Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

I heard there were lots of new VW diesel’s around after the US lawsuit against the company, so I swallowed hard and bought one. And whenever I turn on the ignition, the screen says, “Caution! Risk of Black Ice!”

I’m thankful for the reminder, but I already know about the many tragic consequences of black ice. It can appear before you’ve sharpened your runners for the season. It can resurface a lake in February exactly during the time you are sun-tanning in Punta Gorda. It can come in a long, amazing stretch just when you’re up to your eyes in a house project—easily postponed you grumble– ordered by she-who-must-be-obeyed. And alas, it could come, breaking records for earliest sailing, this very weekend just across the Quebec border; while I attend a funeral in Connecticut….Funerals have been amping up, somehow….

Still, I followed my VW’s cautionary advice and tried finding and assembling my ice trinkets. Who but me could actually misplace an 8’ runner plank? And what are those tiny rust spots on the runners? How fast can a get those Gordini super-mittens? Eventually, though, it all came together in the driveway:

(Brenda Squibb photo)

It was a joy to muscle in that main sheet. I reminded myself that by some cosmic sleight of hand, this time of iceboat prep gets the same credit as actual iceboating. So the picture above is actually just as nourishing as this one:

(Saltenstall photo)

Right? Hmmm… I’m still feeling kinda hungry….

Have a look at this terrific video by Denis Geurtin. Send it to all those folks who are sniffing around the edges of the sport. It’s just the sort of motivational video we need to keep in mind as we hit the dark, cold road at five in the morning far-away bound for what we hope will be good ice.

https://youtu.be/DC5QeB8zFnY

Denis is actually checking ice tomorrow for a possible sail on Friday. Stand by.

Dave Godin found this lovely marge today on Holbrook Pond, not far from Plymouth. Considering it blew a gale last night this was quite an accomplishment. It must mean that Holbrook and, by extension Plymouth, are ready to go.

In the fine arts department, we have this Glenn Campbell song “Everybody’s Talkin'” re-worked into an iceboating theme:

Everybody’s talkin’ at me, I don’t hear a word they’re saying, only the echoes of the ice.

People stop and starin, I can’t see their faces, just the shadow of the ice.

I’m going where the sun keeps shinin’, through the blowing snow. Up north, where the weather suits my clothes.

Peeling off with the ice cold wind,
Sailin’ on a winter breeze,
Skippin’ over the frozen lake
like a leaf.

Everybody’s talkin at me, I don’t hear a word they’re sayin’, just the echos of the ice. No, I won’t leave my iceboat
behind.

The very first thing we’ll be doing this season, after setting up the boat and fixing those little things we forgot about from last season of course, is to back our cars, trucks or trailers down the ramp, un-load and launch. On that, John Ziermann from the Ronkonkoma Ice Yacht Club on Long Island has these thought to share. We’re pretty good at this generally, but a little refresher couldn’t hurt. Article #4 is especially important as we try to build the sport.

1. When I get to the launch site, I’ll unload everything
quickly, without lots of chatting with other folks.

2. If there’s someone else unloading, I’ll offer to help
with boats, since sometimes two people can get two

boats on the ice faster than they can set up one boat each.

3. As soon as I’m done unloading, I’ll move my car away
from the launch point/ramp/whatever. THEN I’ll finish
assembling the boat(s). I’ll do this even if I’m one
of the first people at the site.

4. If I see someone who looks new to the ice, I’ll
introduce myself, and mention our club, even if it
means I’ll spend a few minutes less on the ice myself.

5. I’ll ask others about hazards before I hoist my sail.

6. I’ll pause for a moment each time I sail to think
about the risks, about safety, about who’s on the
ice and how safely they seem to handle their boats, etc.

This past weekend at the NEIYA meeting, Leo Healy was honored for his decades of devotion to iceboating. After he was granted a lifetime club membership and a a moderate roast; more of a saute actually, he was asked to give us a few words. There were only a few, but they were good ones:

“In heavy air, know the rules of the road. In light air know your boat. Think ice, and there is always thin ice somewhere”.

Thanks to Dave Fortier for hosting another great meeting. There were about twenty-five people in attendance. We agreed to buy back all the remaining boxes of Think Ice from the IDNIYRA, as Jim has been selling them like hotcakes all over the world.

Dave announced that he’s almost done compiling the race results from the club archives and that John Stanton will have them up on the web site soon. He went through all the newsletters put out since the early nineties and realized there is lots of good stuff in there that should be accessible some how. I think we should package into a nice little book. Any volunteers willing to take it on?

Bill Bunting presented the Cheapskate trophy he built to the Commodore of the Cheapskate Fleet, Lloyd Roberts. Thanks to Patsy for the awesome polishing job. She even left the polishing cloths in the cup for the next winner. Kate Morrone photo.

The discussion was dominated, however, by our situation on Lake Damariscotta. The clubhouse has been sold, and with it went our right to use the launch ramp. So please take note: iceboaters cannot launch from the ramp next to the clubhouse anymore, or park anywhere inside the fence. Parking along the fence in front of the gazebo is still ok. Please respect the new owners wishes. We are exploring all options, but for now we will launch from the beach and make sure that trailers will have a way to be backed down onto the ice. It’s possible to purchase one of the little cabins which would assure legal access, but for now we will keep a low profile and see what happens.
Thanks for all the good brainstorming; it was very helpful to work this out as a group. The consensus was that the qualities of this particular access to one our favorite lakes was excellent and that everything should be done to keep it viable.

A big welcome to Kendra, who sails a DN. She wrecked it last year, spent the summer rebuilding it, and is now all set to go. Sounds like a real iceboater to me.

Lastly, Frank Able has resigned from the board of directors. Denis Guertin was nominated in absetia and swiftly seconded.

The NEIYA swap meet was on Saturday, with the usual collection of great stuff, bargains on boats, and talking ice. Steve Duhamel of Northwind Iceboats is cutting back on his production of iceboat hardware, so be sure to get whatever you need, might need, or think you might need, right now! He’s the best source for this stuff and we need to keep him profitable. Northwind Iceboats – World’s Fastest Sailing
Oliver Moore and his brother have taken over Jeff Kent’s company Composite Solutions, Inc. They’ve move production to Bristol, RI. See him for great DN masts and fast fuselages.
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