Iceboating Constant.... ROADTRIP...an EPIC DN Worlds is brewing! Incl Links to Webcams!

Another First in Minnesota Ice Sailing, A Minnesota Sailor is competing someplace in Europe in the DN World Championships beginning this weekend...
miles and miles

John Dennis, DN US 4691, With a Second Place last Month on Lake Pepin, MN in the North American Championships, JD is Currently ranked #2 in the World will be seeking to improve his status by just one place... Sail Fast!

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Posted on Monday, February 11, 2008 - 07:05 pm: at http://www.icesailing.org/ by IDNIYRA WORLD COMMODORE Niklas Müller-Hartburg OE 221

(OE is to KA as AUT is to AUS ) :)

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Dear friends,

this is a pre-information about the situation for WC 2008 and EC 2008.

I’m right now (Monday, 11.02.2008) in the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki.

I started on Friday from Vienna to Peter Münnich to Salzburg from where we went Saturday and Sunday to Sandviken / Arsunda in Sweden. At this time Arsunda was the only information with sailable ice I had and I wanted to see this myself. The information about the ice was correct. Thick ice with slush on it. When we arrived on Sunday afternoon, the ice was wet and the slush was really deep and very, very wet. In the night there were about -2°C which caused that the slush became hard and on some places double-ice.
The most important problem is accommodation there. Next available hotel is about 35 km away !
But anyway – Thanks to Dag Lindström and the Swedish group to make such an effort to host us !

Sunday evening I got informations from Reko that they sailed at the weekend near Kouvola in Finland on Lappalan Järvi. Ice conditons seemd to be good, and what is not normal in Finland there is ac-commodation around 10 km available. So we decided to go to Finland and have a look on the ice there.

Driving to the ferry I had some phonecalls and got information from Tomasz Zakrzewski that at Lake Siemianowka where the juniors will have their event the next days exists good ice and accommodation within 20 Minutes to drive.

I will get better information tomorrow morning about iceconditions there and probably stop my investigations in Finland to turn back and go to Poland (via Tallinn).

This is not a final decision (not even any decision).
This is just for information. Unfortunately I can’t tell you anything where we will go to and I can’t exclude any place at this stage.

Regards, hopefully we will meet on good ice !!!

THINK ICE

Niklas
OE 221
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Niklas is going to have over 1,600 miles in when he gets to Lake Siemianowka, In Poland, for what may be suitable conditions, with an alternate site a scant 800 miles North, in Finland, crossing 4 international borders and a small ferry ride, to what looks like a viable alternate site. that is, he could easily see a 3,000 mile trip to the regatta...

WOW, this hasn't even started yet.

The 550 mile drive from Lake Minnetonka to Lake Wawasee seems pretty close, when compared to Iceboating in Europe this week.

Measured again

Vienna to Lipno, via Niklas' route, by Yahoo Maps = 3,200 Miles! So Far... the same distance as driving from Key West, FL to Seattle Washington!

Music for driving around Europe, looking for that special ice...

It's a long way...

What's a few more miles, it's iceboating...

Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 09:27 pm: at http://www.icesailing.org/ by IDNIYRA WORLD COMMODORE, Niklas Müller-Hartburg OE 221

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Dear friends,

now I'm sitting on a ferry again.
Some people ask if I became a "Fähroholic"

Today I have been in Finland and had a look on Lappalan Järvi. Ice conditions there are not that what I would love to have for WC 2008 or EC 2008.

Before starting to that lake I had several phone calls to Stan Macur, Chris Williams, and other reliable informing persons and we realised that 12cm on lake Siemianowka won't be thick enough. Especially if you see weatherforecast with cold and snow together. Snow will bring some isolation and will avoid the growing of the ice.

Anyhow, I have been following (in secret) the last days Lipno. Before I started from Vienna I got information that ice there is too bad and unsafe. But after having seen that there has been every night about -6°C to -9°C I asked Sebastian Obermaier and Friedl Liese to go there and to check the ice. (Thanks for doing that so fast !)

It's a long way to... Lipno???

After having got some informations I decided to leave Helsinki and to go with Superfast to Rostock. I plan to be on Lipno on Thursday morning and I hope that I can make a final decision on Thursday noon - early afternoon.

Lipno Lake, Czech Republic, today's webcam image!
Lake Lipno Webcam
it's looking pretty good ... for now, a lot of weather must happen before the event begins.

The decision will be (from the point of view now !) Sandviken (Sweden) or Lipno (Czech Republic).

THIS IS NOT A FINAL DECISION !!!!!!!!!!!

THINK ICE

Niklas
OE 221

P.S.: If there happens a miracle it can also be Poland again.

P.P.S.: if it will be Lipno - nobody could say I made this decision becasue it is so nice near from home ;-) (only for driving back)

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I make it Niklas will drive almost 2,000 miles to get to the primary site, and a lot of Europe... so far, and the site's not been selected yet. 4695

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wow, what a fleet

2008 DN Worlds

The Fleet Distribution, by Country registered ...
What are the odds any sailor will be able to say much more than Hi to the guys starting above or below them on the line?

Austrians 5
Danes 9
Estonians 12
Finns 9
Germans 48
Dutch 12
Hungarians 6
Latvians 9
Lithuanians 3
Norwegians 1
Poles 49
Russians 15
Swedes 18
Swiss 8
Brits 1
Yanks 15

Ironically there seem to be no Czech DNers racing on their ice.