Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

Frank and Denis are still at it, and they’d like some company!

“Frank and I sailed Lac Joli again today (already my 3rd sail on this lake this year!!). Ice was still very nice. Wind was light but strong enough to keep us going without having to run. Sunshine was just beautiful and warm. Obviously, we rigged our Whizz with the wing masts and full size Whizz sails. Frank had to be back in town for 2:30, so we stopped at 1:15 and packed the boats.

Tomorrow’s forecast is a little bit of rain, followed by some light snow, but I’m confident that the snow will not falll enough to cover the surface. So, maybe more sailing on this lake by the end of the week.

Lake Abenakis was frozen again this morning…”

Black Ice Friday anyone?

Denis and Frank had a great day on smooth ice and buckets of wind. They rigged DN masts with storm sails on the Whizz and blasted around the little pond all day, comfortable, fast, no hiking. Denis couldn’t say enough about the Whizz and how incredibly versatile it is. A few snow squalls came through but the plate was kept clear by the wind. You need a little excitement every now and then just to keep you interested on such an intimate plate.

The boats are set up on the ice for another day tomorrow. Wind isn’t supposed to be nearly as generous, but on ice like this it don’t take much. The snow forecast for later in the week looks like the real thing, so this might be it for a while. Sainte Aurelie is one hour beyond Jackman, just so you know how close it actually is!

Not bad for one of the warmest autumns in recent history. Not only was Lac Joli very sailable and bullet proof, it’s not going anywhere soon. Some rain Sunday will kill the krust, and cold temps into the week with no snow in the forecast might tempt others to make the trip. We set up marks and match raced to exhaustion. For racers heading to the western challenge this would be a great place to get in some cockpit time and refresh that muscle memory. On a NW breeze the lake is oriented perfectly, marks about 3/4 mile apart.

https://youtu.be/M9r4_AEKXZ4

Thanks to Denis for scouting this ice and for making the video. And merci beaucoup to Madam at Le Morillon for the hot soup and cold beers: Restaurant-bar Morillon et Relais du lac des Abénaquis Book a room there if you are going!

Two guys will attempt to sail this small frog pond just over the border in Sainte Aurelie, Quebec tomorrow and Saturday. Three and a half inches of good ice measured yesterday. An inch of snow fell today, but it’s starting to rain there now. What sort of mess we get tomorrow is anyone’s guess. Lake is on the left a couple of miles past town. If you miss it, you wind up on a woods road that leads back into the US.

This is the same pond we sailed early in the 2016 season, where we see Dave Fortier in the recent video by Denis trying to keep his face from blowing off. Similar winds are forecast for tomorrow. All welcome!

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….