This is not an unusual picture.

An iceboat lunch lineup in a distant cove on a big lake. But if you stop to think about what it took to get to this place, both as a group and individually, it becomes much more complex. Each of these boats is well dialed in and tuned by its skipper. There is safety gear on board. It would be safe to say that the yachts were set up in the fall, well before their first day on the ice. Items that fell off the spring checklist were dealt with. When they got to the ice they were set up and ready to go with a minimum of fuss. Runners are sharp and aligned; a lunch was packed.

And just as importantly the skippers kept in close contact as this day approached. Only with the group effort of finding and scouting ice can we be lounging in the sun, steeds awaiting in the gentle lee, seemingly without a care in the world. This is the prize. This is the reward for a job well done.

Hope to see you there!

NEIYA swap meet October 23. CIBC meeting October 24.