There’s a very slim window between this wet-out and the next snow. No one knows if it will be ready for us, but ready or not here we come.
Sailing tomorrow and possibly Wednesday morning before the snow. Ramblin Roger sent this shot of Dammy on his way home, but then decided to stay for just a couple of more days
Deane Williams sent in a report late last week about this little pond just off I-84 in CT. The MIT gang was itching for weekend ice and took a chance on this unknown plate. In spite of everything else in New England having some degree of surface issue this spot seems perfect. Thanks Deane!
“Five students and two researchers from MIT went to Batterson Park Pond. The pond did not suffer the negative effects of snowfall that many of the surrounding lakes suffered. The four boats from the MIT build-class were used. Two of the students had never sailed an iceboat before and were instant fans of the sport.
Three other boats were present. A wing-foiled boat (Joachim, Surf and Turf, you can see in the background of this photo) and two other DN’s.
There were many ice fisherman that had bored holes in the ice with small mounds of ice spoil alongside their holes.
It was clear that this pond has not been sailed before as many of the locals descended onto the landing to find out ³what you call those things². It was clear by the smiles that the iceboats were welcome additions to the pond¹s scenery. All enjoyed a beautiful day of sunshine, wind, and clear ice.”
Light snow, rain, and now wind leaves us with a coarse pebbly freezing slush and a few gentle drifts/slush 1-2 inches deep. This can be easily cured by some rain, perhaps Sunday. The coarse pebbles alone would be very draggy. The NW wind with cold front seem to be blowing the snow away so the drifts may disappear . This does not look hopeless, just slow.
It’s not often we see A Skeeters racing in the East, so kudos to the Connecticut Ice Boat Club on Bantam Lake for putting this together last weekend. Let’s do it again soon!
CIYC – Bantam CT. Congratulations to all who raced in the 2018 Lloyd Young Regatta last Saturday. We had great ice conditions and strong SSW winds.
Hi-Rig results:
Tony Bosco scored first in the Hi-Rig series followed by Rich Batista in second place. George Neyssen blew out the clew on his mainsail just as Tony was about to pass him at the windward mark, which forced him to withdraw during the second race. At that point he was in the lead position after a win in the first race.
Just for the record, that red fish house is NOT the other mark. Bantam’s small, but not that small. Tony Bosco, below.
Lo-Rig results:
Fred Greis won first place in the Lo-Rig series as well as first place in the J14 class followed by Mike Acebo in his J14. Dave Danielson won first place in the Nite class followed by Al Horrocks in second place. Special thanks are in order to Bob Lee and Ted Bent for helping me with the Race Committee duties. We had a terrific day!
Bill Caddy Commodore
Lee Spiller sends us this:
“There were 7 or 8 boats at a lovely private beach club out on Meredith Neck yesterday. Four boats made a fast trek halfway down the lake with the usual social stops in the lee of lovely islands. It was that go-fast go-far no worries kind of sailing. The lake is unusually monolithic this year. The shorelines are very stable. There was little transition from beach to lake; not even a bump. Few pressure ridges, very very few open spots, smooth thick ice. A paradise. We sailed in Meredith Bay until the wind died at sunset. 4 boats were left in the ice: local guys with a great sense of ice optimism as snow is in the forecast. I believe there will be much more sailing.”
Winni is as good as it gets right now.
