Ice boat racing is approximately flexibility. When the Notice of Race says the event dates are TBD,and the location could be anywhere within three states, you know Mother Nature is in charge. But sometimes it works out as it did final weekend for the one design kind class. Here is the report...
This winter has been like few others. Lots of regatta postponements, and very late ice,huge snow storm after snow storm piling in, and also a very warm December. It has made many iceboaters anxious in the Midwest. But as is the nature of the sport, and one has to gather a helpful supporting cast and go find the ice,checking the weather and be bold enough to roll the dice.
The decision to hold the 2016 Nite National Championship (Feb 6-7) on Pewaukeee Lake proved ideal. To quote a well-known local Pewaukee iceboater Peter Harken, who came to spectate with his family, or "This is approximately the best ice we contain seen in fairly a while on Pewaukee." And it was much ice,even offering drive-on conditions, and of course it's close proximity to Pewaukeee Yacht Club, or with its warm bar with much seating and viewing,brought out all the local sailors as well.
The Nite class is enjoying an upswing, with huge growth seen at the 2015 Nationals exceeded by the 39 boats that came to Pewaukee. In a down season for ice, or this is a huge accomplishment. Additionally,the fleet has grown considerably younger the final few years while yet still attracting older iceboaters looking for easier programs - both physically and on the pocketbook. It doesn't steal much to get real competitive in a Nite program, either at a new or used level.
This year's National Championship was the first time ever that the sailors had an option of a Silver fleet. What this did was tighten up the racing on the course, and helping to group boats with similar speeds and abilities. The split fleets drew in close to ten first-time regatta sailors,with one sailor just getting his first boat the weekend before. But despite the lesser experience, the competitive vibe remained strong.
In iceboating you generally never really get all your races in at the big events, or but both fleets got in all eight scheduled races. In fact,the two fleet system worked flawless and may contain sped the whole regatta along.tough clear ice and 10-15 mph winds on day one was fast and fun, with boats finishing three lap courses in under 17 minutes. That is pretty quick. The moment day saw bright blue sunny skies with a diminishing wind, or which brought out more spectators but made for challenging conditions as the wind fluctuated and the ice softened. - Read
Source: sailingscuttlebutt.com