Gods of Ice, 2

Last week, we put up a link to a cool site showing the speed freaks in iceboats, and one of our loyal readers was nice enough to give some text to go along with the video. Enjoy

For those of your readers that have never been for a ride on an iceboat, you may want to add some context to those films (http://godsofspeed.ruutfilm.com/gods.html).

The final clip showing some of the sailing action is by far the most interesting clip. Judging by the pumping of the mast and the sheeting of the sails, I would guess that they had winds of 15 with some gusts to maybe 20 or 25 mph. The ice conditions look nearly perfect - smooth black ice and probably right near freezing (ice is fastest around 40F because the ice will melt under the pressure of the runner and form a thin film of water that reduces the small amount of friction even more). It looks like those guys are hitting the top mark at about 40 or 50 mph. They will accelerate down wind and will probably hit speeds approaching 70 or 80 mph downwind.

They also show a guy recovering from a "capsize". While recovering from a capsize is relatively easy, the capsize itself can be a painful experience. Usually, it involves getting violently catapulted out of your boat followed by landing (usually head first) on the ice and sliding a hundred yards or so to a stop. Many guys have gotten knocked out during a capsize. Helmets are mandatory in this sport....

I'm sure you noticed the mast bend. That is not an optical illusion - that is real. The mast technology for these boats has been evolving over the last 10 years or so, and these flexible masts are very fast. You will notice that the mast actually pumps as the puffs hit the boats. The mast will store up a bunch of energy initially when the puff hits and as it springs back, you get a huge squire of speed. It is pretty ungodly. These masts are mostly hand made veneer masts with several layers of exotic woods and even composites being carefully laid up and shaped to form the mast.

You also see a guy luffing his sail in one scene as he approaches the mark. He is actually trying to slow down so that he can make the turn at the windward mark. At the leeward mark you have to slow down even more (mainly because you are going so fast on the run). Even after attempting to slow down, the boats will usually skid around the leeward mark. This makes a very noticeable growling sound that can be heard for miles.

Steering is done with a tiller that is held between your knees - both hands are needed to sheet in the sail.

By the way, most, if not all these boats are made by the guys who are sailing them. This class follows a very simple set of dimensions and is designed to be home built boats. They are all made of wood.

By the way, if you are wondering about the start, the boats will line up at a 45-degree angle to the wind along a line perpendicular to the wind and at a standstill. When the start judge drops his starting flag, the sailors will push their boats to get them going and then jump in, sheet in and sail off. Most of the guys are wearing track cleats or crampons to give them the traction they need to push their boat. The starting positions are determined by the finish position from the previous race with the "pole" position being given to the winner.

Finally, stopping the boat requires sailing off to leeward and turning your boat up into the wind. After gliding for a quarter mile or so, you will be going slow enough to drop your feet down over the side and drag those cleats on the ice to bring the boat to a stop.

Thought you might like to know just how much fun it is to sail one of these bullets.....

05/22/2003