Regarding long shots, it seems that if you crunch the numbers you’ll find that in our world, more often than not, the odds turn up in our favor. So it was today. There was a miserable wind forecast, but there was also a couple of hungry iceboaters who could not be there yesterday. They made the call, and what a winner it was. Very light air was forecast. Whatever: a day spent messing around on the ice pushing the boat isn’t the worse way to waste a day.

After a couple of hours trying to sail downwind to the top of the lake we gave up and had lunch with plumb telltails. But by and by there was a puff, then more puff and before long there was a steady 10knts. It held and built as the day wore on and the miles slipped by under the planks. By late afternoon the ice was softening, as were the muscles. The marge held tight all day and trailers were pulled off easily.

Looking forward, Moosehead is shaping up nicely, and once we get through this week-long warm spell there should be a pretty nice surface. Long term, it looks like next Friday, a week from tomorrow, is the day to start thinking about.

Ice-out is coming. Don’t let a little lousy forecast keep you from a potentially wonderful day.