Best wishes to everyone for a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

My DN friends are usually searching for good ice conditions between the holidays at the years end and there is a pattern to where the different people are going. I have usually made up my mind at the last minute due to family commitments but these commitments had also stopped me during the last years to go either north to Sweden or South to Italy. This year some friends have gone east to Poland where they have found good conditions, but only for a few days. My prefered location would be Lake Rescia (Reschensee) where you usually also find my friend Thomas, whom I had talked into the Moth class during one of our DN meetings, somewhere on the Ice site in one of those long nights in our campers. Thomas easily beat me on the soft water after a year in the Moth and I was able to beat him on the ice in the last competitions. It is always fun, we always share our experience. A pity that this great sports buddy is living in the south and I am living in the north of Germany. Anyway if you look at the picture above, in the left corner, you can see a small group of DN´s. It is early morning, I guess everyone is still at breakfast looking out the window to the beautiful scenery from the www.seehotel.it or else. Maybe the snowfall, which is predicted, will stop the sailing but than the skiing or sledging takes over. It is all good in Italy at 1500m above sea level.

Yes, and what am I doing here at the office desk on my computer? I am staying home another year due to different commitments. Company wise and in my social life. Yeep, I am going to a "ball opening" with full ball gown tonight. Life is pretty at the years end and it will finish with a positive note. Looking forward to 2013 to meet with my sailing friends again on hard or soft water. Maybe also doing some keel boat races in Kiel and Flensburg on my new "thing".