Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

A dozen or more boats sailed Chicky on lovely ice in moderate NW air. We had Nites, Meade, Gambit, DNs of course, a gaggle of Cheapskates and antique Tippy. We did indeed have the World’s Cheapskate Championship with four boats competing. Bryce Geele won two out of three races and took posession of the Cheapskate Trophy. The regatta rules established by Doug Raymond are: 3 boats minimum, three races. Winner gets to take home the trophy until the next regatta, which could happen any time.

Lots of boats spent a second marvelous day threading the golden needles of Megunicook, the Queen of intimate iceboat sailing. Think of it as short track iceboating: every tack is along shore, around a point, or many quick ones in a row squeeking through a tight straight.

Here’s four boats playing cat and mouse around an island in the north end, below, the big cat chasing all the little mice:

But the wind’s going around to the south-west tomorrow which is not a great wind for this lake. So we are shifting to Lake Damariscotta tomorrow. Please launch from the beach until further notice. After a small flurry or drizzle on Sunday it looks like ice extends all the way to the weather horizon!

In breaking news, an intrepid group of ten got in the 2018 Winnepesaukee Hardway today. Stand by for the full report from the NEIYA. Congratulations team!

There are three areas of the lake which can be counted on to be dynamic and must be scouted on foot: The inlet, The fangs, and Chaney’s Narrows.   These areas often change hour by hour.  In addition, the lake throws up wild cards at every moment: open water, wide cracks, drain holes of all sizes appear without rhyme or reason.  When you are new to a particular area, you need to scout it slowly until you know it completely.

A final word about ice safety:  When you step out on the ice, check that you have the four “C”s.  these are absolutely unnegociable.  CAP: some sort of helmet.  consider yourself unstably moving over cement.  CLAWS: ice picks clipped  around your neck, outside clothing.  CELL:   in a zip-lock bag in a high chest pocket  CLEATS: grabby boots, until you don skis or skates.

There is a 5th “C” which, frankly, many of us interpret differently: CLOTHING.  for me personally it too is unnegociable.   The central question is: could I survive 45 minutes in 28 degree water with what I am wearing?  My four trips through the ice over the years, each time with improved clothing, have left me willing to get sweaty and clammy in a wet-suit bottom, and USCG float coat top–all season long. My last “bath” left me floating chest high,  and when I clawed back above the ice, there was no hurry to warm up.  I always keep remembering,  even in the safer middle part of the season: there is always thin ice somewhere.

After lunch, we began exploring the lake, now so easy to do with fast ice and good wind.  You really commanded the lake: every inch.  No dead spots.  The boats gliding with the least touch of wind.  We especially had fun in “Lamb’s Folly”,  a tiny island near the shore of Fernald’s Neck where, swallowing hard, you can blast suicidally toward the shore, which  at the very last minute opens up into a tiny passage around “Daddy’s Island.”  Today you carried thru the loop at good speed.  Sometimes boats were circling in both directions at once.

Finally about 330PM, we’d had all the fun we could possibly stand.   And besides, tomorrow promises more of the same.  So we sailed back to the pits, encountering crowds of skaters,  using long graceful strides on the smooth ice, all in various states of extacy.  Tomorrow, temps will be warmer, winds lighter, but i’m sure the ice addicts will be at it again.   Here’s a few more photos by Bill Buchholz:

the start, at Barrett’s Cove of “le tour du lac”…denis, jory, curtis, guy, and bill.  Denis is giving us a start time.  note the strange white polka-dots on the ice.

that’s us at the sauna, a very short time later.  The sauna is a little motel cabin  placed on pontoon floats made by Cam Lewis.  In winter it is moored fore-and-aft to get solar heat thru the windows.  You always scrutinize the chimney to see if Cam has fired it up.  I’d better not tell you my stories about that sauna!

See you soon i hope ice buddies….this season has incredible swings of temperature…but it’s turning into a jem.     Jory

It’s become a chiche:  Bill and I approach each other, totally juiced on  10 minutes of iceboating.  Our hands extended, eyes rolling:  “This is as good as it gets ! ”   And today,  we were utterly truthful.  Ice so smooth.   Wind so strong.  Buddies so plentiful.   And me—someone else must have been possessing my body–I was super super organized: warm and on top of things!

We set up at Bog Bridge about 9AM in the bright sun, bitter cold, and moderate wind.  Guy Polyblank was keen to do his first sail of the season,   and Brice, that keenest of cheapskaters, was setting up smartly.  Eventually,  Bill sailed with his DN-powered Whizz, as did Denis,  Curtis was there with Indigo,  Brock was there with his immaculate stormsail-powered Nite,  and later in the day Chris came with his newly-tuned DN.   When everyone but Curtis was ready,  we blasted up to Cheney’s narrows to mark two hazards there with visible tree sprigs.  Then back we went to help Curtis raise his mast.

The ice in the north lake was like a dream.   It was one of those times–i’d call  them rare, but they’re not the least rare– when you haven’t the slightest doubt why you are addicted to ice.   The boat moved so effortlessly, and the wind–though not overpowering–was so strong and constant; that it seemed like you could sail directly into the wind, just with little touches of bearing off.   Back in the South Broads, Curtis had somehow raised his own mast, and Bill begged us to do “le Tour du Lac”, where we absolutely max-out the distance you can sail.  I swear within 15 minutes, we had covered the 6 miles or so to Cam’s Sauna.  Here is the fleet: as we settled into the solar-heated sauna to chew the fat:

(Guertin Photo…..just feast your goggles on that ice)

Denis and I lunched in the warmth of the sauna, while the others, I think, went into town for lunch.  I just couldn’t imagine straying a foot from that magical situation.  (more later)