Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

Count yourself fortunate if you looked at the Birches web cam yesterday: smooth black ice all the way to Kineo. And if you checked again today, you have my sympathy. It’s all white now. The snow also hit Great Pond, which was looking promising, with about an inch and a half. Dammy got a dusting but it’s just been too warm there to build reliable ice.

What we do know is that Wentworth and Sabbattus have sailable ice. Squam is a bit dodgy still, according to recent reports. If the new ice on the northern half continues to build, that will be something. There’s no other known iceboating ice in Maine, although Rangely was looking good the other day. Anyone want to go check it?

The wind forecast for the entire region is for naught. Not until a little front passes through Saturday, bringing rain, do things look better. Great winds on Sunday at both Wentworth and Sabbattus, and by then there might be other ice as well. Might be good enough for regatta, so stand by.

Here’s Sabbattus today. Lee Spiller and Karin Wilson skated it and give it a four. We know that if you can skate it you can definitely sail it! The launch ramp is tight and smooth. If anyone sees wind here this week, blow your horn!

Thanks to Lee and Karin for the scouting mission today!

Jay Whitehair has his DN set up at Wentworth and will try to sail tomorrow. Join him if you can.

“We were not sure if the wind would be good for us today or not. Forecast was not so good, but as I was drinking my coffee and looking at the trees, I noticed some movement. So I went out of the camp, and there was a light breeze coming from the South. I know that a South wind is usually stronger right on the other side of the island in front of my place. That was enough for me to rig the boat, and sail out of the bay on our winter road, which was hard all the way.

We sailed downwind to exit the road, and upwind to come back (!!?? Obviously!!!). No tack. The path is about 20 ft wide, and the plank is 13, if I remember well? Not much place to tack, and no place to head upwind to stop!! But I fixed my hand brake, so it’s a lot easier to stop right where I want. We will fix Frank’s brake tomorrow (I built one for him last summer), just in case!

CIBC were in my mind today! I miss your company to enjoy this great ice! There is a small pressure ridge that we did not cross today, and I was thinking « If you guys was here, we would cross it for sure ». But the ice was so nice on this side… maybe it’s even better on the other side? OK, we will cross it tomorrow!!

The ice was just amazing, grey ice grade 9 and 9+. And the wind was also consistent and steady, strong enough to get many long hikes. Frank and I sailed all afternoon. Boats are still on the ice, for the rest of the week if the actual forecast holds. It is looking very good!!”

And below, one more shot from Wentworth yesterday, enjoying lunch in a sunny lee:

Mother nature threw us a bone today with above forecast winds, full sun and thirty degrees. March sailing mid winter, but no one was complaining. In addition to the rack of Whizz below, there was a clutch of classic DN’s, Lee’s Gambit and Randy Rice with Back Fly Hammock. Black Fly 1 is still for sale, by the way.

The ice is about like this in the north end; the small drifts somewhat grippy. The other end was smooth grey ice with a light frosting of wind blown snow flowers. A pressure ridge, which became more difficult to cross as the day wore on, separates the two. We circumnavigated the entire lake and it appears to be tight everywhere. Access is carry on.

Ace ice pilot Jim Gallagher flew around today and reports: “I flew the lakes today – just checking. Biscay is open; south end of Pemaquid is open; most of Damariscotta is open or spring mottled. Yikes!”

The good news is the wind has died and the nights are getting colder. Hopefully something will develop over the course of the week. And if Wentworth holds together until the wind’s next blow, it’ll be the place to be.

Thanks to Lee Spiller and Charlie Sylvanius for scouting the lake!

Yesterday on Lac St. Francois:

“We have a nice plate of grey ice here in Lambton. 3” thick with some darker areas which are also 3” thick. There is a large area with open water, but easy to see and to avoid. The problem is to access this ice. There is slush under the snow, too thick to even try to sail through it. So we can’t get out of the bay. We tried to find another launch site nearby, but there is slush everywhere. So we decided to remove the slush/snow with a snow blower, and make a path to the ice. We hope it will freeze hard overnight, even though there is water coming on the surface by a small hole in the ice. Wind forecast is poor for tomorrow, a bit better for Sunday, and good for Monday. So we have some time this weekend to work on our «winter road» !! And the ice will get thicker too!”

And then today Denis reports:

“Our road froze hard last night. We should be able to sail through it. Water came on the surface and froze real hard.

No wind today, but we set up the boats, ready to go. Light air tomorrow but maybe enough to sail. If not, Monday looks very good.”

Viva La Persistance!

Four inches of snow ice is ok, as is a gnarly crusty surface, which because we are hungry would have been ok, too. But a random display of big open holes out in the middle was a confidence buster.

The holes aren’t apparent in this photo, and this lower bay just off the launch seems tight but it seems best at this point to just sit tight or go to New Hampshire. Our turn will come.