Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

Enthusiasm is building for sailing Barnegat Bay Friday and Saturday. Sunday’s weather appears to have been moved ahead to Monday so that day might be a good one, too. Or maybe Sunday’s weather has been moved back to tomorrow as there are rumblings of an inch of snow possible. Naturally, all the really serious iceboaters starved for weeks by heavy snow will have already been there and have had days of terrific sailing, but we mere humans need to wait for the weekend thereby risking calamity. So, just in case we never get to actually see the plate, here’s a link to a drone video shot today in the area of the bay between Bayville and Seaside Hights, the eastern shore of the bay behind which works the pounding surf: Frozen Bay – YouTube

Will the weather out to sea, show up and pray, think ice. Trixie’s Landing, Bayville NJ, Friday.

There are some students at the Alberta Polytech University conducting a marketing/demographic study on iceboats. Liberal Arts may have over-reached a bit on this one, but let’s play along and see what happens. I had a long chat with the team on speakerphone, so they’re legit. They’d like us to take this survey: http://freeonlinesurveys.com/s.asp?sid=qy2ffjm2spexpr7621755 There are just a few questions about the boats and the sport.

Meanwhile, Barnegat Bay is still ON for Friday and Saturday. Launch at Trixie’s Landing, Bayville NJ. Chance for an epic cruise through the marshes south of Barnegat (town) on Saturday, the Edwin Forsythe Wildlife Refuge and the Gunning River.

The blues are over. As Lloyd says, tank up on cheap gas and go for the ice:

Here is Mike Acebo’s comments on this plate:

“This photo is from the pier in Orient Village looking to Shelter Island (+/- 2 miles away) ice as far as you can see. I personally have never seen this so iced in although the Club sailed the stern steerers off this area years ago.”

There are some Skimmers sailing there today, and the forecast indicates that the plate will survive well into the weekend.

Meanwhile at Red Bank NJ on the Navesink River, the NSIYC has tentatively called ON the Sweepstakes for this weekend. It’s a regatta open to all classes sailed out of the historic clubhouse right on the river in Red Bank. Their ice hotline: 732-747-5665 The final call will be made Thursday, but it’s looking very good so far. The NJ font has infiltrated this dispatch, so I’ll continue with reports from that state. Further south on Barnegat Bay, the ISA might be held this weekend if access can be found for the A Skeeter trailers. There is a lovely big plate there reported to be 5″, something the NEIYA might want to investigate for the Easterns.

There will be Mainers heading south; join the convoy!

A sunset stroll on the snows of Lake Chickawaukee. Last night’s snow fall was 6 inches of dry snow with a brief rain at the end. The result is that there is a loose open styrofoam crust, not icy, that should keep tomorrow’s NW wind from drifting. The rough stuff from last week is filled in, the ground swell is still apparent. The surface is smooth with rounded pock marks from the rain, sort of like a great big thick pancake that is ready to turn over or gigantic small pox/acne scarring. Snow is 8 inches deep in places.

Foot Note # 2 If you use the Bean’s toe warmers for just a couple of hours, for shovelling snow perhaps, and peel them off your sock and put them back in their envelope and seal with masking tape they will hibernate all day and when exposed to air again get warm for your late day outing. Cool no? Warm yes.

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