Not seen from shore or breakfast table is a significant sinking pressure ridge down the center of the lake from close to the visible swimming hole to near South shore where there is another skirting the shore. Thickness over all remains around 5 inches. Nothing has thickened or healed in days. Plank needed for access both ends. Looks more like Spring than Winter.Healing cold coming Sunday night. Sail/skate Megunticook.
Jory and others skated the lake today. His report is geared towards skaters, but he says that any shell ice will be no problem for iceboats. East/SE winds forecast ahead of rain storm coming Tuesday. It’s scheduled to begin late afternoon, so as usual, we’re plunking a sailing day out of the jaws of the weather dragon yet again.
Set up at Bog Bridge.
This photo really shouldn’t be part of a post calling sailing ON, but it’s too good to resist. Kevin Grindle is getting his drone well dialed in and sends this from Walker Pond. Too much wet-out is obviously not a good thing. THIS IS NOT MEGUNTICOOK!
OUCH.
Once we found that Megunticook was a mess, the Dammy cam enticed us to take a long shot and go have a look. The drain holes of last Wednesday were a worry. We took boats just in case. Then we showed up and prayed. Prayers answered. Flawless orange peel to the horizon. Drain holes vanished, still marked by the sticks we placed there. How is this possible?
This marked a hole big enough to swallow a runner without burping. Then it snowed, rained and had less than 24 hours of below freezing.
So were were ready. Light airs got us out to the middle of the broads and then quit. We chased puffs for a while then pushed back to the pits to find food. Jory headed to the store while I skated up some wind and by the time he got back it was up and we were gone. Sailed deep into the South Broads. The pressure ridge blocking that on Wednesday looks like this, although there is a new one forming:
I know there are lots of folks needing ice, and I hope this doesn’t hurt too much. Sometimes you just get lucky. Looks like next Thursday is the next safe bet. Rain will remove any snow that falls tonight. If it rains there tonight, tomorrow and Monday could be good. Generally 6″ everywhere according to the gentleman on the left, below.
David Lampton came down and opened up the “clubhouse” for us where we warmed up. Wouldn’t it be nice if the CIBC actually owned it…?
The MiniSkeeter with its freestanding mast has a great trick with a down-wind landing: come straight in hot, hit the brakes and let the mainsheet fly:
Happy New Years everyone. Don’t forget to drink just enough and keep your eyes and ears open for ice.
Buchholz called from Dammy about 10 AM that it is a go with grey pebbly surface. The hard core is going to give it a try. See dammy cam.
Lloyd
Our recent rain, almost 2 inches and following snow raised the lake some 6 inches so access is sketchy, plank needed. The surface looks as though thousands of golf balls were dumped in the slush, marbles in better areas. This would be very slow sailing. Ice thickness ended up about the same 4-5 inches with apparent loss of black ice and gain of maybe an inch of frozen slush. Ye olde swimming hole is just skimmed over but will surely blow out later in day. 2 of four buoys marking it have disappeared, likely sunk as it grew in the wind and rain. It is very visible as shiny black in the otherwise drab sometimes snow streaked grey. Not really sailable unless desperate.
Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club 