Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

The last post mentioned the great ice that Kate and Roger found on Champlain. See it and weep:

Kate says: “Thanks to Roger’s scouting we launched from So. Hero on Grand Isle at Keeler bay. Attached is a pic of our boats. The ice was amazing and the wind held all day. I recorded my fastest speed ever at 57.8 and we sailed 81.5 miles. We should have tried a little harder for the 100miles and the 60mph. Kate”

So, one can even have regrets in paradise!

And over on Sebago that day Lee fills in the details:

I didn’t relate all the April Fools day misadventures.
Two friends borrowed boats. Steve, a friend from since the 1970’s and Thom…well another friend from that era. Steve is a sailor. He’s also blind in one eye which may have contributed to the collision the two of them had inside the reef while Steve was getting the feel for Karin’s boat. Thom was sailing my boat and they must have hit fairly hard judging from the chunks of wood taken out of the boats. I inspected them thought things were ok and off they went again. Steves mast soon fell down due to damage to the shroud adjuster..easy fix.
It was later out in the big open lake when we’re were sailing quite fast ( I was a bit concerned about them as it was a stiff but steady wind) that Steve capsized in a gybe. I suspect now the plank attachments had been loosened in the previous crash. I’m repairing the plank and hull damage to Karin’s boat today where a runner sliced the side board and lifted a piece of the deck.
In the process of putting the hull and plank together and lashing everything so Steve could tow the wreck back to the beach my van keys must have fallen out of Karin’s pocket, something we discovered after several more hours of truly great sailing. It was after 2pm and the surface was starting to soften so sailing was not an option to go back and look for the keys..
And this is when Calvin shows up and drives his truck out onto the ice…we were all somewhat surprised when he just hot-rodded down the ramp then out onto the ice. After he drove all along the inside of the pressure ridge we were all slack jawed with amazement and some consternation when he pointed the truck at the open and very active pressure ridge and blasted across it at 30mph. The truck then proceeded to go all over the lake..at times it was a tiny black dot in the far distance…eventually the truck returned and again did the old flying jump maneuver, crossed the ridge, came up the ramp, and stopped in front of us, the driver grinning and his boxer in his lap looking quite pleased as well.
Here’s where things get interesting…
Thom said jokingly “Hey you see any car keys out there?”
I saw my chance and said hey are you willing to go back out and cross that reef and with some bravado he said he would be more than happy too. After explaining about the keys and telling him I was terrified at the prospect of going out he said hop in lets go…
So there I was sitting in the front seat of a pick up truck driving straight at the ridge I’d been nervous about crossing on foot…we got across with a big bang and a huge shower of water and drove around for a half hour trying to find the crash site which of course we weren’t able to do.
The whole time I could only think about having to drive back across the pressure ridge…and it wasn’t a pleasant thought I can tell you. I said to Cal how about I stand in the bed of the truck and maybe I’ll be able to see better. But really I was just hoping to increase my chances of surviving the inevitable catastrophe.
When we crossed the reef again it was with an awful crash as the back end fell through but with a huge lurch and bump almost ejecting me we continued on…Cal yells out the window “I guess we won’t be going that way again!”
At least I felt like now I wasn’t going to die.
But as we came to the ramp I was thinking geez I think we need to be more to the left and sure enough the truck broke through…gently and not far as we were over the lower end of the ramp now but on sun softened ice. I felt kinda bad for having suggesting going back out…but Calvin readily admitted he knew he was driving onto the ramp at the wrong angle.
No need to go on about the details of the rescue, a procession of workmen in pick up trucks and various gawkers and broken tow straps and too many cooks but in the end a front end loader easily removed the truck.

Calvin and his boxer finally drove off both grinning…in a well rinsed truck.
Lee
Ps I came home and got my extra keys..

The ice and wind softened by mid afternoon and several of the ice boats loaded up for home. End of season maybe for some but not even end of day for Ramblin Roger who called at 6:45 to say he was going for his sundown sail in freshening air on hardening ice. We have hopes for a few more days as the ice is still hard up against the shore, we haven’t even gone to planks and ladders yet.

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When I asked Bunting how best to extol the virtues of today, he said: ” should have been here yesterday!” Not that there was anything wrong with today, but if all days on the ice are wonderfully perfect, then none can be. Today was a day of quiet introspection. We all arrived early to beat the afternoon rain, but the wind overslept and didn’t get there until 11:30. We all stood around discussing the meaning of life as an iceboater until Wolfie and Roger got bored and pushed out in search of wind, soon to be seen napping in their cockpits. I sensed movement a while later and took off too. Soon the entire fleet of six were chasing the zephyrs, some with more luck than others. I saw Roger heading south, so joined him for a trip through the narrows and down to Muscongus Bay. New sailor Guy Pollyblank had too much weight on too short runners and had to turn back half-way through the narrows as the ice was softening.

Bunting, Wolfie, Bob MacEwen, Fred Partridge and Guy satisfied themselves with long reaches in the broads.

Speaking of yesterday, Lee Spiller says that they had an awesome day on Sebago. Smooth and hard all the way to Frye’s Leap. A friend, Thom Perkins, borrowed one of Karin’s boats and discovered that a quick gybe in high winds requires just a bit of practice and technique:

But he had a great day and Lee assures us he’ll be back for more, sailing that is. No harm to boat or skipper.

Meanwhile, the Darwin Awards are soliciting nominations and here we have one from the Sebago area:

“This local guy really wanted to say he drove on the lake on April 1st. Which he did. Crossed the pressure ridge 4 times by driving over it at speed! Unfortunately the shore ice by midafternoon was just too soft. Bill Nason pulled him out with a backhoe after a goodly crowd had gathered. No harm to the truck.”

More good news from Ramblin Roger and Kate Morrone. They discovered a beautiful plate of real ice, the kind you can see through, on the Inland Sea, northern Lake Champlain. They cruised north as far as they dared with miles more ahead. An ice fisherman told them they could go all the way to St. Albans in they wanted. And then just for good measure, Roger swung by Newport on his way back to Maine to have a look at Memphremagog. The ice is of the same high quality as Champlain: no white in sight. But it will be very warm there tomorrow followed by days of rain. Validates that ubiquitous feeling amongst iceboaters that there is always good ice somewhere. Good old Roger pulled into Damariscotta in the middle of the night and was setting up well before anyone else arrived. Now that’s some mighty Ramblin, right up there with the incredible stamina of Fred Wardwell, who showed up to sail today but wasn’t interested in the light air.

There are still boats on the ice, waiting out the next two days of lousy weather, in anticipation of excellent sailing Sunday and Monday. There are tentative plans for a CIBC Regatta one of those two days, but we’ll announce it here by tomorrow.

Lastly, thanks so much to Dave Godin for giving us an areal update of Moosehead: lets just say we’re not holding our breath yet:

“This is looking south into the west cove at the junction, 95% of the lake is still snow covered with small patches of rough looking ice. The only area that looked promising would be from the south rim of Mt. Kineo to the Rockwood cove area.” ( which is where we sailed last April)

We have lots of eyes on the webcams and weather reports (right Denis?) and will know very soon when to call on the 2015 Moosehead Long Way. If this latest storm brings them rain it could be sooner than we think!

What magic there is in the beauty of a distant unknown lake. The five of us today had never been on Long Pond MDI before, so the vistas were fresh and awesome. There are three arms to this lake. The launch is at the top of one, Another on parallels this a bit to the west, and there is the bottom. This is where the action is. All three connect at a large bay where the wind takes a deep breath and howls down into the bottom arm, it velocity doubled by the two cliffs on each side. Sailing deep and fast through the pass, looking up at the mountains, just wondering how your life could be so perfect when the ice runs out and you need to pay the piper. Back hard on the wind, pinching to spill gusts and bring down the hikes.

Back in the arm leading to the pits the wind was a bit more challenging as it tumbled over the tall trees alongshore. It was a challenge getting downwind through there at first, as the wind was a bit lighter in the morning. We had two novice sailors, Dave Godin and Bill Wiegmann, who managed to master the art of light air downwind sailing. They both made the trip twice. Well Done, Gents!

Unlike Damariscotta and Sebago, this ice was perfectly smooth. There was one frozen ATV track made when it was slush, but aside from that it was flat, which is why they call it “sailing flat out”. Curtis and I found a pair of coves that might have suggested breasts from the air and we soared from one to the other, cutting fast figure eights with Indigo and Whizzard, nursing them until we were full.

Fresh from the New Englands, Doug challenged Indigo to a race but capsized half-way through. It’s great to see Doug back in action, along with his rich vein of CIBC history.
He and Bunting are planning to sail Damriscotta tomorrow. Wind should be moderate and blow from the WSW which will give a whole new take on the lake. Rain moving in late in the day should not bother at all. Bunting, Wolfie, Dan West and Bob McCowan sailed all day until the ice went soft at 3:00. Bob and Wolfie were way down the lake and hopefully enjoyed a nice walk home, a long walk full of hope, that is. Chris Connary snapped the mast on the Yankee, and is no thinking about a Nite. Bill Bunting is thrilled…

Boats are set up on Damariscotta, looks like a nice day. Come early for the best ice and least rain. Next possibility is Sunday, with most of the following week “unseasonably cold”. Need we say more? Dave Godin will do a flyover of Moosehead soon; the web-cams all show white, but look at we’re sailing on here. The weekend of the eleventh could be the one.

The nomads are heading for Long Pond on Mt Desert at 7AM. The local faithful are off to play with “CIBC’s Ice Queen” Dammy (Damariscotta) where there will be at least five boats today and maybe tomorrow, which is forecast to be ice saving overcast before possible resurfacing rain Friday and Saturday. Launch at Damariscotta Farm NW corner of the lake. Lunch, maybe, at the farm Inn.

We keep getting one last day, isn’t it wonderful.

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