Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

Fifteen boats showed up today at the big lake. Brisk SE winds pointed right up the middle: to Kineo. Three Whizz and a Lockley bore away heading north. Steve Kozloff in the Lockly eventually realized the hole to windward that he was digging was getting too deep for comfort and he headed back.

The three others continued on, rounding two pressure ridges easily at their ends, but the next to last one was a bit more work:

We thought we were home free now, but hubris is a dangerous thing to have on board when sailing this lake.

We took a vote on whether this qualifies as a completed Kineo run, and two out of three said no. We could not cross that one right behind the boats. So we made up for it by a circumnavigation of Sugar Island, a sweet accomplishment that the club has managed only once before.
While we had partly sunny skies, off to the south it looked ominous:

Indeed, the further south we went the darker it became until it was snowing.
Rounding the point for the approch to Greenville we say the bay dotted with sails. Snow or no snow. What a warm welcome from a big tour. The ice down there was some of the best so the fleet felt no need to travel. Not everyone carries this affliction.

Dan Stillman had his camera going so hopefully we’ll see some video of the rest of the fleet. It truly a great turnout with fabulous conditions.
Looks rather bleak for the following week. But no significant warmth yet so stand by for round two. There are rumors of one of the big stern steerers from the Hudson just aching to be on Moosehead. Wouldn’t that be a great shot alongside Katahdin?

The old steamship is having some major work done but will be back at work for the summer.

If the predicted temp and wind forecast holds, it looks like Thursday-Friday will be great sailing at Moosehead. No spring sunshine, unfortunately, but you can’t have it all.

The skaters might be back tomorrow and will be able to give us a better report; we are going up blind on a hunch otherwise. But, sometimes educated guesses come through.

Planning to set up at Kelly’s Landing between 9:30 and 10:00

Last year at Kineo.

Here’s a copy of a letter proposing a certain challenge we will call The Kyger Kup. If we can find a ballon we will try for it at Moosehead. It’s a great way to practice your downwind sailing skills.

https://youtu.be/-fGnUBNf7vo

Here’s another winner from Dan Stillman. It’s interactive 360. Play with the little icon in the upper lefthand corner.

Courtney Keep and Richard Behr skated from Rockwood to Greenville junction yesterday and also had terrific luck.

All the pressure ridges were easily crossed and the ice was good enough for skating the entire way. And if it’s good enough for skating then we know that it would have been excellent for sailing. But it’s good to know, and once this recent dump disappears we may have something.

The pressure ridges at Moosehead are magnificent:

There are also rumors of big gathering at Schoodic. We’ll know more as the conditions reveal themselves at the tail end of this current cycle.

Who says Friday the 13th is a Bad day? Not if you’re iceboating, on a big plate with great people. Our gracious hosts, Dan and Ellen put on a wonderful day of adventure and food for us to enjoy. Schoodic Lake was hard and flat to the eye. The ice was grade 3-5 depending, some areas were a vibration hazard at speed.

We’ll call it a shake down cruise. Wonderful west wind made it possible to sail about anywhere, giving great views of Mt Katahdin and surrounding ranges. After an incredible lunch, provided by Ellen, we ended up at the south end at Lakeview, one tack up the length of the lake, took us to almost Dead Man’s rock before shell ice halted progress. A slow return back to Dans place, and a full shop tour of the new "last boat" was the ending to a grand day.

Sailing members; Dan Clapp, Jim Turner, Dan Stillman, Michael Young, and hospitality Coordinator Ellen Brattlof.

Friday the 13th on Schoodic

Who says Friday the thirteenth’s a bad kind of day?

Not when the wind finds the ice where you play.

Good friends gather, it’s hardly cold,

And Schoodic is rough as hammered gold.

Dan and Ellen opened the door,

Adventure and laughter and plenty in store.

Warm homemade chowder on a table spread wide,

And runners honed smooth for a bumpy ride.The ice lay hard as the eye could see,

Grade three to five ice and a westerly.

Chatter turned buzz when you picked up speed,

Just a shakey-down run for the boys and their steeds.

Katahdin rising clear and bold,

Watching the winter ranges unfold.

One long tack toward Dead Man’s Rock,

till shell ice suggested we’d run out the clock.Back to Dan’s shop as the daylight thinned,

Pigeons in the coop and the “last boat” within.

Where Clapp, Turner, Young fondled carbon boat parts

Ellen and Danny shared their love of arts.

Friday the thirteenth? Bad luck, they say—

Not on Schoodic Lake on a sailing day.

By Dan Stillman.