Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

dear ice buddies…

I’ve been housebound with a rotator-cuff shoulder repair during this spring iceboating season….i just got so fed up with not being able to sleep that, damning the lousy timing, i went ahead with the surgery even though the ice season had not ended…it’s been frustrating to follow the website posts and not be out there….but also satisfying to think that these next years may have a higher quality….

here are three videos all of Pushaw Lake early in this season…you will especially notice the collage-like texture of the ice that week…the second video is made by our own paul delniro…. paul simply takes us south down the 6.25 mile lake reaching across the NW wind…..mile after mile… for we stay-at-homes, these videos keep hope alive….conditions like this, ice like this, sun and buddies like this,…this is why we keep on…..all the best, jory

Your reporter missed all the company and big blasts of wind Easter morning due to Easter entanglement with a holiday dinner which Ramblin Roger came to. We were released from company around 3 and were on the ice by 4. The 20 plus boats were gone, most of the wind was gone, and we enjoyed a somewhat local Ramblin sundown cruise sailing back to the pits about 6, very pleasant.

Cheapskate newbie Ted Silar had been disappointed in his CS. He had a sail that appeared to have been tightened up with a hot iron, very flat indeed. It did not work, period. Flatness does not seem to improve CS windward or any other direction performance in Cheapskate. I loaned him my original very baggy sail. Instant transformation. He and Bob MacEwan, no longer a CS newbie, vanished off into an early snow squall and blew the whole length of the lake, five minutes to the narrows according to Bob, with more wind at the other end. The return trip involved a lot of hiking, a blast for both of them. Ted was totally carried away and claims he sailed all day for 7 hours. He has sailed all his life but nothing compared to this. When I talked to him Easter evening he was still all wound up. Likewise a call to Bob got a similar response.

I did point out that perhaps flying around at red line in a white out was not a great idea. They did sound thoughtful. The late Mark came to his tragic end in similar conditions on Chicky a few years ago sailing alone and unseen into marked open water.

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The only clue that spring might be here is the high sun and lack of brutal cold. Aside from that the wind, snow blizzards and miles of great ice could fool you into thinking it was still February. We had it all today: dead calms, big winds, full sun and total white-out. Boats were all over the lake for the first white-out, but three of us were in the south end around the islands when the lights went out. The wind came on strong and I high-tailed back to the narrows looking for a lee, relying on feel and the vague outline of a couple of points. I was thrilled when Jim Gagnon appeared out of the gloom, so I slowed down so we’d stay in sight of each other. Then the wind died, the sun came out, and Curtis appeared in the distance pushing Indigo.

Blowing snow is in the air but the sun is shining above. Could there be a little religion in the weather today?

Twenty-one boats showed up, ignoring the weather forecast and compromising with family over the holiday. In spite of the snowy start, which Fred Wardwell called “inconvenient”, boats were all over the place. The two Cheapskates made their own expedition to Muscongus Bay, and Dave & Doug set marks for the Maine States. Sadly, there were no takers for the race. Sailors seemed content to tear around in the snow and strong wind marveling at the wonder of nature.

Frank Able drove in from Florida last night and showed up this morning for his first sail of the year. He doesn’t look tired to me! Brother Bobby has a new J-14 and was ripping around easily in the strongest of gusts. Jim Gagnon is still out there, waiting for Ramblin Roger to get back from an Easter lunch so they can sail until dark.
Bunting and the Friendship Boys have their boats on the ice hoping for a window this week, but the forecast is bleak.

The good news is that temps will stay below freezing at night all week. Depending on what the precipitation does, we could be in good shape for next weekend. Eyes are still on the prize to our north; no singing woman of substance in sight…

Bill Bunting had a look at our launch site just a few minutes ago and reports the worse hazzard is the deep puddle in the parking lot. Bring rubber boots. The ice is still tight to the shore, and the surface consists of a mere two inches of slush. The plate looks flatter than it has been. Temps now are just above freezing with low twenties predicted. Should harden up just fine. The wind gods are feeling generous, offering more than enough, so the least we can do is be gracious, try to sail and stay in one piece. Looks like storm sails for sure.

The ramp isn’t even close to this condition yet, but even so we had a fine day sailing, March 2011, wet feet and all.

All DN’s in any state welcome to the Maine States!

The Maine State Championships will be held this coming Sunday on Lake Damariscotta. Skippers meeting and start at ususal time. Don’t worry about the forecast; it’ll be just fine.