DN NA Class

The weather forecast overnight has gotten worse.  Snow showers are now predicted for Saturday and the temps are dropping.  Sunday's temp has now dropped below zero.  We are postponing Westerns until the following weekend, Jan 11-12. Watch for an update on Wednesday, Jan 8 at 6 PM. In the meantime, watch this Forum, Green lake Ice Yacht Club Facebook and the Western Hotline 608-313-5156 for info on scrub-racing on a smaller, newer, cleaner piece of ice on Green Lake on Saturday. The lake has filled in from the ends, we still have a large mid-section without ice.  Yay.."Deepest Lake in Wisconsin" at 237 ft...she may yet come thru for us! If you should decide to come anyway, Heidel House has $79 rates which is about the best in the area. Julie J

 FYI-The Eastern Regionals have been scheduled on Jan 11-12 for some time now.  Having two regionals on the same weekend doesn't seem like a good idea for the class.
  Regards, Chad Atkins
                US 4487
               

I fully appreciate that there are a few sailors who have the time to travel far and wide and attempt to race in all DN regions.

However, it seems to me that Regional championships are intended to service primarily the members in the Region.  The  need for inter-regional competition is met by the National and Continental championships and various invitational events.  Members from other regions are always welcome at the Western Region, and fully eligible for the prizes. 

...Jane

Jane,
In this era of declining attendance, that might not be a great attitude to have.  If you take the centrals last weekend, you would note fully 1/3 of the competitors came from out of the region,  Including 5 of the top 10 in the gold fleet.   There were competitors from the Western region, Eastern Region, Mountain lakes, and Canada.  Do you really want to blow them off?
Cheers,
Eric Anderson US 5193

Now we have a different subject.   Why the decline in participation?  Forty five years ago there would have been 85 boats in a Detroit Invitational. 
Everyone is attempting to identify the cause:
Weather patterns?
Cost of equipment?
Time available?
Other commitments?
Cost to travel?
Complexity of the sport?
Inadequate promotion?
No local suppliers?

Our local iceboat club has 110 members, 33 of whom own racing DNs.  Yet only seven or eight of us typically sail in regattas.
I think that leaves a couple dozen DN sailors the IDNIYRA is "blowing off".    I love regattas, but I'm not convinced the future of the IDNIYRA lies in regattas

I think it lies in local activity, building, sailing, the friendships formed.    Drive by the lake and see the boats out sailing.   What's going on out there?    How do I get involved?   Where can I buy one?  Who will help me build one?   You mean I can join a club for as little as ten dollars?   Where does everyone go for Wednesday lunch?    If I want to race, do I need to drive eight hours?   

Buy his lunch.  Show him your DVD's.  Introduce him to the guy who has a boat for sale.   Help him align his runners.  Show him how to rig the boat and sail it safely.  And, incidentally,  introduce him to the IDNIYRA websites. 

Set your goal for the season:  help a newbie(s).      I have already met that goal.  Ron Sherry has met that goal.   Lou Loenneke has met that goal   Daniel Hearn has met that goal.    Let's hear from everyone: What I did to help a newbie!!!

See you on the ice soon.

..Jane

Some very good points Jane.I have probably had 10-12 people in the last few years either sit ,ride on or actually sail my boat.Most everyone thought it was cool,had a good time and liked it(except my own kids).Iceboating is a tough sell,mostly for all the reasons listed above.Iceboat Regatta racing is a much tougher sell.Even myself,(as self prescribed sailboat racing addict ) have found my enthusiasm to travel to these Events has wained.Just to many variables involved ,weather ,ice,wind for it all to come together and make it worth while.Most ice boaters here ,where I live are quite satisfied with there old boat with aluminum masts and older sails,sailing 2-3 times a year when the conditions are just right.Starting to believe maybe there approach is the best.

We're all weather junkies...so this is not new news at this point, but hope to see you on Green Lake today..Brief, Tropical Heat Wave of mid-20's -  breeze in the mid teens - some snow drifts. Perhaps the only ice sailable in the Western Region.   Allert - it is also the opening day of Trout Fishing...  See you on the ice!

Just a reminder that the one-week-postponed Western Regionals is still on for Green Lake, WI.
Weather is currently very favorable.  New ice in center of lake is 3-4 inches thick with no snow. 11 of us raced scrub races all Saturday on the west end which had 20-30% 1 and a half inch drifts.  Update post here Wednesday at 6 PM.

To reinforce what Jane envisions.  I am a perfect example of someone who has received the help Jane speaks of. I have finished my first iceboat build, and by god the thing does not suck, probably will explode around the first windward mark, but that's not the point.  The point is that in the last 6 months as I built my boat, I received assistance and help from: Dave Zoll, Jim Gluek, Mark Isabell, Ron Sherry, Ron and Erich Schloemer, Geoff Sobering, Paul Godwin, Gordon Meldrum,  All very big names in the sport, all have responded to various questions and given critical information.  This class is special and I Hope to met you all on the ice, if I can ever get out!!

That has nothing to do with sailing on Green Lake, but I wanted to recognize what a great class this is!

Good luck this weekend, I will be thinking of you all racing as I sit at a Gymnastics meet.