Have we become to Optimized

Something to think about. As we sat in Jim Stolla's shop looking over old time skeeter pictures, sternsteerers and iceboat pics, the topic came up about how much we sail now a days. It seems that we spend most all our time building and optimizing our equipment, which seemed to be the consensus. If we had this boat we need a better this or a better that. So as we all perused the many old photos and some were very old, the glaring image that came out was the fact that the ice in many of the old shots looked mighty similar to the actual views of what we see today but don't sail.

Have we optimized so much that we are missing out on enjoying the ice?

Last weekend we put together our clubs sternsteerer, it was cold, it was the dead middle of the lake it was also the last chance that we could really get a bunch of use out it. So we dug it out put it together and it sits ready for somebody to come down and sail. Pretty interesting huh?

Today we really don't do this. We are optimized. We have small boats DN's that have more runner, plank, mast and sail combinations then a Rubik's Cube. But when do we see them sail, when everything is in complete alignment, yes we sail them when everything is perfect, the temps, the ice, and when we have time.

Though this year we have had more ice then even Mike Norton ever remembers, that being 28 plus inches, we have had so little iceboating. The diehards say wait for the spring ice, well that might be two to three weeks for the next thaw, which could be the final thaw. In that time frame I bet one or two of our non optimized iceboaters will log two weeks of sailing, wind permitting. They are not optimized, they sail old boats that keep going.

The real question have we optimized for the better?