How wonderful that after such a long drought we get two fabulous sailing days on a weekend. Saturday came with a dusting of snow and greater wind than forecast, and by Sunday that snow had begun to drift up and compact. Fortunately there was more than enough wind to blow through. Ideal conditions on an interesting lake for racing, touring and exploring.

A fleet of DN’s from Mount Desert showed up. They are good sailors and we look forward to luring them ashore for a regatta some day. As it turns out, that’s where the next good ice might be. Keep Friday open for possible racing.

John Hanson’s new Mini Skeeter had her maiden voyage. The boat was started as a high school project but never finished; John bought the frame and completed it. Note the low sail number. They are now well into the hundreds.

His best buddy took her for a spin. An eminent competitive yachtsman, he lit out after the first DN he saw and was attempting to reel him in when he sailed into the water. We don’t know, but some people think sailing in soft water is natural and that’s probably just what he thought. Aside from a bruised ego, no harm done. The water was poured out and the boat returned to service.

Considering how much water we had and the number of boats, only one swimmer’s not bad odds. Have a look at Mike Young’s track for the day and see if you can figure out where the water was:

The ice was good up to the edge so staying clear was simple for most everyone.

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On the map, the narrow tracks on the west side indicate short tacking up that side between the shore and the sea. Sometimes you’d be in the shade of tall trees riding the lift along the rocks.

Tunk is a beautiful and wild lake. There are no camps there. One benefit is that the ice is very clean. After two days hard sailing the runners showed no wear. It’s one of the deepest lakes in Maine at 220′, the reason it froze so late, missing all the early snow. Actually, having the middle open made for a nice element, like a big island that doesn’t block the wind. Doing laps around it was part of the great fun.

Indigo’s new owner Larry Mazoway had a new rig built and some other modifications and we are happy to report she sails splendidly. The worst of her nasty habits have been corrected.

Thanks again to Bob Lombardo for getting Tunk scouted and firmly on the radar. Photos kindly sent in by Jeff DiBelia, Greg Askins and Shaun Pinkham.

And the water: