The first day of the championship opened under clear skies and full sun, something that is not always guaranteed in Sweden at this time of year. The light was sharp and clean across the lake, and while the setting looked ideal, the one element we really needed stayed away, the wind.
Without pressure in the sails there was no racing, but the day was far from wasted. We are fortunate to have three of the most experienced international iceboat photographers on site: Gilles Morelle traveling with the Swiss team, Rola Lora with the Lithuanian team, and Gwidon Libera with the host country of Poland team. They were on the ice all day, working the light, the details, and the quiet moments that come before the racing begins. All three photographers’ images can be seen on the DN Europe Facebook page, and I will share a link to Gilles Morelle’s full gallery: LINK
Many sailors used the time to have their runners inspected by the measurer. Championships are often won in details that are invisible from shore, and a windless day provides the time to take care of them properly.
Registration – Competitors are required to pass an online iceboat sailing rules test, administered by Vesa from Finland. The Poles are the host country and brought a bit of Poland with them.
DN Worlds 2026 – Day 0
Travel has kept all of us moving through Europe to the 2026 IDNIYRA World Championship. We all have a long story about how we arrived to Sweden, many via Poland where the Grand Masters regatta was held and where we had hoped to sail
Poland was the plan. Snow changed it. The decision was made and the championship shifted to Sweden. That is ice sailing, we go where the ice is right.
We are staying at Kolmården Vildmarkshotell, part of the Kolmården wildlife park. There is a zoo here (they have a panda, a snow leopard, and tigers!) , forest trails, pools, climbing areas, and more children than iceboats at the moment. Sweden is on holiday this week, and the resort is built for families. It’s a wonderful place for children with many activities for them.
I am helping with registration and scoring this week. Here’s a few photos from that side of the operation.
Racing begins tomorrow, Sunday, February 15.
The ice is here. That is what matters. Glad Alla hjärtans dag.
Sebastion Sørensen US Nationals Silver Fleet Champion. Photo: Rachel Bartel for @harken_inc
The Final Day U.S. Nationals and the Long Goodbye
Saturday marked the final day of a long and demanding DN North American Championship week at Green Lake. By then, the North Americans were decided, the awards presented, and the fleet had a choice to make. Pack up or keep sailing.
Many chose to keep sailing.
In 2025, the DN class voted to change the format of the North American Championship from a fourteen race series to seven races, followed by an optional nonranking regatta for those who wanted to continue the week. The idea was simple. Crown the champions, then let sailors sail if the ice allowed.
Green Lake delivered.
Light air arrived for the U.S. National Championship, just enough to get racing started. Gold Fleet completed three races. Silver Fleet completed two before the wind finally shut down. A third Silver Fleet race exceeded the time limit and was black flagged. By midafternoon, it was clear the week had run its course.
U.S. National Championship results LINK
Gold Fleet Champion James “T” Thieler
Silver Fleet Champion Sebastian Sørensen
Sebastian Sørensen’s week deserves special mention. Still a junior sailor, he has had a breakout season, showing composure, speed, and consistency well beyond his years.
Thanks Where They Are Due
A regatta of this scale depends on people who show up early, stay late, and work in difficult conditions.
Host Western Region Commodore Tim Mower took on his first major organizing role and saw it through. We are grateful for his steady hand and willingness to step up.
PRO Pat Heppert beat the sunrise each morning, scouting the lake to find the best possible course. He did it every day, even in bitter cold, adjusting continually as conditions changed.
Measurers and line helpers Dave Ryan and Paul Hickman, both from the Toledo Ice Yacht Club, accepted every challenge with good humor and professionalism.
Scoring on the ice was handled by Nina Fleming and Anne Foeller (with myself as caller.) Tabulation in the back office was handled by Bob Foeller, keeping results accurate and timely as racing progressed. Nina hails from Maine and has extensive experience with land sailing officiating. Bob and Ann are long-time Toledo Ice Yacht Club members.
At the weather mark, Fred Stritt from Lake Delavan, WI ran his command post, in constant communication with Pat, tracking wind changes and confirming that all competitors made the course. He was assisted throughout the week by Dan Williams.
Thanks to Maureen Bohleber, Green Lake Ice Yacht Club member and Nite Fleet Commodore, for local knowledge and onsite support when it mattered.
Thanks to Greg Mullett of the Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club for line technical support.
4LIYC member Daniel Hearn deserves special recognition. He does whatever is asked, often before it is asked. He also played an important mentoring role for Sebastian Sørensen. When Sebastian was on the line, Daniel was there with a quiet word of advice and support.
Thank you to the Green Lake Ice Yacht Club for hosting us, for an unforgettable social event, and for making sure we always had what we needed.
Thanks to Joe Norton for opening his shop for a tour on our cold lay day and for lending the scoring team his Ranger.
Thanks to Ron Sherry, T. Thieler, and Chris Berger for staying late to answer questions at an evening clinic organized by Tim Mower, after already putting in long days on the ice.
Special thanks to Brian Jones for a memorable sing along of a song he wrote about iceboating, which set the tone for an evening that brought the DN and ISA communities together.
Thank you as well to the governing board for being available throughout the week for decision making and guidance. Commodore Rob Holman, Vice Commodore Karen Binder, Eastern Region Commodore James T. Thieler, Mountain Lakes Region Commodore Paul Chamberland, and Central Region Commodore Peter Johanson.
Finally, thank you to every competitor who made the choice to join us for this week. We faced some challenging days. We adapted. We persevered. And once again the DN class brought a championship week to a proper finish. HOW TO FOLLOW: Regatta Information Page US Nationals Results North American Results Facebook
Western Region Commodore Tim Mower congratulates US Nationals Gold fleet winner T Thieler
Sebastian Sorensen US Nationals Silver Fleet First Place
Frederik Lonegreen S8, Karol Jablonski P36, and Chris Berger US5166 push off the line. Photo: Rachel Bartel for @harken_inc
North American Championship awards were presented at Friday’s night Green Lake Ice Yacht Club social event at regatta headquarters. These photos capture the sailors who earned fleet trophies during a demanding week on the ice.
One especially meaningful presentation was the JR Francis Memorial Trophy, awarded to the winner of the first race of the North American Championship. The Francis family recently deeded the trophy to the DN class in JR’s honor. The bowl was made by JR himself while he was still in high school, making it a deeply personal piece of DN history.
Steve Orlebeke, winner of the first North American Championship race and the JR Francis
Karol Jablonski P36, winner of the 2026 DN North American Championship
Bronze Fleet: From left, Sebastian Sorensen 5th, Robert Haag 19th, Peter Shorett 4th, Peter Nordquist 8th, Tim Ballerd 2nd, Mike Rian 1st, in front Csilla Gal 7th, and Martha Croasdale 3rd. Martha was also the top placing female.
Silver Fleet: From left, Cooper Frost 10th, Ryan Kyle 9th, Jim Grogan 1st, 8th Keith Schwark, 6th Jake Skala, 7th Edward Demerest, 4th David Frost, 3rd Paul Chamberland, Rob Holman 2nd
Gold Fleet: From left Jeff Roseberry 10th, John Curtis 9th, Peter Van Rossem 8th, Nicholas Mabboux 7th, Chris Berger 6th, James T Thieler 5th, Steve Orlebeke 4th, Karol Jablonski 1st, Ron Sherry 3rd, front Matt Struble 2nd
North American Junior Champion Sebastian Sorensen.
North American Silver Champion and Master winner Jim Grogan
North American highest placing Novice Ryan Kyle
North American Grand Master Champion Stefan Bokfors
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.
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2026 REGATTA DATES
North American Championship
January 24 – 31
World & European Championships
Feb 14 – 21 idniyra.eu
