Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

DN sailors need not pay any attention to this post unless you’d like to do a bit of eye rolling. There’s no way around it: big boats are heavy. In a fresh breeze on a big lake there’s no place you’d rather be, but when it comes time to set up, break down or just put the boat on stands for the night lifting the plank (with the legs, not the back!) needs to be done with care lest you snap something. Here are a few Skipper’s Little Helpers.

The one missing from the gallery below, which is also very effective, is a simple parallelogram When flattened it slides under the plank, and then the handle moves it into more of a square as the plank comes up. The geometry is such that it goes over center and locks.

The one above was invented by J.R. Pepper. You slide the stand under the plank in flattened form and then simply haul on the small tackle and secure with a cam cleat. Something slippery on the feet of the stand will make it go easy.

This is a bit more complex, but also elegant. The geometry should be self-explanatory.

It also locks over center so you can install or remove a runner, eliminating the need for stands during set-up.

And if you happen to have a worn-out shovel, this is the perfect use for it. Does not lock over center, but it’s only a shovel: what do you expect?

For those still thinking ice, here’s a rather gloomy shot of Dammy at Vannah Rd.:

Aside from the obvious, Jim’s photo has a wonderful winter in the English countryside feel to it.

News from Moosehead and South Twin is looking good. Rain through Friday at both lakes will be followed by clear, cold and windy days. Stand by to self isolate in the Great North Woods.

Great Pond is one of the three fabulous lakes in Maine that iceboaters cherish. All three have their times and attractions. Damariscotta has it’s intimate charm, Pushaw it’s great north south orientation, but Great Pond is just, well, great. The majesty of big Hoyt Island dividing the lake into two halves, and then the two deep ends beyond Oak Island south of Hoyt. When the plate is as flawless as it was today you just rack up the miles with a smile frozen to your face. Deep downwind gybes going on forever. Long upwind tacks with an occasional self-indulgent peel off into a power gybe just because you can offers an amazing sense of freedom. And this with well matched boats side by side the whole way.

The great photo of the day was missed due to a frozen phone, but it was of Gee Whizz, W-5, the red boat against a blue sky in a long, tall hike which, from the view from my cockpit, put his windward runner above the horizon, miles away at the top of the lake. The air was crystal clear and the colors vivid. Time stood still.

Perhaps twenty boats showed up, including a clutch of hot DN’ers training around the marks. The NEIYA is hosting the DN Worlds in the eastern region next season so if you’re not in training to get the gold then please consider helping out with the operations end. Stand by for details over the course of the off season.

Not that this is the start of the off season yet. There is still scads of ice up north, so tank up on the ridiculously cheap gas and come quarantine on the ice! We’re all good: we already wear masks and gloves!

Here are some photos taken this morning from the Great Pond launch site off RT 27, in Belgrade Maine.
As you can see in the second photo the condition of the ice which looked to be fairly consistent. Still lots of ice. See you tomorrow.

Sent from my iPad

The launch is off Rt. 27, NOT 24.

Thanks to Jimi for picking up on this.

Jim Gagnon had a good look this morning and reports grade 6 surface, launch tight to the shore. There is 4″ of good ice over an inch of slush over a lot more ice. There was no evidence of this sandwich until he chopped down to it. He didn’t see and drain holes or pressure ridges but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. What was it that Dick Chaney said about known unknowns? Sail heads up and eyes open.

We don’t have a picture but he did say it was better than Pushaw last weekend and we had a ball on that ice.

Public launch just off Rt. 27 south of town.