LATEST NEWS
2020 Western Region Called ON for Lake Puckaway Jan 4-5
DNs sailing the 2019 Great Western Challenge on Lake Puckaway. Photo: John Hayashi
REGISTER & PAY ONLINE
Entry List
Provisional Results
2020 Westerns Sailing Instructions
What a way to kick off a new year! Our friend, Dave Elsmo and his wife, Andrea, welcomed a baby girl into the world this morning; the Badgers are playing in the Rose Bowl at 4:00, I’m christening my new C-Skeeter tomorrow, and I’m officially calling “ON” the Western Lakes Regional DN Championship! 2020…I like the looks of you already!
Venue
Lake Puckaway, just outside of Montello, Wisconsin, which is about an hour north of Madison. This is the same venue where the Great Western Challenge was held two weeks ago. Launch at Marquette County Park—Apuckawa Boat Landing. Map Ice is 6-7 inches thick, but we will NOT be parking trailers on the ice. Unload at the landing and park in the lot. We are anticipating a good size fleet, so park as efficiently as possible.
MAP
Conditions
6-7 inches of orange peel texture…no seams detected except on the far northwest corner of the lake near Mike & Cathy’s Good Old Days Resort, which should NOT be on the course. Few ice fishermen at this time, but we expect that to change for the weekend. Ice sail checked by “DN Ranked racers” Bob Cummins and Mike Jankowski. Sheet is large enough for two courses, so we should not be space constrained.
Weather
Temperatures in the high twenties to low thirties Fri. – Sun. Winds 5-10 mph Fri. and Sat. 10 – 15 mph Sunday. Slight chance of light snow Sun. morning. Partly to mostly cloudy all three days. This is a Sat./Sun. regatta, but we anticipate a good number of sailors showing up to scrub race on Friday.
Headquarters
Mike & Cathy’s Good Old Days bar and restaurant right on the lake. W995 W. North Shore Dr Montello, WI 53949. Packet pickup and Saturday night group dinner will take place here. Group meal will take place immediately following racing on Saturday at 5:30 pm. Come as you are. Classic Wisco Supper Club with great bar. $14 plus tax and tip will get you Broasted chicken, beef tips over noodles, mashed potatoes and gravy, soup and salad bar.
MAP
Go Big or Go Home
Good Old Days famous chili will be served steaming hot on the ice Saturday. We are expecting to be sharing the lake with a fair number of ice fisherman for the weekend. To show them some love, and to apologize in advance for disturbing their peace, we will be delivering 6-packs if beer to them along with our well wishes. Hard to be mad at someone delivering free beer! PLEASE go out of your way to be friendly and courteous.
Registration
Get it done online at this link. PLEASE! If you must tax our scorers with onsite registration, you will be required to pay a “convenience fee” of $20. It could be a scary amount, so just get it done online. Our dedicated scoring team would greatly appreciate it. PLEASE upload your proof of insurance. If for some reason you can’t, be ready to shot it at HQ if you want to race in the event.
NOR/Sailing Instructions
See above. Posted Thursday January 2, 2020.
Hotels-Motels
Acorn Ridge Motel
920-295-6533
http://www.acornridgemotel.com/
(Closest to ice as Mecan Lodge is fill already)
(No pool or hot tub)
W3910 WI 23/73
Princeton, WI 54968
$69 winter rate
(Headquarters Hotel)
Borders Inn & Suites – Ripon (used to be an Americinn)
920-748-7578
1219 W. Fond du Lac St.
Ripon, WI 54971
Ask for special ice boater’s rate of $79.99 plus tax
Cobblestone (name changed today from Comfort Suites at royal Ridges)
2 Westgate Dr.
Ripon, WI 54971
920-567-4024
Ask for iceboat rate of $99 plus tax
T’ween the Lake Motel
510 Underwood Ave Hwy 23
Montello, WI 53949
608-297-8715
It Takes a Village
When you see these people, thank them for their contributions to making this happen—John Hyashi, the Nite Board of Directors and the Puckaway Ice Sailing Squadron for choosing for choosing to defer the Nite Nationals to the following weekend, opening up Lake Puckaway for the DN Westerns.
Bob Cummins and Mike Jankowski for scouting and sailing the sheet and providing detailed info.
Mike Miller and Mike Bloom for scouting our others potential venue.
Julie Jankowski for jumping into action to make all of the arrangements for hotels, food and regatta extras.
Deb Whitehorse for disseminating information and handling all registration responsibilities.
Dan Heany, Joe Norton, Fred Stritt and all members of our scoring team who will be running our races and keeping track of who does what.
All the ice scouts out there who have been feeding info throughout the week. And all others I may have forgotten (sorry) as I’m pushing to get this info out.
Daniel Hearn
Western Region Rear Commodore
US 5352
New Years Greetings From Team Germany on Lake Oresjon in Sweden
2020 Western Region Championship Update #2
Sit Tight!
DN Sailors:
We still have one venue in play about an hour north of Madison that reportedly survived last night’s weather quite well. The snow was absorbed into the moisture on the surface and has frozen on top of the 5” of original ice. It has not formed into shell ice, but the surface is reported to be somewhat pebbly. Even now, the new layer of ice is solid under the footsteps of a 200+ lb. walker. Temperatures will be in the teens this evening, which should further firm things up. The sheet will be inspected and sailed tomorrow by a highly experienced racer and ice checker. There’s potential for a small amount of rain/show (less than 1”) on Friday. Weekend wind forecast looks very good—10-20 mph both days.
Presently, there doesn’t appear to be any other sailable ice in the region. The long-range forecast does not look favorable for forming new ice on the many lakes that returned to a liquid state or have yet to freeze. This venue will not be available to the DNs the weekend of Jan. 11-12, and after that, we are bumping up against our North American Championship, the Gold Cup, and also the Northwest and ISA for sailors who also race in other fleets. If we postpone, we’re likely off until March, and at that point, we may not get it in at all. SO, if we can make it happen this weekend with acceptable conditions, we’ll likely go for it.
That’s what we know for now. Be ready!
Daniel Hearn
Western Region Rear Commodore
US 5352
2020 Western Region Championship Update
Line up for the 2018 DN Western Region championship on Lake Mendota.
DN Sailors:
At this point, we appear to have limited possibilities for a Western Lakes Championship for this weekend (January 4-5, 2020). We have not ruled it out, as we have two potential venues that are moving in the right direction, but also some rain/snow potential for late in the week. We’ll continue to monitor and keep you informed. In the meantime, if you have any other possibilities, please serve them up to me (dhearnUS5352@gail.com) and Bob Cummins (rcummins@new.rr.com).Think Ice!
Daniel Hearn
Western Region Rear Commodore
December 2019 Runner Tracks
Runner Tracks
The Online Magazine of the International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association
It’s been a busy December but Runner Tracks has finally arrived on your virtual doorstep. It is a real pleasure to have IDNIYRA Commodore, Warren Nethercote KC3786, featured on the cover. He had a much better Great Western Challenge than last year! Thanks to all who contributed to this issue.
RUNNER TRACKS IS AVAILABLE IN THREE DIFFERENT FORMATS:
Flipbook Magazine
Download pdf file (best for tablets)
Download single page pdf (best for phones)
IN THIS ISSUE
- Specification Proposal by Bob Gray US65
- Great Western Challenge Report by Shawnee Kay Spillson
- Answers About Proposals by Peter Hamrak M53
- Sail Vladivostok by Joerg Bohn G737
Get this issue in a full color soft cover book for $18. 
Runner Tracks is brought to you by these fine sponsors:
2019 Centrals Cancelled
2013 DN Centrals Photo: Catherine Firmbach cefirmbach.com
Via Central Region Commodore Rob Holman:
The 2019 Central Region Championship has been cancelled. Stay tuned for the 2020 Centrals.
A Message for European Sailors Traveling to Twenty20 NAs
Photo: Gwidon Libera
Dear European Sailing Friends:
We’d be thrilled to see you at the Twenty20 DN North American Championship. If you’re able to make it, but have not yet registered, please just send us an email letting us know you are coming. debwhitehorse@gmail.com
We’d like to prepare for you a thermal vest customized with event logo and your sail number. The men’s version of the vest is dark gray and the women’s version light gray. Sizing information at this link.If you can’t cross the pond this year, I’ll look forward to seeing you at the Gold Cup in February.
Best,
Daniel Hearn
Western Region Rear Commodore
US 5352
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
A Message for NA Sailors Attending the 2020 Gold Cup Regatta in EU
2019 European Championship Skippers Meeting. Photo: Gwidon Libera
Via IDNIYRA European Commodore Attila Pataki:
We did not provide possibility for online registration for American sailors, but would appreciate if all who intend to came over would drop an email to me with the copy to Niklas and Godie, indicating their name and sail number.
commodore@idniyra.eu
insurancemgr@idniyra.eu
webmaster@idniyra.euIt is necessary to prepare the proper stickers to all. The entry will be done on the site at the check-in for a single entry fee.
2019 DN Central Region Championship: Be Ready!
2014 DN Central Region Championship. Photo: Catherine Firmbach cefirmbach.com
Have your runners sharpened! Central Lakes Rear Commodore Rob Holman has tentatively called on the 2019 Central Region Championships for December 28-29, 2019 for somewhere in the Central Region (likely Michigan). The ice will be scouted this week. Final confirmation with more details will be posted on Thursday, December 26, 2019 by 6 PM ET.
Last Minute Shopping: Register for the 2020 North American Regatta Today!
You’ve worked hard this year, so go ahead and buy yourself that gift you’ve been putting off—that registration for the DN North American Championships. If you get it done before midnight today, the Grinch won’t even slap you with that $50 late registration fee, that we’re not calling a late registration fee. We’re calling it a “convenience fee,” because pre-event research revealed that ice sailors prefer to spin things toward the positive. So, we’re offering you the convenience of registering after midnight tonight for JUST an additional $50 bucks. Yes, you heard that right, JUST $50 bucks. What’s $50 bucks, anyway? Your weekly Starbucks budget? A week’s cable bill? The tip you left for the cocktail waitress at the last regatta? Chump change! So go ahead, put it off as long as you like, we’ll still welcome you at the event like the prodigal son.
Click to Register
Because I Love You
As long as you’re in the giving spirit, how about buying your spouse, your latest Tinder hookup, your kid or a good friend a customized Twenty20 North American Championship thermal vest, customized with their sail number, name or secret message that only the two of you will understand. $45 bucks and an email to Deb Whitehorse with the men’s or women’s size selection and the custom embroidery you want, and your love vest will be delivered to you at the Championships. To get in on this deal, however, you must email Deb by midnight December 31. debwhitehorse@gmail.com
2020 North American Early Registration Deadline Dec 23
2017 DN Western Region Championship on Lake Monona, Madison, WI
Attention…Attention…Attention,” with a tip of the helmet to the ice sailing legend, Bob Pegel. The sign up deadline for the 2020 DN North American Championship is midnight this Monday, December 23, to avoid the $50 late registration convenience fee. This is also the deadline to be assured of receiving your customized thermal vest in your proper size. Hey, if you don’t mind parting with another $50 and wearing a generic vest that’s either too big or too small, we’re not here to judge! Would be really cool if you’d take care of your registration online and upload your proof of insurance at the same time. Here’s the link
RegisterIf you do, Deb Whitehorse will give you a gold star, and she may allow you to view her plastic duck collection.
See you on the ice.
Daniel Hearn
Western Region Rear Commodore and Event Chairman
US 5352
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