Ice-out Watch 2005

ApS · 04-09-2005, 06:42 PM

You're a-l-l-l-l-l dreaming.

It was already "Ice-Out" for me today.

I motored down my shoreline, checking the ice margins in my trusty aluminum "K-Mart" cartopper. (Sorry, FLL).

Before I started, I gathered oars, seat cushion and passed up the life jacket. Why? There's no MPs out there; however, the water temperature is even colder than I'd drink a beer at,

so on it went.

It was such a nice, quiet, sunny day, I motored upwind as far as the ice would permit (about ¼-mile), and "sailed" back with the wind -- all the time taking in the sun, critters, and bird songs. "Motored", I mean, with my trolling motor. (Rowing was out: I'd selected the oars without the oarlocks attached).

It's Saturday, and there's no construction -- or inhabitants.

Aside from a giant front-end loader scraping boulders a mile away, it was silent. Oops -- I forgot. Someone was shooting a gun as fast as you could pull the trigger

, and someone else (at a McMansion) set off fireworks -- at Noon.

I'm disappointed in one of my neighbors, who dumped tree cuttings down his steep embankment on the lake. (Photo to follow). One of the things that jams up an "Ice-Eater" is drifting branches. They will take chunks out of the little propeller, according to my Winnipesaukee AquaTherm guy.

The water was, once again, crystal clear, and you could peek under the ice into 15-20 feet of water and see the bottom clearly. I'll wager you could see a tiny fishhook in 15 feet of water. (But still not see far enough under the ice to see my "elusive" mooring).

In some places, it was 3", and was flaking off as I passed. In others, it was a foot thick, and solid as granite. We may be in for some real icebergs this season -- and Official "Ice-Out" will depend on which ports don't have icebergs in them!

The water level is 20" BMDS (below my dock's surface) -- which was one of the last to be submerged in the past "flood" (and Lakewide No Wake Zone).

ApS

04-09-2005, 06:42 PM	#11
ApS Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Florida (Sebring & Keys), Wolfeboro Posts: 6,028 Thanks: 2,285 Thanked 789 Times in 564 Posts	You're a-l-l-l-l-l dreaming. It was already "Ice-Out" for me today. I motored down my shoreline, checking the ice margins in my trusty aluminum "K-Mart" cartopper. (Sorry, FLL). Before I started, I gathered oars, seat cushion and passed up the life jacket. Why? There's no MPs out there; however, the water temperature is even colder than I'd drink a beer at, so on it went. It was such a nice, quiet, sunny day, I motored upwind as far as the ice would permit (about ¼-mile), and "sailed" back with the wind -- all the time taking in the sun, critters, and bird songs. "Motored", I mean, with my trolling motor. (Rowing was out: I'd selected the oars without the oarlocks attached). It's Saturday, and there's no construction -- or inhabitants. Aside from a giant front-end loader scraping boulders a mile away, it was silent. Oops -- I forgot. Someone was shooting a gun as fast as you could pull the trigger , and someone else (at a McMansion) set off fireworks -- at Noon. I'm disappointed in one of my neighbors, who dumped tree cuttings down his steep embankment on the lake. (Photo to follow). One of the things that jams up an "Ice-Eater" is drifting branches. They will take chunks out of the little propeller, according to my Winnipesaukee AquaTherm guy. The water was, once again, crystal clear, and you could peek under the ice into 15-20 feet of water and see the bottom clearly. I'll wager you could see a tiny fishhook in 15 feet of water. (But still not see far enough under the ice to see my "elusive" mooring). In some places, it was 3", and was flaking off as I passed. In others, it was a foot thick, and solid as granite. We may be in for some real icebergs this season -- and Official "Ice-Out" will depend on which ports don't have icebergs in them! The water level is 20" BMDS (below my dock's surface) -- which was one of the last to be submerged in the past "flood" (and Lakewide No Wake Zone). ApS