iceboating.net Minnesota Ice Sailing Association

ABC News Good Morning America will run a story on Ice Racing, pitched and filmed by WIRC Collaborator and Racer KA 2, Peter Norton, of Rum Jungle Media, at 2008 Great Western Challenge Regatta, in Osakis MN on December 5,6 & 7.

I'm told the story will run on ABC News, Good Morning America on Sunday March 1, and most likely also available on their website after the story airs.

read more... http://www.worldiceracingcircuit.com/Forum/tabid/63/forumid/2/threadid/1...

And a sailor friend of mine said, what do they know about sailin, and I replied they know a lot about turning left and going fast... I bet with about a week of practice they'll kick some asses...

We've been asked to demonstrate iceboating prior to the St Paul Winter Carnival Fire on Ice Event for a local network affiliate.

The media demonstration event will be sceduled at your comparative convieniece if you have one that can be made available.

Ideally the Side Car will be available media opportunities for the Entire Winter Carnival Event.

Please contact the IceMaker

4695

As an old Auctioneer once told me, "With all this 'sh!#' around here, there has to be a Pony hiding someplace!"

It's now a month since the Great Western Challenge Regatta, and we've seen snow every 48 hours since then... Snow again today, snow forecast for Monday/Tuesday.

Lake Phalen on Thursday Jan 8 had 12 inches of ice, covered by 1.5 inches of dense snow, not deep, but we'd need more than the 5mph breeze forecast for Saturday...but for the 1-5 inches forecast for today, Peppin, near Frontenac/Maiden Rock probably better.

I took my DN off the car roof this morning, for first time in a month, when not sailing. They say they're having a Blizzard in the Alexandria/Fergus Falls areas right now... expecting 8-12 inches of snow, gusting to 40 mph today.

It's amazing what this event is growing into... Jan Gougeon said on Sunday, "Those people out on that ice, they are alive today".

70 or so DN's from all over (4 Countries, 11 States) came to sail in Osakis Minnesota, and it sure looked like about 20 ice opti's out banging around doing the Ice-Opti North American Championships. Most heartening was the number of new faces, in both fleets, and considering the cold temps and strong winds it was great to see all smiles.

At the time of this post, we have abundant ice in Minnesota to look to for the Great Western Challenge... Today's Modis Imagery at 250m resolution clearly shows frozen lakes including Dead, Christina, the East End of Minnewaska, ect. where we know the ice is more than 5 inches in a different color than lakes that have recently frozen and have less than 4 appear to be the same color as open water.

1. We have a lot of ice, more coming soon.

Christina, just as I'd imagined her... hours of 50 mph formation flying, just checking for flaws, and ripping ... open in seperate window

...and this farmer parks his John Deere tractor, right across the road from Milepost 8, with shitty

Today Iceboaters from Minnesota will be walking, and hopefully sailing on at least two lakes. I look forward to reporting that Lake Christina is in most excellent condition later today. I expect to hear similar reports from Swede Lake.

The weather outlook is favorable for the next two weeks, and we should start seeing other lakes kick over in the next couple days... I expect Buffalo will freeze on Monday or Tuesday, lagging Christina by a week. The lead up week to the Great Western is supposed to be quite cold with overnight lows in the single digits.

Where are we going to sail this mythical event? It just smells like Buffalo this morning... It's certainly not official, but it sure looks like it's lining up that way.

Its been 23 degrees F. for the last 70 hours or so near Mile Post 8, Lake Christina, Ashby, MN.

I called Ruby's City Restaurant in Ashby MN late yesterday, Christina was still open yesterday morning. (Ruby's City Restaurant is an Icemaker's 3 Star Restaurant, one of the few places worth having breakfast between Minneapolis and Seattle, a scant 3 miles off I 94)

If my math is right, always questionable, since math is hard, and underlying assumptions are right, more suspect.

Prediction: Lake Christina, that cold heartless wet spot, will be frozen at first light this morning, though not quite completely, her pleasures await, and nobody's going to jump on her...just yet, I do expect somebody will piss on her this week.

Several of us; The Reverend Petey, at Head Injury Media /Penalty Box Productions, Aussie Peter Norton of , Rum Jungle Media , Geoff Sobering Moving Target Photography , and myself for sure have been talking... about "Telling The Story", the story of iceboating, like with all this ice, and all this sailing, the speed, the thin ice, there's a couple great stories to be told.

And she said, "In the unlikely event of a water landing..." From personal experience, cold water immersions are no fun, an unplanned swim in a newly frozen lake, alone, at sunset is the loneliest place on the planet.

Link to page: Self Rescue or How to be your own best friend!

http://www.iceboating.net/node/2323

A reprint of Bob Dill's excellent article from the IDNIYRA Site, and a couple other thoughts.

“…and one of us will win!” The softer side of hardwater racing.
Parts of this date from 1992 and I cannot speak to the prior evolution of the sport locally; these are my observations.

John Dennis and Jimmy Gluek suckered me into test sailing a DN Iceboat on Medicine Lake Minnesota in the spring of 1991, it was a great spring day, blowing 10-15 mph. I tried it once and owned a boat that very day and have every day since then. What a hoot, it still is.

Photo Credit: Geoff Sobering

The Weather Channel announced the Series "Epic Conditions", in January of this year,
The Weather Channel
updated 1/08/07
Epic Conditions

Coming in early 2007, dates and times TBA
The Weather Channel will follow thrill seekers such as sailboarders and mountain bikers. (Genres: Human Interest, Lifestyle).
____________________________________________________

I've repeatedly had a giggle over the blistering I've taken by some of the more stoic iceboaters, about the use of this particular word,... and about the use of hyperbole in promotional arts.

It's been a bit chilly up here in Minnesota... a big chunk of Superior's frozen... to our delight as iceboaters... we'll be there real soon.

Just got this from my Dad, Sweet ol Bruce,
and thought I'd share:

How About That Weather????

60 above zero:

Floridians turn on the heat.

People in Minnesota plant gardens.

50 above zero:

Californians shiver uncontrollably.

People in Duluth sunbathe.

40 above zero:

Italian & English cars won't start.

People in Minnesota drive with the windows down.

32 above zero:

Distilled water freezes.

The water in Bemidji gets thicker. (there's 4" of ice on Lake Christina)