Consistent warm temps are eating the ice. Sea smoke is pouring off the surface, much like in the early season when the lake water is dumping its heat. Now it’s the reverse: the ice is dumping its cold.

We’ve had a few days of this. The plate is down to the original black ice; even the early season wind holes ice are clearly visible with their different shades of grey and black.

The weather forecast for Moosehead does not look hopeful at this point. And just to add insult to injury some snow is expected. There might be a morning or two in the coming week that would allow some sailing; one can’t underestimate the effect of the“refrigerator effect” of twenty-four inches of ice on the surface. But it can’t compete with temps in the forties with sun.

There might be a wonderful lake in Quebec, just across the border, that could still come in. But even they are waiting for cold. And the big chill coming from Washington won’t help.