Get Ready for Ice Sailing Season

by Commodore James “T” Thieler DN US 5224
The winter sailing season is coming up fast! If you are interested in getting into iceboating find a swap meet and club meeting near you, pick up some gear and get ready to enjoy the fastest sailing on the planet. Make this the year no matter where you are.

Here are some options –

Skeeter Iceboat Club 31st Annual Swap Meet
Sunday, October 30, 2016; 9 to noon
Lucke’s Cantina, 220 N. Elkhorn Rd. (WI Hwy 67), Williams Bay, WI
This is the Grand-Daddy of all swap meets. More equipment changes hands at this swap meet than all others combined. There will be Skeeters, Renegades, Arrows, Nites, DN’s and who knows what else. Boat builders and hardware manufacturers will all set up displays. If you want to buy or sell something (or simply shoot the bull!) this is the place to be. All the big names of iceboating show up for this one.

Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club
Saturday, November 5, 2016 10 AM – 3 PM
Gull Lake Country Club, 9725 W Gull Lake Dr, Richland, MI 49083
For more information: https://www.facebook.com/groups/280198766052/

New England Ice Yacht Club Fall Meeting & Swap Meet
Saturday, November 5, 2016 9 AM – Noon
Knights of Columbus Hall, 17 Willow St, Westborough, MA 01581.
For more information: https://theneiya.org/
The swap meet starts at 9AM in the parking lot, lunch and meeting starts at noon in the hall. There will be great door prizes. Put it on your calendars. Start digging out all the gear you want to sell or trade and start making a list of anything you’d like to bring up at the meeting.

Sailcrafters 8th Annual Iceboat Swap Meet
Saturday, November 5, 2016 10 AM- 1 PM
7450 Oxford Street, St. Louis Park, MN 55426
Tim Carlson of Sailcrafters is hosting again. This swap meet is popular with the Minnetonka, White Bear and Bald Eagle sailors. There promises to be lots of DN and Nite equipment along with several complete boats. We may even see a C-Skeeter courtesy of “Drifter.” Anyone looking to upgrade equipment or buy a complete boat is encouraged to attend. This is also the perfect opportunity to talk with Tim about hardware and rigging questions. And, it’s the right time to drop off that sail that needs repair.

Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club in Maine
Sunday, November 6, 2016
12 Chretien Rd, Biddeford, ME
For more information https://iceboat.me/
Great follow-up to the NEIYA meeting. Great variety of gear and food at this one!

Lake Ronkonkoma Ice Yacht Club Swap Meet
Saturday, December 10, 2016 1 – 4 pm
Weeks Yacht Yard, 10 Riverview Ct, Patchogue, NY 11772
More information: http://iceboatlongisland.com/
Food and drinks will be supplied by the club free of charge! What else could one ask for?

For more information about ice sailing:
North American DN Association http://na.idniyra.org/
Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club, Madison, WI http://iceboat.org/index.html
New England Ice Yachting Association https://theneiya.org/