The first race start has been moved to 12:00 noon CST in order to allow the temperatures to moderate. It’s -3F at 6AM.
If you have friends on the road, please let them know.
REGISTRATION: Registration will be in the parking lot at the launch site from 10:00 – 11:00 AM CST.
See you on the ice. It’s going to be a beautiful,sunny day on Lake Mendota!
Via DN Western Region Commodore Daniel Hearn.
The DN Western Region regatta is called ON for Madison, WI for January 13-14, 2018 on Lake Mendota. Launch out of Mendota County Park. Both Mendota and Monona were inspected and Mendota’s sheet was found to be the better of the two sheets. You will need a Dane County Lake Access Permit to launch from this site. See information below.
See Notice of Race
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
•Friday: 7-9 PM Registration at Regatta Hotel Headquarters @ AmericInn, 101 West Broadway, Monona, WI
•Sat 8-9 on ice registration
•Sat 9:30 Skippers Meeting
•Sat 10:30 First DN start
•Sunday 10:00 First DN start. No race will start after 2:30 PM
LAUNCH INFORMATION
Mendota County Park
5133 Co Hwy M
Middleton, WI 53562
DANE COUNTY LAKE ACCESS PERMIT REQUIRED
Buy at the launch site or buy online at this link: https://www.reservedane.com/permits.aspx
HOTEL INFORMATION
Regatta Headquarters: AmericInn Lodge and Suites Madison South
101 W. Broadway
Madison, WI
608-222-8601
americinn.com
20 rooms available (queens)
$79 – $99 plus tax
Pool, hot tub, breakfast
Country Inn and Suites by Carlson
400 River Place
Madison, WI
608-221-0055
countryinns.com
15 rooms available
$109 Friday, $96 Sat. plus tax
Pool, hot tub, breakfast
Sleep Inn and Suites
4802 Tradewinds Pkwy
608-221-8100
sleepinnmadison.com
21 rooms available for Fri and Sat
$84 plus tax
Pool, hot tub, breakfast
The DN Western Region Championship is tentatively scheduled for January 13-14, 2018. Here’s an update from Western Region Commodore Daniel Hearn.
UPDATE 2: January 11, 2018 @12:30 PM CST
Please be patient. I understand many are anxious for the call, but I won’t have enough information to make a decision until sometime Friday morning. Right now it’s 47 degrees in Madison and we’ve got lots of water on top of ice on all the Madison area lakes. Same on Green Lake, Winnebago, Delavan and Lake Geneva. When the temps drop back below freezing this afternoon and get down to 9 degrees overnight, we could have either hockey rinks or runner swallowing shell ice and drain holes. The radical temperature shift could also create cracks/heaves. Unfortunately, I’m just not going to know until tomorrow. A number of us will be on Middleton Bay on the west end of Lake Mendota early tomorrow morning. It is our intention to inspect and sail, and call the event “ON” if at all possible. Lake Mendota remains our most probable possibility, but the other lakes mentioned above are not out of consideration. Others will be inspecting those tomorrow morning, as well.
Stay tuned…
Daniel Hearn
Western Region Commodore
US 5352
Ice Sailing Friends:
The Western Regional Championships remain a possibility for this weekend. Here’s what I know—
The big Zamboni is working overtime this week on the Madison area lakes. We’ve been above freezing during the day all week with a high of 46 expected Thursday, along with some rain. This should all but eliminate the modest amount of snow we have on our ice. Then, we’re back to 12 degrees overnight Thursday, with a high of 20 on Friday and down to Zero overnight Friday. All of these factors could set us up for a choice between sheets on the Madison area lakes, but there is a possibility that we could receive some mixed precipitation Thursday evening as temperatures drop back down. If we’re lucky, the precip will have ended as the temps drop back below freezing.
Don’t believe it’s been warm enough to the north to eliminate the snow that has landed on the ice.
To the south, the warm temps have not allowed Lake Geneva to lock up yet to safe sailing conditions. Have not heard any more about Lake Decatur or any other sheets in southern Illinois or Indiana.
Have not heard any promising reports coming out of the bays of Green Bay.Please keep ice reports coming my way!
All of this means that I am anticipating a late go/no-go call, possibly as late as noon on Friday. Have your stuff ready to go, because it just might happen! Many sailors are anxious to get in some tiller time before the North Americans, which open the following weekend. If we can’t pull Westerns off this weekend, we will postpone until after North Americans.
The 4LIYC will be checking ice on Friday. If sailable conditions exist, at a minimum, you can anticipate that scrub racing will be happening. I’m placing my personal bet on the west end of Lake Mendota.
Until later this week…
Daniel Hearn
Western Region Commodore
US 5352
DNs line up to race on Lake Kegonsa.
1. It’s Cold
2. Styrofoam
3. Western Regional Championships postponed
4. HopeThat sums it up, campers. The entire Western Region remains locked in single digit temperatures through Saturday, but there’s hope for Sunday. In Madison a high of 29 is forecast. I’ll be digging out my shorts and tank top.
With the frigid temperatures of the last two weeks, we’ve got lots of ice now. Thick ice. Unfortunately, most of it is covered with snow. Dry, stiff snow. Where we have a combination of ice and snow, we’ve got drifts. Styrofoam-like drifts. Takes skinny runners and lots of breeze to power through.
Green Lake, in Green Lake, WI and west end of Lake Mendota in Madison, WI were still teasing us for Westerns, but high pressure is going to keep the wind light for Saturday. Not the engine we’d need to power through the styrofoam. At best we might have gotten in a 1-day regatta. Not good, if you can avoid it. No Westerns, but team maDisoN is going to set up for scrub racing Sunday on the west end of Lake Mendota. Breeze in the mid teens and temps to 29 degrees should allow for racing. Technically this Middleton, WI. Launch at Captain Bill’s.
Large portions of Green Lake and Lake Geneva are open, as are areas along the west shore of the bay of Green Bay. Warming temperatures next week could also improve some of our more lightly drifted sheets. So, remain hopeful that we can pull off Westerns next weekend, and join us for scrub racing this Sunday.
Think Ice!
Daniel Hearn
Western Region Commodore
2017 DN Western Region Championship on Lake Monona, Madison, WI
Via Daniel Hearn, Area Commodore DN Western Region
Dear Ice Sailors:
I am postponing a final decision on the possibility of the championships happening this weekend until mid day tomorrow (Thurs. 1/4). At this point a suitable venue has not been found. The most promising of the many sheets considered was Green Lake in Green Lake, WI. It was sailed yesterday in heavy wind by our brave ice checkers in single digit temperatures. They found very hard styrofoam-like drifts of an inch to inch and a half spotted among clear ice. In the heavy wind they were able to power through the drifts, but unless winds were at least 8-9 mph, racing would not be possible. Last night the area received another half inch of snow, so the drifts will likely increase in size. Nonetheless, the sheet will be checked again today. Weather for Saturday will be single digits until mid afternoon. Warming temps will come for Sunday, but snow is also in the forecast.
All venues in Minnesota are reported to be snow covered. Pete Johns and Ken Smith are sailing Lake Decatur today, so that remains a possibility. Lake Seneshwein (sp?) in southern Illinois received 6″ of snow. Lake Carlisle in southern Illinois has no snow, but froze very rough. The bays of Green Bay winding up to the UP have shown promise, but may have also received snow. Temps in these further north areas will remain no higher than low single digits through the weekend.
Please send any more ice information my way, but for now we are postponed with the hope that the following weekend will work out. There remain large portions of Green Lake and Lake Geneva which are still open, so with calm wind, those could set up to excellent sheets.
Think Ice!
Daniel Hearn
Western Regional Commodore
A pair of photographers were on Lake Monona shooting the 2017 DN Western Region regatta. They have posted their photo set on Flickr and are encouraging us to download and use as we like.
“My wife and a I had a great time Saturday and Sunday Jan. 7-8 watching the DNs race on Lake Monona and taking a few photos. I’ve put 26 photos up in a album on my Flickr page, here is the link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kdmeyer/sets/72157676991377862
Possibly somebody will enjoy a picture of themselves; the images are full-resolution and free to download with my compliments. Managed to catch both champions including #183 with quite a bit of air under one of his blades.
Thank you, we met some nice people and enjoyed being spectators.”
iceboat.org Minnesota Ice Sailing Association Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club