iceboating.net Minnesota Ice Sailing Association

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.

Ice-Opti Sailor Louis Austin (US-29) blasts through a drift near the leeward mark on Saturday. Photo: Geoff Sobering (wow)

It looks like the season's off to a good start... Saturday night it looked like everybody was smiling, and sore. Lots of racing, lots of sailing, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.

We hoisted a special Fire on Ice , open in seperate window St Paul Winter Carnival Sail, Announcing The World Ice Racing Circuit LLC's debut Jan 31, Feb 1 Short Course Event at Lake Phalen during the St Paul Winter Carnival. It was a great help to get important insight from sailors on format enhancement, and we've begun filling starting block positions for what we're hopeful will be the start of a great event in Ice Racing at the St Paul Winter Carnival. There were DN Sailors at the Button Raising Ceremony in St Paul happening at exactly the same time by the WIRC Team at Osakis, Winter Carnival Button Boat Sailing Team (Sam Kiefer and Ben Shaevitz) raised the Winter Carnival Button Sail on Lake Osakis.

I think I speak for all the participants, Our Thanks go out to all the people who make this magic event happen. Of Note: Al and Ethyl,and all the great people from the Osakis/Long Prairie Ice Sailing Club for finding this great sheet of ice, and being the first to sail on it. Jan at the Osakis Visitor Center, and everybody in Osakis who came out to see something special happening, and for making us all feel welcome. To 5366 and 5369, 5214 and maybe other 20 ice reporters for logging untold miles, checked and monitored about 50 lakes as they went thru freeze up.

To all the story tellers who came out on thin ice, thanks for coming, all the ingredients were there, we all look forward to seeing your work. The cameras seem to elevate the performances of the sailors.

And most important, thank you to all the sailors who traveled many great distances, to celebrate the beginning of the Ice Racing Season with another Amazing Great Western Challenge Regatta. (No injuries, everybody stayed dry). A couple firsts this year:
- The Poles and the Australians both outnumbered the Germans.
- The first competitor from Canyon Ferry Montana.
- ABC News now has an Ice Boater on their news staff.

Here's wishing you a happy voyage home, the roads were intermittently very icy on the trip back to the twin cities.

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