Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

Classic DN sailor Dan West died recently. He was a good sailing buddy of Wolfie’s, constantly upgrading his old boat just to keep his pal honest, in the great tradition of all iceboaters. He sailed often on North Pond, Warren, with the Friendship fleet, and always showed up for the big days on Damariscotta. Dan was an sculptor of amazing talent. His wildlife bronze castings are represented by the Caldbeck Gallery in Rockland. And he made an annual pilgrimage to upper Bay of Fundy to harvest driftwood for his work. From his camp on the beach he’d wander for days looking for pieces that spoke to him. A man truly at peace with the world.

Our meeting and pot luck lunch is back at Dave Fortier’s this year. Sunday, October 24. Meeting at 11:00, pot luck lunch that just keeps getting better and better to follow. 12 Chretien Rd. Biddeford, ME

Looking for parts?

Find everything you need at the NEIYA Swap Meet coming right up on Saturday, October 23. There are always complete boats as well. Thompson Speedway Golf Course, 205 E. Thompson Rd. Thompson, CT 06227
Lunch and club meeting to follow. Give the poor treasurer a break and sign up early at http://www.themeiya.org.

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.