Page 34 - MSN_393_FebruaryMarch
P. 34

34            SPOTLIGHTS                                                                        MONTANA SENIOR NEWS  •  FEBRUARY  |  MARCH 2023


        ICE IS RIGHT  |  CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33          Tacking upwind or jibing downwind is
                                                         exhilarating for any sailor.”
          “We sail other lakes in the Flathead              In contrast, Farmer said, for him, ice
      Valley more than Flathead Lake itself, which       sailing is all about speed.
      is so large it rarely freezes over completely,”       “I’m an adrenalin junkie,  someone
      Farmer said. “Some years, we can sail some         who chases adventure, so I like to sail on
      sheltered bays that freeze.”                       the edge of control,” he said. “In an ice
          Eisenlohr said he and Farmer and a band of     boat, depending on the wind, you can go
      other sailors travel to Canyon Ferry, Fort Peck,   three to five times the speed of the wind
      and Freezeout near Choteau to find suitable ice    because there’s minimal friction on ice. So
      boating conditions when their local areas are      a 10-mile-an-hour wind could push you to
      not sail-able, or for special events.              30 in a few seconds.”
          Gluek, who sails 15 to 20 days a season,          For three days in early December at
      said it’s not the speed and accompanying           Canyon Ferry, Farmer had his adrenalin fix.
      adrenalin that lures him to the ice.               “The winds were really big,” he said with
          “For me, ice boating is not about how          satisfaction. “Some people don’t realize the      Winners of the Mini Skeeter class at the 2022 Americas
                                                                                                           Landsailing Cup: Will Eisenlohr, 5th place; Dave Farmer,
      fast you go,” he said. “It’s a relationship        ice can still be spectacular in spring, when      3rd place; John Eisenlohr, 1st place; Dave Gluek, 2nd
      between the boat, the wind, and the ice.           temperatures are in the 40s. There might          place; and Scott Eisenlohr, 4th place. Photo courtesy
                                                                                                           John Eisenlohr.

                                                                                                           be standing water atop the ice with warm
           NEED HELP WITH MEDICARE?                                                                        weather melting, but with 12 or more inches

                                                                                                           of solid ice below, the surface and the sailing
                                                                                                           can be excellent. We don’t always have to
                                  Montana SHIP can help!                                                   sail in cold weather.”
                                                                                                           LAUNCHING THE SPORT IN MONTANA
                            State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)                                   The modern sailors pay homage to hardy
                                                                                                           Montana pioneers who launched the sport
                                                                                                           statewide. For centuries, ice boating had

                          HOW CAN MONTANA SHIP HELP?





                                                   WHO IS SHIP?
                                      WHO          • SHIP Counselors provide free, con dential, one-on-one
                                                     assistance to all Montana Medicare Bene ciaries
                                                   • Montanans helping Montanans



            WHAT CAN SHIP HELP ME WITH?
            • Understand Medicare costs and coverage
            • Compare Medicare options
            • Enroll in or change Medicare plans                 WHAT
            • Assist to correct Medicare billing issues
            • Help you apply for Medicare Helping Programs




                                                   WHERE CAN I FIND A SHIP COUNSELOR?
                                    WHERE          • SHIP Counselors are located across Montana.
                                                     Call 1-800-551-3191 for a SHIP Counselor near you!
                                                                                                           CNN interviewing John Eisenlohr at the 2014 World
                                                                                                           Championships USA. Photo courtesy John Eisenlohr.


            WHEN ARE SHIP COUNSELORS AVAILABLE?                                                            been a popular recreational pastime in
            • Monday - Friday
            • All year - appointments encouraged during         WHEN                                       Europe and the East Coast of the United
              Open Enrollment (October 15-December 7)                                                      States, as well as a fast way to transport
                                                                                                           food and supplies.
                                                                                                               Ice boats’ popularity spread to the
                                                                                                           Midwest during the Depression when the
                                                   MEDICARE CAN BE CONFUSING.                              Detroit Free Press sponsored a contest for a
                                      WHY          WE WANT TO HELP YOU MAKE                                father/son team to design a fast ice boat as
                                                   THE RIGHT DECISION FOR YOU!                             family entertainment. The sails of the win-
                                                                                                           ning boat style still bear the newspaper’s
                                                                                                           DN logo, and the International DN Ice Yacht
                                                                                                           Racing Association was established.
            PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO HELP LOW-INCOME BENEFICIARIES                                                In Montana, photos from the 1920s
            • Medicare Savings Program (MSP) - help with Medicare  MEDICARE
              Part B premiums. (average savings $2,000 per year)  HELPING                                  show ice sailors from the Kalispell area
            • Low-Income Subsidy (LIS/"Extra Help")—help w/ Medicare D    PROGRAMS                         skimming across Flathead Lake. According
              prescription drug costs (average savings $5,000/yr)                                          to Eisenlohr, about 50 after that, Choteau
                                                                                                           farmers formed the Teton Ice Boat Club and
                                                                                                           sailed on nearby reservoirs, Eisenlohr said.
                                CALL US TODAY • 1-800-551-3191                                                 Gluek sailed with Canyon Ferry’s father
                                                                                                           of ice boating, the late Carl Harper.
                        This project was supported, in part by grant number 2101MTMIDR-01 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living,  A rancher and boat builder, Harper con-
                                     Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201.
                          Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their  ndings and  structed his first ice boat from corral poles,
                              conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent of cial ACL policy.
                                                                                                           salvaged plywood, and an old sail he cut to
   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39