Ice

[Cats Paw]

Just to report today the inland lakes here in Oakland County Michigan {southeast Michigan} are still mostly ice covered. apx 80%  Longest  lasting ice cover I can ever recall.

[Restharrow]

Same with Lake Champlain in Vermont.  First time in years it has frozen over completely.  And most is still ice covered.
BUT today it will be in the sixties and Monday they are predicting MID 70's.  YaHoo!!!!
Steve
soon to be proud owner of CP25 Hull #5

[Gerry]

You don't even want to know about Green Bay, WI

[Cevin c Taylor]

Just to report today the inland lakes here in Oakland County Michigan {southeast Michigan} are still mostly ice covered. apx 80%  Longest  lasting ice cover I can ever recall.

How is Lk. St. Clair?  How about Lake Erie around Rockwood?  I'm itching to get in the water.  We should try to set up a sail for the SE Michigan crowd.  I'm in the Ann Arbor area. 

[Cats Paw]

How is Lk. St. Clair?  How about Lake Erie around Rockwood?  I'm itching to get in the water.  We should try to set up a sail for the SE Michigan crowd.  I'm in the Ann Arbor area. 

Can't comment on Lake. St.Clair.  More than likely a lot of ice flow washing out. 

I am in the Lakes Area of Oakland County.
50% ice cover on Elizabeth Lake  and Cass lake this morning.

Looking forward to sail St.Clair.  Where are good launch locations to splash the Compac?

I have about 5 - 6 weeks of work on my Compac 16 before I can splash her.  Looking forward.

[Cevin c Taylor]

Can't comment on Lake. St.Clair.  More than likely a lot of ice flow washing out. 

I am in the Lakes Area of Oakland County.
50% ice cover on Elizabeth Lake  and Cass lake this morning.

Looking forward to sail St.Clair.  Where are good launch locations to splash the Compac?

I have about 5 - 6 weeks of work on my Compac 16 before I can splash her.  Looking forward.

I've never been to any of the lakes in Oakland Co.  I'm going to try to explore some more areas this summer.  I've only been on St. Clair twice, and both times I launched from the Metro Beach launch at the mouth of the Clinton River.  There are lots of ramps there, and it's only a short distance out to the lake, but there is a ton of traffic with big boats.  I've scouted a launch up by Selfridge AFB, and it seems more tranquil, but it's farther for me.  I've also sailed on Lk Erie out of Sterling St. Park in Monroe, but it's a pretty ugly backdrop there, with the big powerplant smokestack.  Someone told me about Lake Erie Metropark in Rockwood, and it looks much nicer than Monroe, and about the same distance for me.  I most often sail in Ford Lake near Ypsilanti; not the nicest place, but it's only about 20 min from home.  Post up some pics of your progress if you get a chance.  Maybe I can give you a hand one of these days.  I made a furler for my '83 CP 16 that works great.

[skip1930]

This is 10-April-2014.
On 01-April-2014 we had ICE Galore in Wama-lama Lagoon in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Here are a few snaps of the dock from 10 days ago.















skip.

[LamaWamaMama]

Hey Skip,
Glad to see the docks made it thru the winter ice.  We'll be there in a couple of weeks, hopefully the ice will be gone and we can dunk the boat in the water by then.  It looks like the water level is up from last year.  I sure hope so. See you and Cap'n Steve soon
Chris

[skip1930]

Hi Chris, yes your house and dockage area [second picture down] looks fine.
Even better yesterday when I took a quick look~see. Ice is breaking up into 'bergs'.
Raining today and that's fine as we'll take all the water we can muster.

See you and your CP-Sun Cat soon. Forgive me but ... I forget the boat's name.

skip.

[LamaWamaMama]

The sun cats name is "Fat Cat", 'cause she's a bit beamy.
Chris

[skip1930]

O.K.
Fat Cat ... I don't think I ever knew the name of your boat..

Chris, if you have a facebook page, go to the Com-Pac Yacht Owners Association facebook page and give that a look see.

A lot of folks here are there too.

Craig skip Weis.

[BruceW]

Wait, the water you sail in is ICE! I only know ice from what I put my drinks in to cool them off.

Dang, that's tough!

[skip1930]

Yea ... seriously considering strapping on the ice cutting bow.

Even our ten 1000 foot taconite freighters plus smaller freighters are continuing to be stuck in ice as they try to leave Sturgeon Bay. The iron mills in Indiana are crying for oar and the mines up in Duluth are piling it up waiting for the oar boats, which typically make around 71 trips between the two locations every season.

We have been running two Coast Guard Cutters breaking ice, but they are out of town up 'Nort, and so our local tug boats scurry around and try to keep the channel clear.

Our largest tug boat, the 'Jimmy L' actually lost her 6 foot diameter propeller last week and still is down. Fell clean off in about 20 foot of water between the bridges. One of the bridges was 'up' for almost 6 hours waiting for a tow. What a mess.

And the crews? They are still stuck on these boats not going anywhere as the mills grind to a halt.

skip. Oh. By the way ... its 28 deg F. outside and a full-on blizzard right now! About 2 inches of snow so far and high winds with a dropping barometer.

Our town budged $400,000 for snow removal. So far the amount spent has gone beyond $800,000 ... can you say tax hike?
And the CG cutters? Over 60% more days spent cutting ice. Very limited shore leave for the crew. Basically a three day stop over for fuel and vittles and back out again. 

[LamaWamaMama]

Skip, I see the snow falling on the Leathem Smith marina webcam.  Looks ugly and there's still ice at the docks. I don't have a Facebook account .  I'll have Dave work on a design for a strap on ice cutter bow for the boat. 
Chris