Waconia is wacky, Swede is sucky

Ice conditions today: Waconia still has a relatively consistent 8-10 inches of solid ice (except the open water), but it is way too rough for any iceboat to survive. It has gotten much worse since I last sailed it. I seriously had trouble just walking. Constant 1"-2" bumps on the entire surface. Trust me, I will sail anything, and this simply just isn't possible or smart. Swede Lake has a little less ice, but still about 6"-7" in all the spots I checked. Swede is also un-sailable with the same rough texture as Waconia. The only way I see this getting any better is if we somehow had lots of rain and then more freezing. Checked many small lakes in this area and same story, regardless of the size. I ended up taking the freeskate windsurfer to a small backwaters pond of the Minnesota river near Belle Plaine. Got lots of practice jibing on the small surface.

Lake Riley is awesome.

Man, did I get this wrong. I thought there was no hope. But Lake Riley in Eden Prairie is awesome. Very smooth and hard like early December ice. Awesome. Too small for the skeeter, so I brought my windsurfer freeskate. If you want to get out locally on your DN, it seems like this is the best ice, even though it is pretty limited in size.

I saw you out there Pat!

I saw you out there Pat! Looked like fun, but I was tied up working on the Maple operation! You must have seen the Nites and a DN setup at my place. Last week we had a bunch of us sailing, including Kurt Martinson's stern steerer. A bit rough, but pretty good for this time of year.

John

John Bushey

Is Riley holding up? Would

Is Riley holding up? Would love to come out Saturday morning.
Kent Nord

knee deep in the Hoopla

Never mind, I went to Four

Never mind, I went to Four Lakes after posting and saw/heard a Fat Lady singing.

knee deep in the Hoopla

mille lacs lake

mille lacs web cams show decent ice, maybe a little rough? I'd sail it