Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

With all our ice under snow throughout the east, we have time to reflect, catch our breath and sharpen runners. One of the great joys of this sport is finding the ice, but you never really know what to expect until you get there. Bob Lombardo sent this photo from Monday as he and Karl approached Schoodic Lake, north of Milo, for a little skating. This is what quickens the pulse, sets the butterflies loose, sends warm blood to the extremities: rounding the last turn or cresting the hill for the first look at the object of your devotion.

All that ice peeling off into the distance. It’s what you see from Indian Hill in Greenville. After hours of trees and small towns the road rolls over the top and there’s Mooshead, offering ice to the horizon. All the favorite lakes share this kind of approach, even Chickawaukee from the downhill on Rt.17.

So, yes, it’s only been two days since the end of time, but the best of the season is yet to come. We’ll probably hear from southern New England or New Jersey first. There might be a regatta at Red Bank soon. If you have any interest in iceboat history then make a point of showing up there and having a drink at the yacht club after the race. North Shrewsbury, NJ Ice Yacht Club.

5AM….530AM….the ‘let’s go iceboating’ deadlines slipped by….that left leg just wouldn’t leave the warm duvet….I knew it was cold….below zero….probably 10 below at Greenville Junction, our launch at Moosehead….so, to get going, I promised myself I would just drive to Greenville, sit in the warm car, and simply enjoy looking at the snow-free ice.

….602AM…the computer predicts winds 5MPH going to 3MPH….I call Bill….”Bill, there’s no wind and it’s 10 below in Greenville!’’ “…munch, munch….I don’t care….I’m going!….munch munch…and Curtis is coming too”. “All right, see you on the ice at 10” ….I imagine it’s like that in a war….Your buddies leave cozy foxholes to face enemy fire…and without the hesitation of any other mammal….you  instantly join them…

Greenville 930….local snowmobilers, shanghai’ed by the snowless, glare ice, gather in the local greasy spoon…and sensing that I’m another ‘ice nut’…they pull out their Gazetteers and excitedly detail their beloved lake….trucks are driving everywhere on 12” thick ice…there is big ‘black ice’ patch out beyond the rough ice of our launch at Kelly’s landing….and there’s an uncrossable pressure ridge about 10 miles North…

we 3 drive right out onto the ice and, without unhitching, rig our boats keeping double gloves on against the bitter cold….it’s now warmed up to 0 degrees…and we cautiously head North in blinding sun and 5-10 Knot NW wind. the ice is hard, fast and punctuated by scabs of all kinds: plate shifts, frozen snow mounds, icy nubbles, large white plates like puzzle pieces set in black ice….boat destroying stuff at speeds much above idle…. but gradually the ice smooths somewhat…..we get used to the bash and bang….and we gradually explore the southern section of Maine’s largest lake ….finally, the ice becomes smooth enough to “step on the pedal” and we blast as a threesome just South of the pressure ridge….

by 1130, stomachs are grumbling and we are nagged by the big question: how to sail 10 miles downwind in only a moderate wind….If we can’t wind our boats up, it will be a long, long walk….but Halliluia!….on this fast ice, there is more than enough wind, and with long, long jibes, we are hurtled back to the pits. there…with some extremities now numb with almost-frostbite, we dash for Kelly’s restaurant… hot drinks, food, conversation….admiring our beautiful steeds in the distance.

After lunch it’s a tropical 18 degrees, with slightly more wind, and undiminished sun, so it’s off again…this time with more confidence, and more chance to enjoy our surroundings….and the next two hours somehow become…. that surreal time….a time when the senses are overpowered….overpowered by beauty, by light, by expanse, by speed….by the certainty that this is the most beautiful lake in the world: vast….mountain-bounded….blasted by a yellow sun and blue sky….and when we stopped… to wonder together…there was below us: deep deep clear black ice with bubbles suspended in its 12 inch depth….

(curtis photo)

we now found the smoothest ice of the lake…we argued exuberantly: is it grade 7.5 or 8.5?….and though tempted to stay and play, we sensed that out good voodoo might be just now running out…

(curtis and jory stoned beyond redemption…note ice quality behind…buchholz photo)

So we rolled the dice and headed South….we delicately tried to broaden our reaches….to wind up sufficiently to peel off….but Curtis and I found ourselves married to this section of the lake…each pair of jibes found us only 300 yards progressed to the South…but then…. another of the day’s miracles: the wind strengthened just enough to give us solid, take-me-home, sheeted-in downwind blasts, often miles long,  which, with a few nervous slackenings, brought us easily to the pits….

there….sadly….the pristine, the expansive…became the cluttered, the confined….but it couldn’t dampen the mood: our long-shot bet was won!….Maine’s most snow-bound lake–when all the state is muffled in leprosy, with more to come–had shared with us its rare and precious sparkle….

jory….

Turns out the snow missed Moosehead. Check out this web cam:

http://www.mooseheadlake.us/

Jory, Curtis, Jim Gagnon and myself will take a shot at it tomorrow, meeting at 10:00am at the Greenville Junction boat launch. It’ll be cold, but winds will be moderate and with full sun.

Thanks to David Godin for keeping the reports coming in.

Not sure exactly what’s the orientation of this image, but wherever it is we’re gonna find it!

Commodore’s Cup Regatta Sat Jan. 24 IS CANCELLED due to inbound snow.

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Snow is about to put most of us out of business for a while. From Webster to Winnie and here along the coast it’s nothing but white in sight. We had scouted a good shot at a Hard Way, but it looks now like it will be delayed. However, we’re planning to pull it off some time this season. Thanks to Lee and Charlie for getting out there and having a look. Lee sends this report from today’s final scouting mission:

“Today was a perfect sailing day on Winnipesaukee. 5 boats were sailing, 4 from Ellacoya. We went south down the broads till I could see Parker ahead. The gambit wasn’t being followed so we tacked up the other way towards Center Harbor and found the other boats. At 5 mile Island we were blocked by a large reef system. It’s possible to come around the other side of Bear Island as Ted did and avoid this reef system but it’s a convoluted passage. Today was the day to go long on Winni.
Tomorrow several inches of snow forecast.
The very active reefs are a problem right now. We sailed over several small active ones but the big ones are big, wide, wet, high… The Hard Way needs to wait a while.
We brought our boats and trailers home today. We’ll see what’s up in the morning. Next week maybe go to Moosehead, Lake George, or another big snow free lake?
Today one of my best sailing days ever…not wild and hairy but really really fun and fast and challenging without being scary…good active fun. And so much fun navigating the many passages and bays.. Lee”

No word from Chickawaukee today, but Jim Gagon and his buddy Jim had a fine sail on Lower Long Pond in the Belgrade Lakes area. The wind filled in after lunch and it was anything but “light and variable”, which is what was forecast. Just goes to show, yet again, that “ya just gotta show up and pray”. Title of this shot is “Sunset On All The Ice”.

The only ice that we know of that’s outside the storm track is Moosehead Lake. It’s reported to be clear and thick right now but hasn’t been scouted. We’ll try to get some good intelligence Sunday morning, after the storm has passed.