Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club

While we iceboaters have been bitching about what a lousy winter it’s been, the ice in Maine has slowly been getting better and better. The lake today was still tight top to bottom, side to side. When the strong and steady southerly filled in it was fast sailing throughout. As the temperature crested freezing and the wind built, the quarter inch of snow that fell yesterday began to vanish before our goggled eyes. The white eventually turned to wet, with small waves on the deepening puddles. Mildly concerning.

Three Mini Skeeters and two Whizz line up for the obligatory cliff shot. From there it was off to the north end for a sauna rounding, our traditional windward mark, but today the leeward mark. Jory chose to stop there, go inside and enjoy his lunch. Probably a good call as it began to rain as we began the circuitous beat all the way to Barretts Cove at the extreme opposite end of the lake.

Rock Alley was tight shore to shore, just wide enough to short tack through. There’s a video of this passage in the video section of this web site.

Back in the Broads, Ben Fuller was putting STREAK through her paces:

The surface began to soften by 2:00, so with the wind still building the fleet retired.

If local lakes survive the warmth tomorrow, Friday and/or Saturday could be fine days for a sail. But don’t take my word for it, go out and see for yourself!

Strong warm winds out of the south tomorrow should be very entertaining. The plate received a quarter inch of snow this morning which might help protect the ice from the sun for as long as it lasts. The plate appears to be very intact based on yesterday’s touring. The FANGS are open and will eat a boat. Stay clear.
Chaney’s Narrows is passable by pushing along the left hand side. The water is obvious. Launch at Bog Bridge.

It appears that temperatures are running a few degrees warmer on the inland lakes. The old ocean is doing what it does alongshore, tempering the warming as spring approaches. The continental land mass always heats up faster than the coast. That’s not to say we won’t be back at Pushaw or get a shot at Great Pond or Moosehead, but what a short strange winter it’s been.

Just a note on the DN fuselages that competed today. There is some great history here.

First place was taken by the retired hull of multi world champ Karol Jablonksi. Second was a standard issue Ron Sherry hull.
Third place was won by a boat built by the Rolerson boys out on Islesboro, the original SPLINTER. Fourth, another Sherry.
Fifth, a hull built by long time Mass. racer Steve Madden.
And sixth, the very hull that Jan Gougeon built and raced for many years.

A great variety of vintages and verisimilitude.

The Chickawaukee Ice Boat Club held it’s venerable Linc Davis Regatta today on Lake Megunticook. Cool overnight temps froze the slush, and the small craft warning NE breeze filtered nicely onto the lake. It was very shifty, up and down, and at times baffling, but we got in six races on a course bordered by rocks and open water. No going to the corners on this course!

The Linc Davis Cup was first presented in 1977, donated by noted yachtsman Lincoln Davis, father and grandfather to a couple of CIBC iceboating luminaries. All the CIBC greats are on there.

The results:
Jeff Roseberry: 5,4,1,1,1,2. 14
Paul Chamberlan 1,1,3,4,2,4. 15
Tyler Vroman 2,3,2,2,3,3 15
Bill Buchholz 3,2,6,5,4,1 21
Milo Flemming 4,5,5,6,5,5. 30
Tristan Lewis 6,6,4,3,6,6 31
Joos Van Dyke 7,7,7,7,7,7 42

It was very competitive, and could have gone any old way right up to the end. Special tip of the helmet to Tristan Lewis, soft water sailor and very first time ice boater, for jumping in and drinking the kool aid. The conditions were very challenging for the most experienced sailors, but he turned in a stellar performance and we expect to see him in his own boat soon. Thanks to Paul for setting up his spare boat for him.

The course.

And thanks to Jory Squibb for helping with the starts, and to Kalla Buchholz for delivering lunch to the ice.

Looks like it might be a decent day on Megunticook tomorrow. There are a couple of boats still there, come what may.