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Ice Yachting - My story so far....
DN class ice yachting Estonia [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]
So you think planing at 20 knotts is the best adrenaline rush ever well move over dinghy boys and girls, the ice yachts get to 60mph+, so how on earth did I get into this?
It all started one very cold winter's day when the canal next to the boat yard froze over and that's when it struck me - I can still go sailing - on the ice! Dad helped me fabricate some boat runners and a makeshift hull, then with an old Laser and Topper rig we soon had the fleet. Next we needed an event and some competitors. No Problem 'The British Ice Yacht Championships' funnily enough most of the competitors names were 'Marsden' (3 generations of them). Afterwards Dad wrote (tongue in cheek) an article to Yachts and Yachting about the 'championship' and oh no the real ice yacht boys (I didnt know there were any) got in touch with me and invited me to join them in the real ice yacht world.
The next job was to make a boat, well actually I made K10 and K12 two DN class ice yachts (cos Dad having done so well in the 'British Championship' fancied a go too!) With some help from t'internet we had the self build plans and hey presto we were ready to join the British team no less. Here's the campaign so far...2000 Poland, (bronze fleet) 2001 Czech Republic, 2002 Estonia, 2003 Sweden, (silver fleet) 2005 Finland. (silver fleet)
So what's next - here's where it gets really exciting. I haven't been able to go last three years what with coaching schedules and overload on my sailing budget but would really like to plan another campaign. Dad was spotted on a Benetteau in the Carribean last winter so it's fair to say he's been lured to the dark side - sunny cruising and no longer wants to pilot K12. Is there anyone out there fancies taking the helm of K12 and joining me on a trip?
Also are you or do you know anyone looking for a new exciting way to sell your stuff? Think about it your brand splashed across Europe, one year I crossed Denmark, Sweden, and Estonia doing the trip. Other campaigns took in Poland, Norway, Finland, Holland, Germany and Czech Republic. There's room on the kit and my white van for sponsorship material/logo's just think of the brill pictures for your media ads and all that exposure (no I dont mean frostbite to your extremities!), check out the pictures below, it's like no other landcape you've ever seen.
Interested in the ice yacht pilot vacancy or would like to have some cool advertising space well drop me an email neilmarsden@aol.com and check out these sites for more ice yachting info, try IDNIYRA website and Gareth Rowland's landsailing website with reports and pictures from the european ice yacht championships logged back to 2001.
Neil getting ready to start. [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]
Beating to the windward mark on the Baltic sea near Stockholm. [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]
Leeward mark rounding. [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]
Sailing at 3pm and it's dusk in Sweden. [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]
Ron Sherry (USA) DN 44 world champion on the start line. [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]
Ooch! Swedish pilot having a hard time. [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]
Rounding the leeward mark. [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]
Another afternoon sunset on the start line. [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]
Russia 1 gives mast pre-bend a whole new meaning! [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]
Lake Lipno Czech Republic the 'dinghy park'! [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]
Lake Lipno Neil "this is a right good crack"! [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]
The British Team. [Photographer: Gareth Rowland]