Ice safety and lake bacteria

[Jordana]

I have received many get well wishes from fellow iceboaters lately and so I just wanted to take this chance to say thank you and that, unfortunately, I won't be able to sail the Centrals or on any other lake as this season winds down. During the attempted NIYA and associated sailing in Madison, I got a tiny scratch on my left index finger while sailing or rigging and let it go. Long story short, I received outpatient emergency surgery, antibiotics and painkillers last Friday and still have little range of motion in my finger. I recall sailing into an ankle-deep pond of water on Lake Mendota and getting splashed and quite soaked even with mittens on. Not sure if that did it or not but, from now on, I'm hitting the ice with a bar of anti-bacterial soap along with the usual water bottles. Not sure if anyone else has ever experienced this, but it came on so fast and furious and it will be a while before this thing heals completely.

Jori
DN5397

[Jordana]

On the up side, there's always next year. Now get out there and go sailing, everyone!

[Jim McDonagh [us5214]]

oh the micro-organism...

I've heard of that, in the heat of the summer, when we are A-scowing on Lake Winnebago.. with the red tide, but never in the winter..

Here's to hoping you have a quick recovery.

[Jordana]

Yup, common sense would indicate that the standing water on the ice was too cold for the bacteria. Then again, Lake Mendota is not the cleanest lake. And it was a warm weekend. The other theory is that, in attempting to dry my boat cover, clothes and other gear as any devoted iceboater would, hanging up damp stuff in my warmer basement, or tossing things into the washer Monday might have done it. Redness and inflammation actually began Monday/Tuesday so it was related to the iceboating process somehow. So, anyway, just be careful, everyone. And don't let it go like I did. I had a fever, too, which should have alerted me that things would go downhill. These city lakes...

(I think I just got fired as the ambassador of winter tourism for the 4LIYC!)

[Geoff Sobering]

I'd spray the inside of your PVC gloves with Lysol and wash the liners really carefully...