Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

Denis Guertin sends this flash from Set. Aurelie:

Beautiful black ice on lac Abénakis but only 2’’ thick. From the shore, it seems all skimmed over.

Lac Joli has 3’’ of ice but surprisingly, I can see a few big holes of open water. It usually freezes all at the same time but this year, it did not! Still cold tonight but as always in Ste Aurelie, snow is expected on Friday and Saturday.

Frustration begins with the beginning of the Iceboat season!!

Regarding ICE, the opera, it’s available for viewing November 23-29. There are subtitles, the sets are stunning, and where else can you see a man singing his way through a hole in the ice in high operatic style, begging for a set of ice picks as he slowly disappears?!
Finnish National Opera and Ballet Presents: ICE on Vimeo

This is the link. If you need a password it is IceFinlandia.

Also, don’t forget that the Great Western Challenge is weekend after next, Friday- Sunday Dec 3-5 on the best ice in Minnesota. It’s a great time to meet all those folks you haven’t seen in a long time and have some great DN racing to boot.
There is a public page here with ice reports and updates. Minnesota Iceboaters is on Facebook

Club supporter and lifetime member Frank Able found this image on the latest Lincoln County News 2022 calendar. It’s the picture for next March, our favorite time on Damariscotta Lake. This is taken at Lake Farm. Can anyone tell who’s boats are these?

It looks like this was taken in March the way the ice is heaved up alongshore with the snow retreating round the edges of the rocks. Let’s hope for more of the same.

Tucked up alongside Moosehead lake is First Roach Pond. Michael Young is there and reports that this is how it looks today:

Now that we have your attention, here’s the scoop on the Tuneup Clinic this coming weekend:

If you have any interest in iceboating this is the place to be on the 20th. You may have seen us on some frozen lake in New England and always wanted to try it. Maybe you are tired of frostbiting and looking for drier winter sailing? Maybe read about it on Scuttlebutt Sailing News and promised yourself that this is the year you get into iceboating. Drag that iceboat out of the rafters and bring it down for a survey and help in getting it ice-worthy. The iceboating welcome mat is out. Come on down.

Whatever your interest level, show up and let’s get you started.

Date: Saturday, November 20th
Time: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Arthur C. Lamb Company 85 Jackson St, Canton, MA 02021
Refreshments: Served continuously throughout the day
Google Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/3zuJS2G2Nm3BwLYs5

We have a full schedule of events but want to focus on the new iceboaters. Especially those that are struggling to figure it all out and get themselves and their boats on the ice for the first time. Calling all Newbies: here is your chance to have even the questions you didn’t know to ask answered. Bring your boats down to be surveyed by a collective of maybe 1000 years of iceboating experience.

Other happenings during the day

• Paul Zucco – Demonstrating plank construction techniques
• James “T” Thieler – Right of Way Rules
• Bob Haag – Metallurgy the science behind our runners in laymens terms
• Multiple People – Runner chock alignment techniques
• TBD – Runner Care
• Ice checking Round Table Discussions

If you have anything to sell be sure it is listed on the Classified Section. Next Saturday is a great opportunity to meet up with potential buyers and sellers. Let people know an item can be delivered to the tune-Up.

Iceboaters are a cultured lot, so if a book and opera entitled ICE comes out how can we resist? Even better that it comes from Finland.

ICE by Ulla-Lena Lundberg: A Three-Part Series – Finlandia Foundation National

The book is based on the life of the author as a young girl, moving in the fifties to an out island in the Finnish archipelago with her family. Ice plays a major part in the story, as it does with our own stories for many months of the year. And the drama we endure is no less than that of the most compelling opera.

This is a three part presentation. The first is an interview with the author, then a discussion with the composer, and lastly the opera itself.

Perhaps the Fat Lady will not only sing us out of the season, but this year in as well. Enjoy!

There’s been frost in recent mornings here on the coast of Maine. The rain barrel has skimmed over twice and whisps of sea smoke have been drifting over the lake at dawn. Traditionally, the first week in December is opening day on Plymouth Pond, but we all know how that can go.
JR Pepper sent in an interesting link to a small firm in Alaska building Nordic skates. They look nice: Meet the A100 – An Alaska-made Nordic skate by Ermine Skate

At Horseback Beach, RI, the BloKart gang held a regatta this weekend. Our own Henry Cataposto and Karen Binder scored the event, and a few notable iceboaters took part. Mike Dinning made this great video with his 360 GoPro: https://youtu.be/0qKIxhd9RSw