LATEST NEWS
“Iceboat Racing Creates High-Speed Thrills on MN’s Frozen Lakes”
Minnesota DN ice sailing is in the good news of the week.
“The speed and acceleration is what keeps me coming back,” says Mike Miller of Mound. Miller has spent the past 20 winters racing iceboats. “It’s a great way to keep the sailing season going. We always get bummed in the fall when we’re packing up our “soft-water” boats, but as soon as that season ends, another begins.” Continue reading.
2021 IDNIYRA Yearbook Available
Cover: 2020 World Champion Lukasz Zakrzewski P155, Poland. Photo Credit: Gwidon Libera
The International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association Yearbook is available for purchase and to view on this website. Many thanks to Bob Cummins and Atilla Pataki Jr. for their editing assistance.
2021 Sean Heavey Calendars Shipped
Sean Heavey let us know that he is shipping the 2021 ice sailing calendars out today. Watch your mailboxes for a year of Thinking Ice in 2021.
2021 DN Western Region Championship Update
2021 DN Western Region Championship Update
With all the uncertainty in the air this DN season, we would like to announce that we intend to hold the Western Regional Championship as scheduled, January 2-3, 2021. Of course, the regatta location and date will be subject to the traditional task of locating suitable ice. Still, this year we must also contend with the extent and severity of state and local COVID-19 travel restrictions, stay-at-home orders, etc. A challenge, to be sure.
Stay tuned for updates.
Chris Berger US5166
Western Region Commodore
Cancellation of the 2021 Gold Cup and North American Championships
Previous: Q & As 15 OctoberCancellation of the Gold Cup and North American Championships
The IDNIYRA Governing Committee earlier announced plans to decide by November 25th whether the 2021 Gold Cup would be held. Since publishing the Q&As it has become apparent that holding the regatta in 2021 is not feasible. The Canada-US land border closure has been extended to 21 December and Europeans cannot travel to either the US or Canada for non-essential reasons. Therefore the 2021 Gold Cup is cancelled.
It would be possible to delay making a decision about the 2021 North American Championships until the next decision about the Canada -US border, but public health restrictions within states and provinces make the feasibility of any international event doubtful at best. As a result the IDNIYRA Governing Committee has decided to cancel the 2021 North American Championships but will endeavour to hold an American Championship in the same timeframe.
Warren Nethercote
Commodore IDNIYRA
Prevous: 2021 Gold Cup Q & As 12 August
Last Call for Ice Sailing Calendar Orders
2021 Ice Sailing Calendar Information
If you haven’t had a chance, there’s only a few more days left for you to order the coolest 2021 calendar in the world from Montana photographer Sean Heavey. Sean let us know that he’s closing the orders on Sunday, November 29, 2020. Click on the button above to order from Sean.
Previous: 2021 Ice Sailing Calendar from Sean Heavey
First Results of Autumn 2020 Ballot
Previous: IDNIYRA & IDNIYRA EU Autumn 2020 Ballot
The Autumn 2020 IDNIYRA and IDNIYRA EU combined ballot closed at 2345 November 22, 2020. Two-thirds of ‘yes’ votes are required for a Question to pass. The results are as follows:
Fifty-six percent of eligible members participated in the ballot. Abstentions were allowed on individual questions.
Question 1: EPIC Agreement Amendment. 132 yes / 84 against (61.1% yes, Question 1 fails)
Question 2: RMA Amendment. 184 yes / 46 against (80.0% yes, Question 2 passes)
Question 3: Technical Specification A16, Hull Cross Section. 169 yes / 52 against (76.5% yes, Question 3 passes and comes into effect May 31, 2021)
A report with the breakdown of votes by continent will follow once those results are received from the voting software contractor.
The members support to the governance of the DN Class is appreciated.
Attila Pataky (M-100) Commodore IDNIYRA EU
Warren Nethercote (KC 3786) Commodore IDNIYRA
UPDATE: 25 November 2020:
IDNIYRA and IDNIYRA EU Autumn 2020 ballot Results by Continent
Here are the results for the Autumn 2020 ballot broken out by continent.
Question 1: EPIC Agreement Amendment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Votes tallied: 216 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abstentions: 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Continent | NA | EU | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yes – I am in favour of Question 1 | 69 | 63 | 132 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No – I am opposed to Question 1 | 48 | 36 | 84 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
117 | 99 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Question 2: RMA Amendment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Votes tallied: 230 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abstentions: 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Continent | NA | EU | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yes – I am in favour of Question 2 | 95 | 89 | 184 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No – I am opposed to Question 2 | 28 | 18 | 46 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
123 | 107 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Question 3: Technical Specification A16, Hull Cross Section | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Votes tallied: 221 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abstentions: 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Continent | NA | EU | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yes – I am in favour of Question 3 | 91 | 78 | 169 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No – I am opposed to Question 3 | 25 | 27 | 52 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
116 | 105 |
As reported yesterday, 2/3rds ‘yes’ votes were required for a measure to pass. On that basis, Question 1 failed and Questions 2 and 3 carried.
Warren Nethercote Commodore IDNIYRA
Attila Pataki, Commodore IDNIYRA EU
First Runners On The Ice
Facebook was on fire yesterday with photos of local DN sailing coming out of Sweden and Canada. Dideric van Riemsdijk S867 and Richard Gustring S713 made a road trip north to Sautusjärvi, about a 3 hour drive above the Arctic Circle near the famous Ice Hotel. In North America, Mike Madge KC5449 found a perfect sheet of ice on Whitefish Lake, an hour west of Thunder Bay. The Thunder Bay area has experienced some long ice sailing seasons lately. Last season, Mike sailed his DN from November 7 until mid April.
Member Dues Reminder
Pay Dues Online
If you’d rather send a check:
Make check payable to IDNIYRA
$25 for an annual membership
mail to:
IDNIYRA
c/o 1200 East Broadway
Monona, WI 53716
The IDNIYRA membership year starts on November 1st. It is perhaps no surprise that this year the pace of renewals has been slower than usual, with concerns over the effects that COVID 19 might have on regatta travel. But the DN Class is not just about ranked regattas and road warriors: it is also about recreational, club and regional sailing. The IDNIYRA supports these activities too, so in what is likely to be an unusual winter there is every reason to support your class association as you normally do. Please, if you haven’t renewed yet, commit your 26 bucks and go to to renew your membership. Keep the DN Class strong!
Warren Nethercote, KC 3786
Commodore IDNIYRA
Pay Dues Online
DN Mast Making from Bob Rast
How To Build a DN Composite Mast
For all you DN home-builders out there, Bob Rast of RKR Composites has uploaded an instructional manual “How to Build a DN Composite Mast” in a Google Doc. Click here to access the document. Bob and Mark Isabell show you how it’s done in a YouTube video posted a few years back.
Update on IDNIYRA and IDNIYRA EU Autumn Ballot
We have an electronic ballot underway to consider three questions: an amendment to the EPIC Agreement; an amendment to the Regatta Management Agreement; and a change to the OFFICIAL SPECIFICATIONS. The ballot closes on November 22nd. As of 0900 AST Wednesday 11 November 177 of 422 eligible voters had voted (79 from Europe and 98 from North America). Another 49 members have opened their ballots but not yet voted. How people voted is not available to us until after ballots close on November 22nd. The voting software indicates that all ballots sent to IDNIYRA EU members were received. One ballot for a North American member was undeliverable, but we have been unable to make contact with the member to correct the email address.
On Friday 13 November those who have not yet voted will receive an automated reminder to vote from the voting software. The reminder will come from invitations@mail.electionbuddy.com To help avoid rejection of the notice as junk mail you can add invitations@mail.electionbuddy.com to your contact list. If you did not receive an invitation, or a first reminder (on 6 November 2020) and think that you should have received one, please contact Deb Whitehorse secretary.idniyra@gmail.com for North America or Attila István Pataki for Europe. We can check whether a ballot has been sent, your voting eligibility if one was not sent and, when appropriate, we can add you to the voters list.
Warren Nethercote, Commodore IDNIYRA
Ballot Administrator