iceboating.net Minnesota Ice Sailing Association

shamelessly lifted from
http://www.crrel.usace.army.mil/ierd/ice_safety/safety.html

local copy..
http://iceboating.net/safety

good ice thickness chart..

Pictures Posted !
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/J14/

I finally posted a couple pictures in the for sale folder of the Nite, a J14 for sale, J20 for sale and the trailer we have for sale !!

I didn't have the key for the back lock so I took pics of the boats inside the trailer. When I get it opened I will take more.
The nite does have covers included !
Jack Jacobs

It is with great pleasure we announce...

Yesterday's snow event did little more to Lake Christina than add 1" of snow ice to the surface.

The lake is unquestionably sailable. We have this as an option for the weekend.

Detail: 16 deg F, Wind NW 25, The roads are covered with ice. The surface of the lake appears a uniform light grey color as you approach from the road.

The surface of the lake is snow ice, primarily uniform, with roughly 1/4" waves blown into the slush as it froze. I'd expect we'll be sailing 1/4" inserts on the lake.

There were no drain holes observed. Broadly scattered are some ~ 1" frozen drifts, these appear frozen solid and are of modest slope, (boats will sail over, not through, most do not seem capable of launching the boat)

Kent Wood-Composite Mast,good starter mast-- $350.00

Boston Sail FO-2,used 6 times,like new--$400.00

If interested E-mail: us4824@hotmail.com

Will be on Minnetonka this weekend,12/10-11

Fergus Falls, MN 0600 local, 19 Deg F, Wind NW 25 - 40 (est, the official annomometer is frozen :), The highways are all closed, Blizzard conditions will continue until late morning.

Due to the bad weather, there is no morning Bull Riding at the Bull's Eye Ranch in Emerado! The announcement is scrolling across the bottom of the TV Screen with the school and road closings, hehehehe.

Standing outside last night,I could hear, above the wind thru the trees, the gentle arcing current on an ice laden powerline brushing up against the tree in my back yard, (this observer may go dark momentarily) and then, about sunset, hundreds of snowmobiles getting revved up for the first time in years. Those guys are going riding today!

This is an awesome video put together by Peter Crawford of Head Injury Media/Penalty Box Productions.

This will probably kill the server because it's so good and everybody will want to see it.

It's of a western challege at buffalo a few years ago when we had a light coating of snow and big wind....

Peter also is putting together a movie about the A-scows..
http://theultimateridethemovie.com/

http://www.buffalo.k12.mn.us/district/buffalocam.html

The Minnesota Ice Sailing Association is pleased to announce the Western Challenge Regatta is ON for this weekend, scrub racing Friday December 2 and racing Dec. 3 & 4!!!

A highly competitive international field is expected to compete for this prestigious first ice regatta of the season in North America.

The primary location for the event is Buffalo Lake, Buffalo, Minnesota. The lake is currently frozen, and beginning tomorrow, we expect to be making ice for the balance of the week.

As there remains uncertainty in the forecast in terms of snow fall, potentially heavy snowfall someplace in the region, several other potential venues within 2 hours of the primary location will continue to be monitored as the storm system currently impacting our region moves out of the area.

Six DNs sailed what was reported to be 18 - 20 races on North Long Lake, just off Highway 371, north of Brainerd, MN today on what was characterized as absolutely perfect ice.

Given the small fleet, a long half mile course was set, giving the Minnesota Ice Checkers their first rides of the season. The main body of North Long Lake was reported by kite boarders to be less than one day frozen. If Long Lake is missed by the storm, it's really big and pretty awesome.

Note: Hazards are known to exist on this lake! A working lead East of today's course location, open water near the North Shore also reported. They do not bother today's course, but they're there. The native board sailors suggest this lake, this bay in particular is known to support a large and active ice fishing community.

From post on Christina, Dead Lake, Lizzie Thread
Submitted by Professor Robae on 26 November, 2005 - 13:44.
The Call has been made!

We are going to the black ice of North Long lake for sailing on 11-26.

Here is another report from Stroh:

It's true extreamly smmmmoooooth Black ice
It's well Worth the trip
There Is tons of room
Launch at the boat launch on the bay of north long lake It's on the side of 371

pics from 11-25 at:
http://kitemn.com/html/switchblade_nov_26th.html

Launch in on NW corner of lake. Take a right on Noka trail from 371 (it's just south of the star on this mapquest)

I drove North on MN 78 from I 94, the fields are about 80% white, Pelican Lake is about 95 % frozen & white, showing more wetspots than ... this is a family show, never mind, it's worrisome and I doubt we'll agree it's suitable. There were 5 fish houses in the Narrows.

Christina at Milepost 8; The lake recieved what I measure to be maybe 2 1/2" of powder snow (the kind they capitalize the letters of in the mountain ski resorts). 20 degrees F, wind out of the East at about 15-20 mph, ground drifting. The lake is starting to show noticable drifts, and intermittent clear ice, est ~ 95% white. This lake is clearly sailable, it's probably a toss up as to which runner choice will be superior at the first weather mark, I'll bet there will be some of each in the top row.

Snow isn't ever an issue in iceboating, until the lakes freeze. :)

There's a very narrow band (maybe 30 miles wide) of snow in front of a warm front, generally along the I 94 Corridor in Minnesota. It no doubt has impacted the ice on Christina. Historically, the hills surrounding Lake Christina have taken a fair amount of moisture out of systems before they reach the lake. We'll see about that.

Fergus Falls recieved a scant 2" of powder snow overnight... a bit more is forecast.

We will check the conditions at Christina some time today and post observations.

Local Ice checkers will scout a number of suspect shallow lakes in the imediate area which may have missed the event, over the weekend, the good news is it's now cold and other slightly deeper lakes should be freezing over the weekend. (post snow event) Generally slightly east and or north of Christina.

12:00 Noon, Thanksgiving Day, something else to be Thankful for.

The stage is set for another epic ice battle on Lake Christina the ice is Perfect!

Details: Driving up MN 78, Pelican Lake is substantially open, there was a solitary portable ice house in it's customary place in the narrows between the open water main body of Pelican and the now frozen North Bay.

Lake Christina's launch site, Milepost 8, ice observations:

Several of us had a discussion about starting up and also lite air sailing. We all agreed that over sheeting is a common problem especially among lesser experienced sailors. A sail is an airfoil just like an airplane wing and an airfoil at too great an angle of attack will stall (like when you're oversheeted). When a wing stalls, it losses lift and it falls out of the sky. A stalled sail has very little power. Any airfoil starts stalling from it's trailing edge and the stall moves forward until the entire foil is stalled. What does this mean to us? It means that when you're starting or sailing in lite air, you have to pay attention to the trailing edge of your sail. In practice it means you need tell