iceboating.net Minnesota Ice Sailing Association

Hey everyone,

Planning to sail DNs in the Ashby area this Sunday. Primary site is Battle lake. Jimmy and I are headed up to get a day in and gather some intel for a regatta next week end. If you have any information on the conditions in that area please respond here. Modis pictures look good.

US 4691

Could be a fun trip,even if you don,t get to iceboat.
http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/local/Will-the-ice-caves-form-a...

Reprinted from the NEIYC web site:

As we await news of Zamboni action, here is something to think about.

DO NOT BE THE FFF GUY. DO NOT be that guy!!!

What is FFF? Well it is not a racing term; it should be avoided by all. It relates to new ice, and it has three parts:

1. Do not be FIRST- Yes someone has to be first to sail the new area, but do not do it alone. Sail the
new ice with a buddy (remember never sail alone) scouting together. At least insure there is another boat ready to go, rapid transit to come help you if need be, and someone is watching you out there.

Lake MacBride has 8" of lumpy gray ice, mostly snow free. I'd give it a 5. Lots of wind predicted for the next seven days. I happened to google Lake Benton in SW MN which the maps show to be in the center of a snow free zone. In the last few days they've had snow, sheet water, two deaths and a ground blizzard.
Rolley

Since there is now NO snow in my front yard, my tiny brain tells me there should be good local ice somewhere?
Post what you know about local conditions. Where's da ice? Any possibility of Tonka this weekend?
Bald Eagle is reportedly still snowed out, so I'm assuming White Bear Lake is similar.
I scouted Waconia this afternoon, and found 0" - 2" of very, very hard packed snow, and pretty bumpy. It's a solid 1.0 on the official rating scale. Might be sailable with a DN, slush runners to stay on top of snow areas, and 15 MPH breeze. I wouldn't recommend it unless you know a good dentist.

Ice conditions the past few years at Lake Lotawana, MO have been sparse at best. There is no ice on our lake so far, but our winter is approaching. We have a Nite and an Arrow, and are pursuing heading north to sail. Possible lake are Okobogi, White Bear, Madison, WI or wherever in MN or WI. If we have sufficient room we might bring my Dragonfly Ice Sled tool

We would like to sail with the safety and knowledge of others and are asking for contacts.

Any help or advice would be graciously accepted.

Terry Haug cell: 913.406.2700

email: th1799@gmail.com

no snow there, clear ice. on way to western regionals in wis (assuming). dave and I are prob going, plus mike miller, anyone else? also sailing going on there wed. call markham, 608-498-1897. flyer

Per Flyer: Too much Snow in Tonka Bay. We are not going to set up this morning.
Main lake or upper lake still a very remote possibility. However, no credible ice reports have been reported for the main lake or the upper lake.
If you venture out onto Lake Minnetonka DO NOT sail alone. Check the ice! Don't be stupid.

mike bloom and tom meyer plan on setting up at the Tonka bay beach if not too much snow fri night. flyer

I sailed my Nite for 3 hours on West Arm on Dec 23. Lots of standing water and counted at least 5 drain holes up to 8" in diameter. No open seams. Lucky none grabbed a runner. Ice was holding up ok but small bumps from old drifts kept the boat rattling. A solid freeze with no snow would be welcome. Solum shared Gideon's Bay was great on his DN. No word on main lake so take extra caution if you sail it.

Another stellar weekend on Bald Eagle Lake. Click on post for pictures below. Saturday was a light wind, but it was plenty with the fast ice. Sunday started out with classic rides on the historic Wrigley on White Bear. One of the pictures below makes you wonder, if I was taking a picture, and Luke was taking a picture, who was steering the boat?? What a classic boat that was an honor to get a ride on. Then the party moved on to Bald Eagle. The wind seemed light and the ice had gotten soft and sticky, and it wasn’t looking good for racing.

looks like main lake is good. launch out of harrys. not a lot of wind but shouldn't need it. proceed with caution as lake has NOT been checked. any specific report on conditions/hazards? flyer

Another great day of racing on Sunday on Bald Eagle Lake under extremely windy conditions. I personally had 80 lbs. of ballast and it still wasn't enough. Congratulations to the Commodore for having the fast boat of the day, driving the malt powered "bunnahabhain" to two first place finishes. He found the fast line on the course was right through the bull rushes, which apparently must have had some magical runner polishing effect resulting in unbelievable speed.

Our friend, Mike who lives a mile away from Christina, reports they had about 1 inch of fluffy snow on Friday night, Nov 28. The lake was pretty clean and bare prior to that, similar to our sailing on Sat Nov 22. The high yesterday was about 28. It is blowing 20 out of the NW there now and expects the light snow to either blow off or drift up. He reports the farm fields had lost most of the snow cover after the sun and warm-up last Sunday. He will send me a couple photos later today and walk the lake with a report. I shared 3 photos of Green Lake so he can judge better or worse.

Paul Larson walked the lake today and reports 5-8" solid good ice with at most 1 inch snow from Thursday. Many portable fish houses up to the north and west, but plenty of ice for racing. He is setting up in Spicer launch around 11AM. Winds look like 8-9 and comfortable temps. Sunday big winds and cold.
time to scout it Sat. Who is in?
Miller