Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

 I hear the snowplow’s rumble
 in the muffled grayish dawn
 and inside it brings an echo,
 a mix of sigh and yawn

 in an hour I hear its earthquake
 still nestled in, just so
 but as I lurch to vault the bedclothes
 my spine shrieks out its “No!”

 I lay back, smile, remember:
 Ah, Tuesday’s silky glide
 on green-black ice so hardened
 by the mercury’s downward slide

 Long skating, then the signal
 it was time to don my shoes
 but still I turned yet outward
 and plied those fluid moves.

 I thought of skating backwards
 a joy all skaters know,
 smooth swaying, pushing backward
 and not knowing where you go.

 In an instant: staring skyward,
 head dizzy, back in pain
 I remembered last-year’s listing
 of what not to do again.

 but let’s give our deep heart credit
 she may know a thing or two:
 to take life to the limit
 and later pay what’s due.

                                              (Photo Bob Lombardo)

Cold, steady nice breeze, maybe 10 MHP, NW?, ice grade 6-7 as reported by Squibb Sunday, nice call Jory. Some 15-20 boats launching off the beach uneventfully. The sun hid behind overcast most of the day, a few snow flakes filtered down to make it nice and wintery. A hand full of Whizzes, 2-3 Skeeters, several DN’s and variants, and a gaggle of Cheapskates (one brand new one from upstate New York) sailed around all day. Apparently the narrows and points South were navigable as boats disappeared in that direction from time to time, and returned. It was classic Dammy, too bad about the forecast 3-7 inches of snow Wednesday, Think rain. A couple of the skeeters were wearing black sails, almost invisible against the trees even with their yellow fuselages, kind of scary. It was great while it lasted.

Monday and possibly tuesday look good for iceboating….we launched on Sunday from the beach at Darmiscotta Farm. This is to the west of our old boat launch. Access was a little constrained, but should be better monday….trailers were hand rolled onto the ice, sometimes across planks….definitely no cars on the ice.

Winds were excellent, about 10-15 WNW and sunny….there were six boats: two whizzes, one beautiful rebuildt Nite recently purchased by Breck, Icywood-DN agressively piloted by his son, Brice’s Cheapskate, and my own mini-skeeter. the ice was very hard and very fast….a little bumpy.

tomorrow may have less wind 5-10 perhaps…..(let’s hope for 10!); and tuesday less wind…perhaps 5Kn.

Today, I was hesitant to go all the way south to the narrows sailing alone; but i suspect another very frigid night will further heal any hazards…. and possibly allow a group to explore the south part of the lake.

if you’re hungry for maine ice, tomorrow may be your day….jory

Inspected Sebago from shore today. Started at Lower Bay. The snow is all wet out there, but there were also MANY ice fishermen. From there I continued counter clock wise around observing that the ice was still contiguous from Lower Bay to Raymond beach. The snow was all wet out and will be smooth-ish when it hardens. From Raymond Beach I continued around to Nason’s Beach where it is still wide open and the northeast wind was supplying plenty of whitecaps. As I drove home from Sebago the temps were already below freezing. Here in Biddeford at 1756 it is 27F and I believe it is forecast to keep dropping and as I did not observe any open water wind may be a good thing. That’s the way it looks from here, DaveUS4690

Chickawaukee after 3 days of 40-50 F and 2 inches of rain and run off from 15 inches of melted snow is down to foundation black ice 5-8 inches thick (was 8-10) with peculiar “herd of deer tracks” surface, depressions 2-6 inches across and 1/4-3/4 inches deep with intervening lovely flat very fast looking black ice. It looks like a fast very rattly ride, likely not enjoyable but sailable, not skatable. Overall grade 4 perhaps. The water level is up 10 inches with board access at Lloyd’s and Town beach at SW corner off Rte 17. My lawn is soft, will harden overnight, Town parking lot is muddy, will harden. Each “deer” print has a small to teeny drain hole, some with a strange white circle around them down in the ice, like deer eyes. We could be the next “buck eye state”.