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