Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

Thirty degrees, smooth, hard surface, probably very thick. Appears tight to the shore. Just thought you’d like to know…

Sabattus Pond has been on the iceboating radar for many years, but up on the other side of the nearby city of Auburn is Lake Auburn. There’s nothing in the CIBC history about this lake, but according to the article below it was well sailed at one point. Are those big stern steerers still hanging from the rafters of lakeside barns?

Polish your reading glasses, enlarge the text if you can, it’s a good read.

The CIBC Spring Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, May 2, overlooking Damariscotta Lake at Camp Kieve. The plan is to have the meeting and pot luck on the deck, as we did last fall. Considering that most iceboaters, with a few notable exceptions, are old, we can assume that we’ll all be vaccinated by then. It doesn’t mean that we can totally cut loose, but it should make for a more relaxed event. Meeting at 11:00, lunch to follow. Talking and thinking ice till closing.

Forgive to interruption to the ice reports; the ice is barely out, but there has been big interest in a spring regatta in addition to the one scheduled for September. Most of the folks from last time are planning to return, as well as more BloKarts. Here’s a teaser video from last September: https://youtu.be/y044e4yYhjM It’s a dial up flying start to a downwind first leg.

NOTICE OF REGATTA!

Thursday, May 13- Sunday May 16 at Loring Air Force Base, Limestone, Maine.

Loring AFB is a closed base with two 2mi long runways that are 300’ wide with many taxi ways between the runways as well as several outpost taxi areas that are sailable, including a large pad area suitable for large fleet starts. It is likely the best asphalt land sailing location on the East Coast of the US. Our leasing of the facility for the weekend includes usage of a large hangar that we can store all the boats in with our masts and sails up! There are also restrooms nearby in a separate building.

Free sailing, tuning and touring Thursday, racing Fri-Sat-Sun. Combination of short courses and the 7 mile full tour long course. Starts to be dail-up or standing depending on wind. Bring a stop watch. Racing shall be governed by the NIA iceboat racing rules, as well as some that are specific to the BloKarts, below:

ibra_rules_edition_7_final- 2019.pdf

Two classes: Blokart one design and Unlimited. Awards presented for first three places in both classes. Depending on number of boats, classes will be run separately or together.

Accommodations:

Bunker Inn, on the base, $50.oo/ night land sailor special. Breakfasts included with regatta registration. THE BUNKER INN – Loring Industrieswww.loringind.com › thebunkerinn

Caribou Inn. 25 minutes from the base, a bit pricier but has a restaurant and bar.Greenhouse Restaurant – Caribou Inn & Convention Centerwww.caribouinn.com › greenhouse-restaurant

Registration: $40.oo
With the Bunker Breakfast (three mornings) $60.oo

Hopefully most of us will have been vaccinated by this time. If you came and are not, please be prepared to abide by those Covid protocols with which we are all now so familiar.

Please share this announcement around, and hope to see you on the asphalt!

Send in your registration $$ the old fashioned way:

Bill Buchholz
31 Gosses Hill Rd.
Camden, ME 04843

While there’s no mention of this week’s regatta on either the Baikal Ice Sailing or the IDNIYRA sites, the BBC and CIBC are right on it:

There are a few videos showing up from most of the British press. Why the BBC presented it in their business segment is just one of those mysteries that Russia is so adept at creating. It appears from the sail numbers that a few Dutch and Germans made the trip. Considering our conditions, it wouldn’t be a bad pace to be right now.

How is it, in this chaotic and crazy world, that the last day of the general iceboating season should end on the first day of spring? Is that not just too perfect? What do we do tomorrow, start gardening? So it would seem. Even at Millinockett there are no nightime temps below freezing for the coming week. Great for wetting out but not hardening up. Greenville is slightly more hopeful, but not great.

Today at Lake St. George was just about as good a spring day of sailing that could be had. Boats from New York and Mt. Desert and just around the corner. A bunch of wing sailors and a gaggle of skaters. The lake was alive with the sound of sails. Our wonderful island roundings took on new angles in the west wind. As always this time of year, the earlybirds got the best ice, and those with slush runners had the most fun in the last hurrahs.

Up north Frank and Denis found decent conditions today on Lac Ste Francois. They sailed well up the lake and met a gang in DN’s heading south from Thedford Mines. They parleyed a while, but as the ice was softening they didn’t hang around too long. They hope for a sunrise cruise tomorrow before things warm up. (see above!)

Spring meeting tentatively planned for early May. Hopefully most of us will be fully vaccinated by then and we can enjoy our awesome pot luck. Details to follow.