Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

On a tip from a reliable skater that Toddy Pond was tight enough top to bottom we set out to try it. There are two narrow choke points that separate the top bay from the bottom bay; the entire lake is seven miles long. The first was sketchy, but there was a plate just wide enough between the waters to squeeze the boats across.

The middle bay provided some wonderful cat and mouse loops around a marshy island in the corner, but on approaching the second choke point we found it impassable. Even for us. So we tip-toed back across our narrow ice isthmus and ran fast four mile laps in the top end. The wind was still strong and blowing right down the lake. A perfect course with tight competition.

And naturally we minded all the rules:

We were invited in for coffee by a curious observer right around lunch time. A lovely spot out of the wind, in full sun, with the fountianesque burbling of the dock bubbler in the background, and wonderful conversation to boot:

Damariscotta Lake had a small fleet sailing out of Lake Farm today, but no reports have come in. We assume the conditions are still stellar.

Snow tomorrow might buy us some time off, but it doesn’t appear to be much, especially the further north you look.

There will be a couple of boats at Lake Farm tomorrow: Bob MacEwan, Mini Skeeter, and Joel Tompkins, Cheapskate. Hopefully there will be more considering how good the ice is.

The two Whizz guys will be attempting a decent of Toddy Pond from the boat ramp off Rt.1, shoving off at 10:00.

Looks like snow Friday, so tomorrow might be it for a while. Don’t let it go to waste!

The lake has improved measurably since our last sailing there. The pressure ridges have calmed down, the surface is a strong 7, and the quality of the plate is flawless. We had some of the fastest long reaches today in recent memory. There’s no excuse not to pull that sheet right to its breaking point. The Narrows is smoother than usual due to the lack of vehicle traffic; the small fleet made multiple trips down and back.

Quite frankly, one can’t ask for better conditions. Big winds tomorrow might discourage the key-ring-rigged, but a well found yacht will find nothing but joy.

And that’s all we know about that.

If there’s one thing that really upsets mariners, it the expression “safely out to sea”, referring to a storm track. Sure, they say, safe for you alongshore but what about us? We’re out to sea, too.

But for iceboaters in Maine, it’s a fine refrain.

No snow tomorrow. Looks like nice wind for a couple of days to boot. With that in mind, a couple of Whizz will be sailing out of Lake Farm tomorrow. All are welcome to join. Pushaw might have recovered as well. If anyone can have a look and report back we could all go there after a couple of days on Dammy.

This is shaping up to be a very good year. Don’t forget that the total eclipse passes right over Moosehead on April 8. More on that later, but pencil it in.

Just got word that Ryan’s skate sail found a home.

And, Michael Young still has a few Iceboat Racing board games left. Get one while they last at michaelyoungswh@gmail.com

Below, mushroom drain holes.

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