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.
