Saturday, December 17th, I finally got to sail my new Ice Flyer. Went to Bantum Lake in Connecticut. Gray ice with some shell, but overall very smooth. Winds were light...3 to 6 mph. I was hoping other Ice Flyers would show up. I know three other boat usually sail there. Only five DNs and my Ice Flyer sailed which seemed strange since this is a very popular lake.
I rigged the boat with a 8.0m sail which is my biggest sail. Noticed right away, I couldn't power up like the DNs. Possibly because of the more flexible rig and extra weight. Top end not as good, but I was sailing against DNs set up for serious racing. Tough getting used to the sail in back of me. Kept looking back to check it. Moving the steering runner required a lot of foot pressure. Might be because my steering rods are under the boat and I don't have as much mechanical advantage. Not a real problem.
Overall, I really enjoyed sailing the Ice Flyer. The driving position felt comfortable and of course, visibility is excellent. I need to sail in heavier winds, hopefully with other Ice Flyers, to give it a fair evaluation. I also need to do some fine tuning to get it to sail at it's best.
Roger Livingston
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