Scot took some vid from Sunday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scc7mmk0axM

Finaly tested my new blades

The last time I followed Scott, Kevin, and Jeff, I ended up getting pounded in the shore break at RM5.

I was dying to try the new blades I had cut for my ice board. In fact I had already pulled into the parking lot at Lake Ronkonkoma when I read Scott's post that he was headed to Bellport with Kevin and Jeff. Bill was the only one out on the lake, and he was kiting. The surface didn't look that great.

After talking with Scott and Kev, I decided to drive the extra 25 minutes. And it was worth it. Best ice I've sailed in years. Ton's of people out. Skaters, South Bay Scooters, Skeeters, DN's, Freeskates, homebuilts, you name it. This was the place. Clean ice to Fire island and back. There were a few pressure ridges, and holes, but for the most part it was smooth sailing.

I've only seen those type of conditions maybe once every 5 years. So the aches and pains from all my wipeouts on the ice yesterday, are well worth it.

How cold is too cold?

Both photos from yesterday, courtesy of Steve Domjan. Thank you Steve!

I missed all the ice sailing last week. It was cold enough, and those that hit the ice, said it was great. Ronkonkoma, as well as Bellport were sailable. Work, and the weather, kept me from any ice time. I did make a new set of blades though... My old set had about 8 inches of running surface. The new ones have about 12. I'll use them someday.

The ice really wasn't my friend this week. My way home from work found me stopping by Segue several times. While I would be chopping the ice that threatened to close her in... I would also be wishing that the ice out east was hard, thick and clean.

Yesterday, we had a nice warm and sunny day. Segue is free, in clean open water.
Today, we had a cold front zip in. The sun rose to 40 degrees, and 25 knots. As the day progressed, the mercury fell.

It is Saturday, so I was able to catch a nice session at CIB. I sailed a 5.0, and the JP 109 for roughly two hours. I'm glad I did. But I almost didn't. I had a hard time keeping my head clear. I was thinking too much. Did I make a big mistake at work? Should I have handled it differently? Is it too cold to sail? The temperature was 39 when I left the house; but now it's reading 33. Should I throw my self into this gybe? What if I fall in? The window on my sail looks funny; is it going to shatter from the cold?

Finaly, Rich talked me into sailing. "Your already here". And Pete helped me to stop thinking. "If you have to think about jybing, youv'e already missed it". My hands were a little cold. But there is nothing like a good soft water session to set everything right. For awhile anyway...

CIB usualy isn't good on a North Westerly; today it was perfect. Nicely powered from the beach, with hip to shoulder high swell. Yes!

Of course, after a few hours, I worried that the ice on my Ezzy was going to break the window, or my knee that's been aching all week. So I called it quits. And by the way, what's that funny rash on my belly? Did I remember to rinse my rash guard last time? When is the last time I changed the oil on the truck?

Too cold for soft water sailing and too warm for ice.

Too cold for soft water sailing and too warm for ice.


It's 9 degrees out right now. The high for today is expected to be 21. Segue, still has ice on her deck, so it's to slippery for me to sail her.

As far as windsurfing goes...I pretty much draw the line at 35 degrees. Any colder and I break stuff: like my body, and gear. My sails are especially brittle in the cold.

So I'm trolling the ice reports this morning, looking for a spot with clean, sailable ice. I will probably have to travel a bit. The local waters are still liquid.

I'm getting antsy. I haven't sailed since January 3rd.
It's time to sharpen those blades!

West Meadow

If I could have conditions like today just once a week, it would be amazing how much progress I could make . Nice floaty board, decent wind, predictable waves. It was so much fun. You have got to love WM at mid tide.

Great to see everyone today.

As Jill Said " I sailed with gloves, and I liked it!"