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At 6:45 this Sunday morning Mike called from
location on Burnt Land Pond in Stonington and said
that the ice was firm and sailable. Keiko and I
scurried to Walker and found the same situation.
Walker had once again proved me wrong. I had my
doubts that the layers of slush would stiffen up
enough to sail on in 24 hrs time. It looked to be the
best plate of ice we’d had all winter and the cause
for great inner excitement. Like the first
eyewitness to a house fire I started dialing numbers
on my cell phone. I continued making calls as I
drove back to my house and got out an email
explaining the conditions . One of the calls made
was to Vanessa who was sleeping soundly in
Farmington, Maine.

Checking ice and waking huge numbers of people
on a Sunday morning with promise of iceboating
heaven can be risky business. The wind could flunk
out, the ice could get soft, there surely are hazards
that could ruin boats and some ladies don’t like
their men playing Houdini on Sundays. That being
said it felt great to spread the word and it wouldn’t
be the first time this messenger got shot. Mike
summed it up best this morning, "sailing isn’t much
fun unless you have someone to do it with". That’s
why he tortures his trailer and boat over 12 miles
of road that would break a camels back just play on
Walker.

Mike, Robbie and I laced the ramp with 50 pounds
of rock salt before taking our caravan down the
steep ramp and onto the orange peel surface.
Bonnie came shortly after donating a 5 gallon
bucket of sand. We would need all the help we could
get to make the trip back up the ramp at days end .

Vanessa called and said she was on the way from
Farmington so I rigged her boat first in an attempt
to get in a few rides and get the runners warmed
up for her. The NE wind this morning was brisk and
had a chill to it that would make your fingers numb
in seconds. The few minutes it took to step a
chilled aluminum mast and connect the stays with
bare hands was enough to make a person hop
around the ice with hands jammed between legs
like an overdressed monkey on a pogo stick. What
fool would want to compound these temps x 40 mph
on his or her day off from work to have fun?

Mike was sporting a new sail today. A sail of his
own design and making. He is not content to out
sail us with his big sail. Now is making little sails
that are just as fast. His new rag did a very
impressive job today . I think his secret is to have
a stern full of blocks and pull them all tight at a
predetermined speed with arms the size of
hydraulic rams, cleat off the sheet and hang on. At
some point in that sequence his mast and sail
become one and take on the shape of a pancake.
What ever he is doing it makes the ol Locomotive
steam across the ice at warp speed.

Vanessa came rolling in from Farm Town sporting a
hot pink winter jacket that matched her boat
colors. She said it belonged to her roommate but
evidently she didn’t mind loaning it out for the day.
Vanessa stopped for one picture and then departed
in her boat to enjoy the ice she had driven so far to
ride on. It hasn't taken her long to realize that the
window of oppurtunity is small in the world of
iceboating.

Bonnie didn’t plan to sail today since he was
battling the flu and dealing with a rear beam and
runner that got caught in a crack a few weeks ago.
Mike and I convinced him to cobble on the rear
beam from Platapuss so that he could enjoy what
could be the only day on this special ice that was to
be covered with snow in less than 24 hrs.
I rigged and sailed the wing today opting not to put
on the extensions. I recently gave the wing a
paintjob and made a new windex for it. The windex
worked great and was a big help. I am beginning to
think that a windex on a wing is as important as a
sight on a rifle. The wing was very strong at
pointing today . It was great fun sailing in a large
oval rather than reaching . With each day of sailing
the wing comes new lessons to learn. It is coming
to me a piece at a time. The coolest thing about
the wing is sailing it backwards. I can pull up in
front of the pits and back wind it to my truck in a
good breeze. Its kind of like backing up a tractor.

As always we mark, report and spread the word
about ice hazards. Entering the pits today was
tricky since we had very smooth ice just outside
the pit area and a downwind approach. The novice
sailors were warned to come in wide and stick a
runner in the snow along the shoreline to slow down
before entering the pits. As I was enjoying my 8th
cup of coffee I noticed Vanessa along the shoreline
entrance to the pits with parts of her boat exposed
that weren’t supposed to be and loud yells coming
from that direction. Leaving camera in duffle bag I
ran to her direction with a bit of distress in my
step. At first glance I thought she had rolled the
boat but closer inspection revealed the top of her
mast caught in an overhanging birch tree which had
lifted her front runner well off the ice. I couldn’t
help but chuckle and recount the times that I had
nearly been bitten by that tree. No damage was
done and the next time we sail Vanessa will put an
orange cone in that tree since she proved it to be a
hazard.

There was a rumor in the pits today that a guy in a
Yellow boat was sailing with his buttocks protruding
down through a hole in the bottom of his boat.
With all the snow to be shoveled in past weeks who
would be concerned about fixing an iceboat bottom.
Not once did I see this rumored person but I did
feel much more in touch with the ice today than
ever before.
It appears that Bonnie got a photo of the guy who
has a problem with the bottom of his boat. He got
the "bottom" photo to me just in time to make the
Sailing Diary.

Kevin