Nite News 12/27/02

Some Sail, Some Wait

From Fred Miller (#371) 12/27/02:
Pewaukee Ice Yacht Club sailors remain on hold for cold weather.  Pewaukee Lake's west end remains mostly open after last week's heavy rains and winds melted the mirror ice.  We will look to sail on Lac La Belle during the weekend of 12/28 - 12/29.  See the home page for racing details.

From Mike Bloom (#535) 12/23/02:
The Tonka Nite fleet enjoyed a wonderful weekend of club racing on lower Lake Minnetonka this past December 21 and 22, 2002. The main lake and upper Tonka are still questionable so we opted for the safety of Wayzata Bay. The bay is covered with hard, smooth and very fast ice. About 30 % of the bay is covered with 1/4 inch snow drifts.

We were treated to predominately west /north west winds at 14 to 17 mph on Saturday and 15 to 20 on Sunday. As is typical with Tonka Club races, we do not record scores but everyone took their turn leading and winning races. Tom Nordlie was the quickest boat on the ice but Slocum, Scott Brown, Bloom, Irwin and Kresbaugh all took their turns at the front.

The highlight of the weekend was following Slocum into the leeward mark during one of the first races Sunday morning and watching him spin out. The lowlight was when Bloom was forced to retire early with a broken mast.

With a relatively dry forecast, we look forward to more club racing over the holiday season. Come join us. The Nite fleet encourages Nite sailors of all abilities to join in the action.

From Mike Bloom (#535) 12/23/02:
Please, tell everyone to THINK ICE. Last night the weatherman said "snow is in the forecast". Obviously, too many of use downplay the power of positive thinking.

The Tonka Nite fleet will return to Lower Tonka this December 28 and 29, 2002, for what should be another great weekend of racing. We still have very good ice. It is hard and fast but 30% is covered with drifts about 1/4 inch deep. So far, the snow has remained fluffy and has not been a factor while racing.

Primary race site is Lower Tonka, most likely Wayzata Bay. The main lake remains questionable (see more below) Launching is off the public beach next to the Boatworks in Wayzata Bay or near MYC at the Cottagewood fire lane next to Harry Allen's home.

The entire Tonka Nite Fleet should be out in force.The Nite fleet encourages Nite sailors of all abilities to join in the action. Many Nites, Skeeters and a few stern steerers have chosen Wayzata Bay as their home for the winter and are already on the ice.

Unfortunately, I must also report a severe accident that occurred December 20th out in the main lake about 2/3rds of the way between Brackets Point and the northwest tip of Big Island. A long time Nite sailor was taking a friend for a ride. They were pleasure sailing in 20 to 25 mph winds when they hit a small ice ridge at full speed. The deaccleration slammed them into the front of the boat. The driver told me he thought he hit a brick wall. Both were seriously injured. Both have multiple broken ribs and the passenger, who was airlifted off the lake, remains in the hospital with additional injuries to his lungs. While we wish both of them a speedy recovery, the message, of course, is always inspect the ice and remember that ice conditions are forever changing.

From Larry Pearson (#83) 12/23/02:
After a up and down freeze up in West Central Minnesota I finally got out Sat and Sunday. Lake Carlos froze nice and really looked great until the rain/sleet. It has a crunchy surface but is solid with a tolerable snow cover. Good WSN winds over the weekend provided nice power to get Nite #83 really moving again.

From Larry Pearson (#83) 12/27/02:
There is a good short article and pictures on ice boating in the Jan '03 Lands End Catalog. Nice to see the exposure.

Known Ice Conditions

Pewaukee Lake:   Most of west end open.  Some small holes and cracks in east end.

Bantam Lake, CT:  2" - 4" of ice and wet.  Could iceboat here this weekend if it gets cold.

Lake Como, WI:  Unknown at this time

Lake Delavan, WI:  Open

Lake Mendota, WI:  Open.

Lake Monona, WI:  Open.

Lake Kegonsa, WI:  Over 6" of ice.  One large crack, one large hole.

Lake Minnetonka, MN:  Frozen.  Wayzata Bay very good.

Lake Carlos, MN:  Frozen, crunchy surface tolerable for sailing.