Bootleg Centrals

[DN5358]

Since the frustrations of this years ice challenges have taken their tole on the regatta scene in the midwest and many have made plans for non iceboating activities with the arrival of warmer weather, those of us who still have their boats out, a desire to sail and race, and who's significant other has not scheduled something at home, are gathering for the "Bootleg Centrals".  A non regatta so to speak with racing starting at noon on Saturday, March 25th, and going till we can't hold our heads up any longer.

Location:  Paradise Lake / Carp Lake, Mi on US-31 just south of Mackinaw and north of Pelston.
Condition: Black ice with no snow cover.  Some texture, much better than Elk Lake last weekend.  I did not drill or spud through the ice, but seams could be seen in that were at least a foot deep.  No honeycombing as of 3:00 pm today but plenty of needling.  Lake was not sailed.  I did ride a bike out about a half mile. We will be sailing it tomorrow, Friday, afternoon.  Lake is 1900 acres.  Landing will need ice/dirt chopped out if you want to put a trailer on the ice.  Restroom at the landing.  Clyde's Place across the road has great pizza and burgers!  Lodging to be determined, most likely in Mackinaw.

I will post up a video shortly of my bike ride, not quality is what you get with a camera hanging around your neck as you ride.
I will also post up tomorrow after we sail it.

[DN5358]

Here is the link to the fine video I made to day.....

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

OK maybe I only rode out 200 feet, but on a bike that is sized for Bob Gray's wife (way to small for me) it felt like I was out there a ways.

David

[DN5358]

We sailed Carp/Paradise Lake this afternoon and found a working seam that substantially reduced the sailing area.  Then we found a small seam in the middle with water over ice, so we packed it up.  We are going to the State Park in Indian River on Burt Lake first thing in the morning.  Then we will invoke the Poctova Rule.  We will all sail it in the morning to determine a safe area to sail. 
The ice today was over a foot thick.  A little bumpy in places and very fast.

We will see you in Indian River in the morning.  Feel free to call me if you have any questions.

David

517   ................202 --------------2257

[DN5358]

We are at the Coach House Motel in Indian River.  Exit 310 on I-75.   A nice motel right off the highway with a very colorful Host named John.  We should be at the launch site, Burt Lake State Park, between 8 and 8:30.  Follow the signs from the Highway to the park.  We will post up as soon as we can on conditions.

[DN5358]

It has been a very long day.  On the ice from 8:00 AM to 9:30 PM.  When we left Don Jones, under the watchful eye of his brother, was sailing into the sunset to pick up his gear that he left on the ice.

Over 20 boats, including a sprinter, renegade and C skeeter.

Beautiful ice, at least 18" thick.  Light and variable winds on freakishly hard ice.  Raced all day long with a few dead periods.  Looking forward to a good nights sleep.

David

ps.   After waking up at 4:30 this morning with the fears of the ice sucking, no wind and 20 boats coming to sail on my "regatta" I  have new appreciation for the crap and pressure those who put our events on must go through.   Thanks to all of you!!!!

ppss  Also and more importantly thanks to all of our wonderful spouses who let and even encourage us to be up here playing!

I will post photos and maybe a video or two after dinner.

[dn4379]

good luck with the "bootleg centrals".  Sorry I,m going to miss it.  Fair winds and smooth ice.

[DN5358]

Bootleg Centrals on Burt Lake.  I8+" of beautiful hard black ice with some lovely early season ice chunks imbedded!  Racing at 8:00 at night under the sun is a first for many of us.  Looking forward to tomorrow.

[DN5358]

Here is a link of some of the racing.  I think it may be time to learn how to use iMovie on the Mac.

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

What a blast!

[sieglege]

Forecast into next weekend looks good. Single digits at night with no precip. Maybe we'll be there next weekend too.

[DN5358]

Skip Stauber asked me to post this on his behalf.
---------------------------------------------------------

Hi everyone,

It was great to be out sailing with everyone on Burt lake this past weekend. A big thanks to Dave Frost for locating the great ice and organizing the impromptu regatta! Thank you to all the DN'ers for showing their great sportsmanship. Allowing us to share the course and race with them (with our C-Skeeter, "Rush"). We're one of the few racing skeeters in Michigan, so it is hard to find others to race with. It is great for us to take advantage of the fast DN's to provide us with the challenge to keep our racing skills honed. Thanks again for the great racing and camaraderie, be nice to race with you again.

Skip and Gus Stauber
ISA GT242 C-Skeeter "Rush"

[Rick Lemberg]

Wow, what a great time ,thanks Dave frost for the ice report and Jim grogan for keeping us in touch on this great piece of ice.we drove up from Wawasee on friday night 6hrs. not bad.about half way their jim called and said they found a bigger lake and better conditions a little further south at Burt lake,Got to Indian springs and got a room at a local motel and woke up to andy allen from wawasee  calling us and said he couldn't stay home and watch us sail,I'm 30 min. away get your asses up were burning sunlight.we got to the ice and looked at this huge sheet of clean sparkling ice with boat sailing already,as we set up more boats kept comming .I think we ended up with 1 skeeter,1 renagade,and 16 DN's.the wind started out about 5to 8 but with no snow we had no problems racing.the Traverse City guys had marks.so a course was set and the day begun.mid afternoon the wind let up a bit so we just did one lapers.then the wind started filling in and we reset the course with the windward mark sat in Canada.(just kidding Bruce).from then on we sailed until the sun went down I think we were on the Ice for 10 hrs.we then got back to the room ,quick change and several of us went out to eat.hit the sheets and tried to break Ricki's legs so he could't beat the crap out of us tommrow.Sunday new day,breakfast ready to go,get to the launch and find more DN's that weren't their sat.today the winds were even better.We knew we had to leave early so we ripped off a couple of races packed up and hit the road with memories of some of the best sailing in years,and Rick jr kicked our ass sun too.  Rick Lemberg 4155

[RANDY ROGOSKI]

There was enough ice to drive on Little Bay de Noc at Gladstone in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Mike DeRusha, Sam Myers, and Neil Lynch, heading home from Burt Lake, also sailed with three other iceboats. They put on a show for those from the community who came out to watch.

“We were going as fast as we could make ‘em go,” DeRusha said.

All enjoyed the late season ice. The owner of antique stern steerer, Miss Wisconsin, gave rides to brave souls fascinated by ice boats.

[RANDY ROGOSKI]

Northern Michigan’s Burt Lake proved its potential as a DN regatta venue March 26 and 27. About two dozen ice sailors traveled from throughout Michigan and two other states to celebrate the first weekend of spring.

Burt Lake is the state’s third largest inland lake at 17,335 acres, about 27 square miles. A 30-minute drive south of the Mackinac Bridge, there is ample launching at a state park. At least eighteen inches of ice allowed driving on the lake to set up. Lodging, restaurants and the Interstate highway were a short drive away.

“It was the best weekend of sailing I’ve had in years. The ice never broke down; there was no slush,” said Stan Jones, who traveled from Muskegon County to enjoy his favorite conditions of light to medium wind, clear ice, a sunny sky, and comfortable temperatures.

Saturday’s 1.5-mile course was “the longest I’ve ever sailed,” said Mike DeRusha. He traveled with 16-year-old Sam Myers from Menominee. Neil Lynch from Negaunee also came from the Upper Peninsula.

The DNs raced from noon to sunset at 8 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. “I think I over did it. It was one of the best days of sailing he’s ever had,” said Jim Grogan from the western Oakland County community of White Lake. Don Jones from Ann Arbor traveled with him. J.P. Carnaghi also came from metro Detroit.

Don Williams traveled from Ohio and picked up Grogan’s neighbor Don Niles along the way.

Rick Lemberg, Sr., Rick Lemberg, Jr. and Andy Allen traveled from Lake Wawasee in Indiana.

Bob Struble traveled from Bay City.

David Frost and Bruce Williams traveled from the Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club, and Jon Lofgren brought his Renegade.

Bill Cutting, Bob Gray, and Chris Stoppel came from the Grand Traverse Ice Yacht Club, as did Skip Stauber and his son Gus, who took turns sailing their Skeeter.

“Sam (Myers) and (Jim) Grogan were on the horizon,” DeRusha said. Stan Jones also was satisfied with his race results, winning three races and otherwise sailing at the front of the fleet.

Many thanks to David Frost for finding the ice, and working the phones with Jim Grogan to get people to travel to a previously untested lake.

Chris Stoppel cooked up hot food for the grinning hungry sailors.

They had a wonderful time and I wished I was there.

Randy Rogoski

[us 5435]

Any one going back this weekend?

[DN5358]

I will be heading up early Friday morning, with the hopes of being on the ice by 9:00.  It will be interesting to see how the lake held up after a week of sunshine.  I will post up some time around noon as to what I find.  If anyone would like to join us, let me know.

GTIYC is looking for local ice as well, with scouting starting tomorrow.   Stay tuned.

David