SE Iowa
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
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Lake MacBride Downgraded
Slogged 40 miles over very slow ice in gusty winds. If I go out again in the next blow, it'll be with a much larger sail.
Rolley
rolley
Or Not...
Wind and ice the same as Saturday's. Doubled sail size to a 12 meter and surface issues disappeared. Can't say top speed was any better, but it was five hours of smooth sailing. Also noticed that a shorter front runner made turning in crust much easier.
rolley
Some Days are Diamonds
Was flying today, with much lighter winds. Spent a lot of time on two runners. I couldn't really say why the ice was so much faster than the previous outings mentioned above. Maybe it just had to temper for a few days after the big snow melt. A couple DN guys gave up after a brief attempt, saying they were worried about breaking their boats.
Rolley
rolley
Sweet Day
Winds in the low 20s were pretty close to that "sweet spot", where mother nature and I are about 50/50 on who controls the boat. Rough ice gave the illusion of speed for 56 miles.
Rolley
rolley
Best for Last
Gusts in the low 30s made for a fun 70 miles. Sailable ice (13") on Lake MacBride rarely if ever coincides with the kind of wind that we've had over the last ten days. Not for the first time, I dumped the boat just before hitting the rocks. Some sort of panic reaction that I doubt if I could replicate if I had time to think about it. Snow in the forecast.
rolley