Our spy on Plymouth, Tim Smith, reports ice conditions there, which are identical to what we are seeing on nearby Toleman Pond here in Rockport, Me:

An ice base of 3-4″ thickness with pebbley grey surface, and a 1-2″ dusting of unbonded snow on top, blown clear in the central portions of the pond. It sounds pretty good to ice-hungry ears! So, if you are free, and care to follow the motto: “show up and pray” please join Bill and myself on the landing there about 10 AM.

This is the start of a very cold patch of weather, lasting, without a moment’s thaw, until snow on Sunday, so if the ice thickness and surface are good, and the winds are good, and the creek don’t rise, and our bodies can do another season (please Higher Power!), and the gear is all there and working, we could have a nice stretch of iceboating.

Since it is a wonderful 3 day prediction of goods winds and brutally cold temps, we’ll probably leave our boats on the ice for the duration.

When we were there last week, we noted lots of grass growing through the ice. It’s not clear if the lake is lower this season, or if the aquatic weeds are getting more bothersome in this very shallow pond.

But above all, even though it seems like these single digit temps could freeze anything, let’s scout the whole lake carefully before we go to higher speeds.

hope to see you there…..we’ll report to the stay-at-homes, via web, on Thursday night…..jory

Plymouth last season:

As we begin another ice season, launching out into the uncertainties of mother nature and of health, I sing this little prayer to my iceboat buddies, and to myself: