Monday forecast; light and variable winds, possible snow/rain. Of the 21 boats enjoying snow squalls and heavy air for Easter only three remained on the ice Monday morning, the faithful few.

Faithful Ramblin Roger checked out Dammy in morning, no wind. Penobscot Bay was not glassy smooth, more like ground glass. Roger went back to Dammy at noon to find not light and variable but steady Southerly wind coming right down the lake under a thin gray overcast and faint glowing orange sun. He called me, being one of the three on the ice. I grabbed a peanut butter sandwich and was on the ice rigging to sail by 1 o’clock. Woolfie was there sailing with Roger. The Southerly fan was set at medium low and steady maybe 8 MPH. The ice was not at all soft, temp in mid thirties at home. It was sticky, sometimes loose granular and hard to get going in, but not slushy. Cheapskate’s skinny runners seemed as good as DN plates or slushies, both tried by Roger. Roger and I beat our way slowly and somewhat bumpily up to the mouth of the narrows where there was insufficient wind to short tack. Furthermore the distant inviting vista was fading in a grey fog of very fine snow drifting horizontally in the breeze. Not wishing to disappear and suspecting that with the Southerly wind there might be less wind behind or in the snow than before it we turned for home.

We had a delightful run back to the pits outrunning the snow which took quite a while to get there, perhaps falling from a higher cloud deck than the one the sun had glowed through because the sun disappeared. We neither got blown off or melted in and mired. Strangely, the ice felt much smoother going down wind, perhaps some speed helped the ride. The snow arrived at the pits about 3 PM, just after we did. The wind faded somewhat later.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights are supposed to be below freezing, daytimes overcast and maybe snowing/raining. It looks as though Thursday may be the end as temps will be climbing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and the shore line is getting gray. We have planks and patience. Ramblin Roger heads for home Friday. He extends his thanks to our club, one and all, for a fine time. He has been good company.

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