Gold fleet champion Karol Jablonski

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What kind of sport allows someone in their 60s, still fit, still sharp, to win at the highest level in conditions that punish mistakes?

Iceboating.

This week belonged to Karol Jablonski. Twelve World Championships. Seven European titles. Now his third North American Championship  He doesn’t just win races, he defines Polish iceboating.

The final race began without a clean start for Karol. With the top sailors closely grouped on points, there was no margin to give away. He stayed composed, recovered quickly, and won the race.

Last night, he was at the Green Lake Ice Yacht Club party. The club allowed the DN Class to hold its awards ceremony as part of their scheduled event, bringing together the largest social gathering of ice sailors in North America this season.

Brian Jones kicked off the evening with a song he wrote about iceboating, and the room joined in. It set the tone right away.

Sailors from the International Skeeter Association regatta were also in attendance. It has been a long time since the DN and ISA communities have converged like this.

On the ice, the wind returned for the last day of the North American regatta, though in its usual cranky fashion. It couldn’t decide what it wanted to do, forcing several course changes throughout the day. Despite that, all North American Championship races were completed.

North American Championship results:

• Gold Fleet Champion: Karol Jablonski
• Silver Fleet Champion: Jim Grogan
• Bronze Fleet Champion: Mike Rian
• Women’s Trophy: Martha Croasdale
• Junior Trophy: Sebastian Sørensen
• Rookie Trophy: Ryan Kyle

Sebastian Sørensen deserves special mention. He has won every race he has finished during this championship. A boat problem kept him out of the early North American races, but once back on the line, his trajectory was impossible to ignore.

The race committee was extraordinary. Led by Pat Heppert, they braved bitter cold and snow to keep racing fair and safe. I will acknowledge them in a future post.

We finished early enough to begin the U.S. National Championship, squeezing in two races, one for Gold Fleet and one for Silver. No one wanted to quit while the ice was still giving.

Today is the final day of the regatta, with racing focused entirely on the U.S. Nationals.  I’ll have more photos from the awards ceremony in a few days. It’s been a long week of travel and ice.

Brian Jones kicked off the awards ceremony with an iceboating song.

Another aerial from Jeff Russell that captures the glare on Green Lake.

DN North American Championship Day 2

GREEN LAKE, WI
Regattas are supposed to offer a range of conditions, and the second day delivered exactly that. Light air that could not make up its mind.

We were able to complete three races for each fleet, starting with Gold.

Canada’s John Curtis won the Gold fleet race. It was good to see his persistence pay off. The Canadian contingent has logged the most miles over the past week, from Wawasee to Green Lake, and they did not let the brutal cold slow them down. If anything, they seemed to thrive. They must have antifreeze in their veins.

Another Canadian followed with a win in the Silver fleet. Paul Chamberland took the victory there.

The Bronze fleet race was won by junior sailor Sebastian Sorensen, and that result brought a lot of smiles. It has been great to watch his progress. Sebastian sails under a U.S. sail number, but he is also from Denmark and splits his time between the two countries.

The sunshine was welcome, but it came with a tradeoff. As the day wore on, glare off the ice became a real factor. By late in the day the weather mark was positioned directly into the sun, making it difficult to see and adding another layer of challenge for the sailors.

Off the ice, the speed clinic held Wednesday night was well attended. About 30 sailors gathered to ask questions and dig into technique with Chris Berger, Ron Sherry, and T. It was an engaged group and a good reminder of how much shared knowledge exists in this class.

Looking ahead, conditions are expected to change dramatically. As PRO Pat Heppert shared in his message last night, Friday is shaping up for good winds and continued fast ice.

Once the North American Championship concludes on Friday, we will move directly into U.S. Nationals racing as time allows. Sailors have been asked to self select their fleet preference.

This year marks the first time the class has tried this format. On off Worlds years, the class voted to hold both the North American Championship and a separate U.S. Nationals. The Nationals are a non ranking regatta, which allows us to skip qualifiers and go straight into racing.

Another major regatta also gets underway, with two courses running on the lake. The International Skeeter Association regatta begins, with A Class and B Class Skeeters, along with Nites and Renegades, all sailing.

Nina Fleming and I are staying on to help with that event on Sunday, because apparently we just cannot get enough of brutal cold.

After two days of contrast, we are ready for fast races and higher winds.
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We anticipate a great day of racing on Friday, January 30, with good winds, and continued fast ice. As a result, we are going to have registration and check-in for the US Nationals TONIGHT, Thursday night, January 29, at 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., in the hotel lobby. Once we complete the North American Championship tomorrow, we will proceed directly into US Nationals racing as time permits. Instead of qualifiers, be ready to choose your fleet preference.

DN NORTH AMERICAN SCHEDULE: The racing schedule for Friday will be Skippers meeting at 9:00 a.m. at the launch, and first race will be at 10:00 a.m.. the fleet rotation will be Gold, Silver, Bronze. Please note that there will be two race courses on the lake tomorrow. The DN course will be the one that is closer to the launch, roughly in the area where we were today.

DN North American Championship Day 1

Getting to the starting line this year has been a bit like surfing. You watch and move when the right wave finally lines up.

The championship first gathered at Lake Wawasee in Indiana, where we were put on hold for several days while we waited to see what the storm would bring. It delivered snow and shut that option down. At the same time, Green Lake in Green Lake, Wisconsin, was quietly forming hard black ice, so the call was made to relocate.

Once on site, we faced another postponement due to sustained below zero temperatures.

Day 1 finally arrived yesterday, Wednesday, January 28. Sunny, but cold. We delayed the skippers meeting and qualifiers until 11:00 a.m., hoping for some moderation. It was still below 10°F.

The wind was brisk and unsettled, swinging and shifting across the course. It was fascinating to watch the top sailors catch on to the shifts almost immediately. In conditions like this, the wind becomes a moving puzzle and the best sailors solve it fastest.

The race committee was efficient and set the course. Qualifiers were banged off quickly.

The scoring team hit the jackpot when Green Lake resident and long time DN sailor Joe Norton let us use his enclosed Ranger UTV with a heater. It fit the three of us, Nina Fleming, Ann Foeller, and me, and made a long cold day more manageable.

Joe’s generosity did not stop there. On the postponement day, he hosted a tour of his Norton Boatworks shop where he has been restoring classic wooden boats for many years. He is famous for it, and the tour drew a full house. Afterward we all went to lunch together. It was a great way to spend a postponement day.

Commodore Rob Holman kept making the rounds and checking on sailors and volunteers to be sure everyone was OK in the cold. I will not lie, this was one of the coldest days we have spent out there.

We were done by about 3:30 p.m. and happy to be off the lake. Thanks to the entire race committee for sticking it out under demanding conditions.

Last night we held the Annual Governing Meeting after a long cold day.

For today, Thursday, January 29 in Green Lake, the forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and northwest winds around 5 to 10 mph. Lighter winds should help a bit but also slow racing down a bit, and the sun makes a real difference on days like these.

Racing is wisely delayed again today, with racing planned to begin at 11:00 a.m. for Day 2 of the DN North American Championship.
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The Skipper’s meeting is now scheduled for 10 AM with racing tentatively to follow at 11 AM for Wednesday, January 28.

Official Notice – Tuesday Racing Postponed

Date: 26 January 2026

After much feedback, discussion and deliberation, the decision has been made to postpone on Tuesday for safety reasons, due to the combination of wind, temperature, and 3 mile distance to starting line.

There will be no skippers meeting and no racing on Tuesday, January 27.

A practice course will be set up similarly to Monday.

Link to the starting line-ups for Day 1 of the DN North American Championship.
LINK
NOTE: Post updated to reflect start date of Wednesday, January 28.