Boats are on the ice hoping for more breeze than is forecast. Ice is nice, but there are some holes down toward the old pressure ridge. There are two orange cones there: do not sail between them. There might also be some holes to the east of the cones. Sails heads up and slow. The broads north of that appear to be pretty good all over, meaning no one’s found a hole there yet!
At eight o’clock the ice was still hard, even though it was forty degrees. But we rigged slush runners anyway and pushed out past all the hazzards in the pit area:
The main body of the plate was sublime: hard enough to not create the slightest sound from the runner, and soft enough for the runners to bite. The overcast extended this sweet spot for some time, but by ten is was getting soft.
The surface will recover beautifully tonight if we get the forecast low temps, and tomorrow should be a stellar day. Is February the new April?
The only hazzards in the main body of the lake that we could find are drain holes, and this one large patch of black ice on the approach to the narrows which looked very suspicious. Bunting was good enough to stress test it for us. Suffice to say that he’s still dry:
She’s wet out and silky smooth. We expect the water will drain and evaporate overnight in the above freezing temps leaving us hard ice in the morning. Chances are good she’ll slush out at some point. Setting up at 8:00.
This photo of the ice yesterday is not out of focus. Looks biological, or something from the cover of a Jimi Hendrix album. Monday is still looking great.
Jim Gagnon and I skated from our launch site all the way to the narrows and back. The only flaw we found is this healed pressure ridge at the usual point-to-point location.
The surface is an easy eight, if not better. The poorest ice is in the pit bay. Absolutely first class plate, and it appears to go all the way to the south end. If only the North Americans organizers had known. Lack of intel on our part. Here’s even parking for 100 cars:
We’ll be planning on something Sunday-Monday, though Monday looks to be the better of the two.
The weather could change things, of course. Why are we not surprised. Jim will have a look late tomorrow when the light snow will have changed to rain, and our tears for having missed this…
Thursday Feb. 18 was slide out day on Megunticook for our barn salvage stern steerer “Whirlwind” shown here with Bob McEwan’s cheapskate for comparison. After a couple of months of light restoration by Buchholz (master boat builder), Roberts, and Eastman, involving refinish of mast and runners, new steering runner body, one coat of “Penetrol” penetrating preservative on everything, salvaged replacement halyard winch, extensive runner sharpening and alignment, new trailer wheels and boat cover, protective boxes for runners, whisker stays and spare parts we were ready. All original parts found plus a few spares, we are short only a few bronze clevises and cotter pins. Yankee sail recut and added to for trial purposes, the original sail is lost in time. This adapted sail is about half of the original area and seems appropriate for a storm sail. The whole exercise took a couple of hundred hours and several hundred dollars.
Assembly only took a couple of hours with intermittent help for unloading, mast erection, and sail raising. The ice was nice, wind brisk at times. With Buchholz at the helm and doing starting pushing, Roberts on the sheet, she pulled away sedately and tracked nicely across a mixed surface of silent ice and rumbling broken junk patches. The sail set nicely and non critically but not looking very historic with its square top and all that unused boom (about half) trailing behind. The ride was majestic with a modest turn of speed, probably 20 plus MPH. Twice the sail area or heavy air would likely have given sprightly performance.
None of the principals involved were looking for this interesting diversion, it, hiding in a local barn, found us. We are now looking for a good home for Whirlwind, ready with road worthy trailer (lights need work, of course) tested to 60 MPH. She is ready for casual sailing or serious restoration with all over refinish, new sail, perhaps conversion to original gaff cat rig. She seems to have been built by Buckout, a prominent Hudson River yacht builder of early 20 th century. The workmanship is lovely, all bronze fittings, fine wood, no rot, handsome in all regards. Call Bill Buchholz at 207 236 8048 evenings.
Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club 