racing action on Lake Senachwine in Putnam, IL.
Sean R. Heavey Photo Gallery 2022 U.S. Nationals.
The residents around the Lake Senachwine area gave the DN class a warm welcome everywhere, be it on the ice or in their restaurants. We appreciated your interest and making us feel at home on your lake. Here’s their local newspaper’s write up:
Lake Senachwine hosts U.S National DN Ice Yacht races after last minute relocation
Originally scheduled for Madison, Wisconsin; competition moves to Putnam on four days notice
By Jayce Eustice
Competitor Pete Johns of Decatur helped bring the organization’s attention to the lake where he spends some time in the winter.“This freeze’s early because it’s shallow, but it had a bunch of snow on it this year so I haven’t sailed it yet,” Johns said. “I had a guy drive up here on Sunday and it was perfect.” Read more.
Sam Bartel pushes off at the 2022 U.S. Nationals on Senachwine Lake, Putnam, IL.
Sean R. Heavey joined the fun for the U.S. Nationals and has posted his photos from Lake Monona and Senachwine Lake to a gallery. Check them out!
Like clockwork, sailing fans raise the subject of DN ice yacht racing as an Olympic sport in the weeks before the event. UK DN racer David Howlett K13 (an uber high-level soft water sailing coach and trainer) shared this recent blog post from Rule 69 Sailing that asked the question.
Follow the links below to the September 2017 issue of Runner Tracks for more background and timeline provided by former IDNIYRA European Secretary Chris Williams.
Every time a Winter Olympics comes around, I can’t help myself but dig out the old World Sailing video of David ‘Sid’ Howlett, Ben Ainslie’s uber-trainer, and join him full square in his passion for ice yachting and I’m still left thinking that it would be a superb discipline, even as a demonstration event, at a Games. Continue reading.
2017 September Runner Tracks
ICE SAILING AS AN OLYMPIC SPORT WAS SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED FOR 10 YEARS. WHAT HAPPENED?
Flipbook Magazine
Download pdf file (best for tablets)
Download single page pdf (best for phones)
iceboat.org Minnesota Ice Sailing Association Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club New England Ice Yacht Association