NewSailingDiary

March 23 was a big day on the ice for us in more ways than one.
Mike, Bonnie, Mark and I (Kevin) put the Easter Bunny on hold for
what we had decided would be our last day on Walker. The open
water around the ledges has been sneaking down the shoreline and
we found random breather holes with thin ice over them. I find it
a bit ironic that this was our 23rd and last sailing event of the
season ending on March 23rd.
As I came down the ramp this morning and felt the hammers
from heaven pounding on me again today I was dissapointed to say
the least. My visions of gentle friendly wind were soon replaced
with visions of our Wind King doing wild hikes and slides just like
yesterday. It was Bonnies weekend to shine as conditions were
surely in favor of anyone that liked it rough. If anything the winds
came on harder for the biggest part of the day rather than
diminish as the gypsy fortune tellers had seen in thier crystal balls.
With diminishing winds in mind most of the gang rigged big this
morning which led to Mike doing a powerslide into the area near
the top of the first photo. Mike said he had open water on both
sides of him and he stiffened up and got ready for the plunge. He
pulled the rabbit out of the hat and worked his way back to thicker
ice before becoming A Walker Pond Polar Bear. Shortly after that
Mike put on his storm sail and Mark dropped a size in his sail as
well. I hopped up and down the pond trying to find wind that was
not in the shape of a tornado. It seems to be a real task to sail
turbulent wind with the wing. My iceboat seems to do the same
thing as a plane in bad weather. The wing flops and bounces as the
cyclones pass by.
Marks wife Mia (i hope i got that name right) and Elliot Coleman
took adavantage of the smooth spots off windsurf beach for some
skating. Elliot soon found his way into Marks cockpit for some
skating of a different kind. Elliot got a chance to put his prior DN
experience to good use out there today. Mark was scoring higher
than average points today for extended hikes and did a hum dinger
right in front of Bonnie with camera in hand. Unfortunately Bonnie
didn't capture the mile high hike due to timing and glare but did get
the rather tame hike shown in photo. Bonnie has contributed many
photos to the sailing diary and never leaves home without his
camera. Sometimes the camera man in the group gets taken for
granted, but my hat goes off to those who stop in the best of
conditions to take pics of those having fun for all to enjoy. This
past couple of days a faster camera or digital camcorder would
have really captured some great footage. A must have upgrade for
next season.
The big event for me today was a visit from my oldest daughter
Vanessa who has threatened to try iceboating for many seasons.
At a much earlier age Vanessa used to entertain me by doing
cartwheels down black diamond ski trails, blast clay pigeons with
her shotgun and hot rod around in every softwater boat she came
in contact with. There is also a true story about her tailgating a
Sherriff at 70 mph a few months after getting her drivers license.
He was so impressed with her driving skills that he turned around
and followed her in our driveway with a blue light escort. College
life, parties and boys have made Vanessa scarce in my sector so it
was nice to see her come to play with dad for a day.

Taking my advice to dress very warm Vanessa showed up in very
fashionable sneakers, tight jeans and a jacket. She did have a nice
scarf to keep her "really" warm. We quickly rigged Platapuss with a
storm sail . I unlocked the ratchet block and left out a couple of
blocks in the sheeting system so a heavy gust would sheet the sail
out quickly and immediatly scolded her for wrapping the sheet
around her fist like a bullrider. I gave her very detailed directions
on how to stop the boat. How stupid of me, the girl wants to make
it go not stop it. I clung to the rear beam and coached as Vanessa
got the feel of the operation and how to deal with the hammers
from the heavens. Having never sailed before I was surprised at
how fast she grasped the concept of sailing, tacking and jibing.
After passing her "how to stop test" I pushed off the rear beam
and let her go solo. The first gust that slammed her without me on
the rear beam was cause for muffled noieses coming from her
helmet. They sounded like a combination of "war hoops" and "rebel
yells", maybe its what kids do at rock concerts now days. I could
tell they were sounds of joy and she was getting amped up!

This photo was taken after her third solo lap around the sheltered
cove. You'll notice she is wearing heavier gloves than the designer
gloves she came with. The hands are always the first to go. The
facial expression tells me she is liking her ride. With each pass
around the cove Vanessa got smoother and braver. Each pass also
got a litte further out into the windy parts of the pond until I got
nervous that she would hurl out of control into the open water that
I had not warned her of. I flagged her into the pits for advanced
lessons. Shaking and shivering from adrenalin and cold, but wound
like a twelve day alarm clock. "Dad that is so much fun, now I
know why you do this all the time" she exclaimed. "Can that be my
boat now" she asked. Complaining of a draft up her pants and
being on the verge of hypothermia we started working on creature
comforts. Electrical tape around her desinger bell bottoms cured
the draft issue, but after she pointed out that my boat was
enclosed and warmer I donated my ski pants to her well being,
leaving me in a pair of sweat pants. Having been transformed from
a college girl to a ice nerd and coached by her uncle Mike and the
guys Vanessa was ready to step it up a notch.

In this photo Vanessa poses proudly wearing her dads helmet,
gloves and pants. She gave me her scarf because she saw no need
for it at this point. Pumped on pure adrenaline and warm as toast
she climbed into Platapuss and tested her skills and my nerves. As I
sat at the launch and slerped my coffee she amazed me as she
went zinging by making all the usual sounds that an iceboat makes
while traveling at respectable speeds in heavy winds with the
addition of a woohoo now and then during the power jibes. My only
option to keep an eye on her at this point was to sail with her.

Being passed by another iceboat is usually a humbling experience
but when you look over and see your daughter with a mile wide
smile on her face, gritting teeth, braced feet and taught
sheet!----- Well it was a very joyous occasion for both of us. Worst
part is, that I didn't let her pass me just to feel good, she did it for
real. We played follow the leader all afternoon and Bonnie was
patient enough to get photos of us sailing runner to runner. I was
ahead by a couple of runner lengths in that photo but who's
counting?

As Vanessa graduated from newbie to one of the boys I reset the
gps and stuffed it in her pocket. At days end we pulled the gps and
checked her score. I am not sure which scores higher, the smile
on her face or the top speed. Both a sure sign that her uncle Mike
has some new competition.

At days end I stored all my gear in the basement and told myself
it was over. As I finish this story on Monday afternoon and saw salt
water ice in the Eggemoggin reach this morning on my way to
work I thought, well maybe we can fit in one more day. Maybe
thats why I stored all my gear really close to the door.