Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

We need to have a discussion about the trend toward grade inflation. Some people become so desperate after a spell without sailing that they’ll see any piece of crop plate and dub it the Yellow Brick Road. The Grade 8 ascribed yesterday was just around the pit area and as far out as a fellow might want to walk in a howling wind with driving snow. In actual fact, taken as a whole, it’s probably more like a 4.

The sailing was great when you realized the boat was not going to explode from the rough ice. Sailing fast was actually better because at higher speeds the wind noise began to drown out the sound of smashing shell ice. A few of us ventured south through the narrows into Muscungus Bay, and then down the river almost Damariscotta Mills. The same open water that stopped us last year from going all the way down was still there. So this dream remains. The north wind blew straight down the river and never failed. There are plenty of smooth patches upon which to tack and gybe so keeping the boat wound up was easy. There’s just something so magical about sailing on a narrow river. You need to watch out for overhanging trees as you place you tacks precisely on those lovely smooth spots near the shore. There is a destination: how far will we get this time. The gybes go on and on like free falling or downhill skiing.

The Narrows is in good shape. Again, choose the smooth ice for maneuvering. The rest of the group stayed close to the pits. The ice along the west shore is the best, and especially good in the south west corner. That’s where the only pressure ridge exists, and it only blocks access to the shore there. We didn’t discuss it as a group, but I sailed past what appeared to be a frozen hole about the size of a hot tub, surrounded by a low berm of frozen snow. It looked like there were branches in the ice. This was just beyond the first island. We should mark it tomorrow.

The only damage of the day was Outlaw’s sheet block cassette, which was pinned with a hollow 1/4″ aluminum tube. The tube sheared and the cassette bent. We were deep in the south end at the time, but were able to rig a temporary sheet from a spare block.

Thanks to Ben Fuller for breaking up the snow blocking the ramp. Also sailing today were Lloyd, Frank Able, Bunting, Curtis Rindlaub, Hal and John Eastman
There will be sailing tomorrow, boats are on the ice. Snow storm moving in Saturday night into Sunday. As the case always seems to be: this it it!

Thanks for Scott the spy for keeping his eyes open. The surface is smooth and excellent, with some patches of shallow shell ice. No humps of old snow in view. No ripples or waves. Todays snow showers left a trace on the ice, but compared with what we’ve been looking at for two weeks this is nothing. I estimate grade 8 between shell patches, and the shell seemed to diminish the further out I went.

But we won’t know until we sail it, which is the plan for tomorrow. The forecast is NW 7-11 with sun. It will be warm in the afternoon so bring slush runners. Light air called for Saturday, and rain or snow Sunday, so tomorrow looks like the best day.

There is a pile of snow on the ramp which is easy to walk over with boats, but too frozen for Scott’s tractor to remove. The beach looks like the best bet for trailers.

See you there!

Chicky gets an optimistic drive by grade of 6. The ice cycle grade is closer to 2.5, possibly sailable but not likely much fun with much fine shell ice and crunchy stuff to slow down the sailor and make down wind starts impossible. Numerous bumpy areas, few smooth ones. Old drifts only a couple of inches high and mostly hard although white. Rare patches of old black ice look like open holes but all examined had many inches of ice.
Lower ice Grades: 0. Not good for anything, difficult walking. Such as snow. 1. Not good for much 2. Ridable on ice bike, not much fun.
3. Ridable, enjoyable following nicer ice. Sailable, not much fun.
4. Sailable, might be worth doing if desparate.
5. Sailable, might be fun in larger comfy boats. 6. Sailable, tolerable in DN.

Iceman, Ice Robin

Miss Chickie has slipped under the blanket again after showing a changing stripy congealing slush/drift surface even during most of Sunday’s light snow fall and gale winds. Not all that much snow fell, maybe 3-4 inches but it blew and is still blowing on Monday with snow devils crossing the lake at ice boat speeds, easily 40MPH.
Rain forecast for Tuesday will damp down the drifting and stabilize the surface. This is all part of the usual process for the expected March resurfacing and often fine sailing. The foundation ice was about a foot thick, good clear hard stuff a couple of days ago. Patience.

Miss Chicky is aging fast, about half the lake is gray wet slush a few inches deep with intervening drifts. This started a few days ago. The weight of snow is sinking the ice and water is coming up through small reverse drain holes. The snow has melted over the last warm days also, about half is gone on land,from two feet down to one foot deep. A good deal of this “melting may be settling and compaction.
How smooth will it get? A spell of seasonal sub freezing temps Sunday and Monday will delay the process. The optimists (two) who left their boats on the ice may be rewarded before March.