Last Thursday on Lake Megunticook

Posted on December 30, 2018 by billbuchholz

These photos were taken by John Williams the other day on Megunticook. It was a madhouse of sailors, skaters, dogs and walkers, as everyone wanted to be on the fabulous plate of ice. Tips of the helmet all around to all the iceboaters for sailing carefully and not running into any pedestrians. The light and shifty air helped to keep top speeds down.

Hard Water Sailing | Flickr

Next probable sailing looks like next Wednesday. The ice has recovered nicely from Friday’s rain; eight inches thickness reported in Muscongus Bay, Damariscotta Lake, from the Vannah Rd. launch. We’ll scout the rest of the south end during these few upcoming windless days.

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Sailing

Posted on December 26, 2018 by billbuchholz

Great Pond was in nice condition today, with big plates of flawless ice punctuated by smaller plates of slightly rough stuff. The wind was light and shifty in the morning, then came on strong and shifty in the afternoon. Dave Godine and Paul Miner didn’t make it in time for this line-up, but Denis Guertin, Jim Gagnon and Bill Bunting did:

Chris Gordon, W-16, came for the day from Nantucket:

There was a sailor from Nantucket
Who stapped his head into a bucket.
He went sailing on ice
and thought Hey this is nice!
Nantucket: who’d have thunk it?

The pits on Great Pond are a bit of a mess with shell ice at the approach and big patches of sand blown on. Making a downwind approach was demanding to say the least.
So the boats are packed up and the idea is to sail Lake Megunticook from Bog Bridge tomorrow. Rain/snow forecast for Friday will make an impact but it looks like smooth sailing after that.

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Boxing Day Party

Posted on December 25, 2018 by billbuchholz

Cam Lewis is hosting all kinds of fun on the ice, with hot sauna and cool folks tomorrow at the top end of Lake Megunticook. If you can’t make it to Great Pond, Cam has three DN’s set up and ready to go. He’s at the bottom of the bay at the NE corner of the lake. You can get there by road as well.

The ice is looking good well into next week!

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Sailing Tomorrow, 12/26

Posted on December 25, 2018 by billbuchholz

Sailing Great Pond, Belgrade ON for Wednesday and probably Thursday. Ice conditions look promising as does the wind and sunshine. It hasn’t been scouted since the recovery, so we’ll be sure to have a good look around before wide-open-romping. If you come late and the fleet is already out, please take care and watch for flags.

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Ice Roundup

Posted on December 24, 2018 by billbuchholz

Wonderfully recovered black ice is everywhere. As usual the pesky drain holes are an issue at most lakes. Careful scouting and marking could yield some awesome sailing this week until the killer weather returns on Friday. There are rumors of a big sail on Wednesday at Great Pond but ice reports from there are not yet in.

Meanwhile, here’s Cobbossocottee near Augusta:

Messolonskee, one of the Belgrade Lakes, in Sydney

Lake Megunticook:

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