The Ice Breaker – 2025

Minuteman Model Yacht Clubs opening regatta of the 2025 season was held on Sunday, March 30, under overcast skies.  Did I mention that it was also 38 degrees and windy.  I don’t know what the wind chill was, but I had on a shirt, a vest, a sweatshirt and a coat, and I was not as warm as I would have liked.

For those who don’t know, the Ice Breaker regatta is open so any boat can sail, but the Ice Bucket trophy is awarded only to the DF95 fleet winner or the Soling 1 Meter fleet winner, onalternating years.  This year it was the DF95 fleet.

Nine skippers braved the cold to sail in this annual event.  Seven skippers brought DF95’s, one skipper brought a Soling 1 Meter, and one skipper brought a US 1 Meter.  It was evident from the first heat that some skippers came ready to race and had lost little competitive edge over the winter.  Greg LaPlante anddefending champion Paul Mercer took first place in 4 of the 7 races with their DF95’s, while John Lamport got 2 wins with his US 1 Meter.  I managed to sneak around everyone in the last race for a first place.  

As often happens early in the season, two skippers had problems and ended up not finishing.

After heat 7, the cold was weighing on almost everyone, so the skippers voted to stop racing.

In the awards ceremony, defending champ Paul Mercer presented the Ice Bucket trophy to this year’s winner, Greg LaPlante.

It was good to see everyone after the winter hiatus.  I wish the weather could have been warmer, but hey, this is New England. 

I want to thank everyone who came out to sail with us and I especially want to thank my wife, Sue, who sat in the cold, under many blankets, for keeping score for us. 

Cliff Martin
Commodore