rough spot and sm crack out from harrys. otherwise all eastern side of lake good. 6” with one late area 3”. not a 10 but very good. no cracks in this area. didnt go over to west side of lake. making more ice mon night. should be good yet for racing fri sat sun!! meyer
I know Mike said that standing a few hundred yards in front of Harry's that the ice towards Brackett's Point "looks" good but BEWARE! Standing on tip of Brackets Point this morning and looking towards Harry's I could see open water and duck holes. Also, while the big open spot that covered at least 1/3 of the main lake earlier this week is now mostly skimmed over it has not been scouted and I doubt it is more than an inch thick. The fisherman in Browns Bay this am said they would not venture out on the ice. The bait shop in Navarre said stay off the main lake.
Tonka Main lake at noon Sat. Walked out 200 yards from Harry’s public easement. Over 5.25 inches thick in 5 separate locations. The drill bit is only 5.25 inches! The first 100 yards was 50% rough ice and 50% stiff old snow up to 1” high. Would need to sail slow.
Out where my my drill photos are is much smoother ice with scattered drifts 1/2” high. Looks the same in all directions past MYC, Big Island and toward Bracketts Pt. Very sailable from MYC- Big Island- Excelsior. About a 6-7 scale. Must carry iceboats 75 feet at this launch.
good ice from harrys to almost shoewodd yc to sunrise pr. smooth hardly any snow or drifts. main lake stilk open spots fri noon so NOT safe from harrys north. put on at kittys sunset pt by log theater. procede with caution as not sailed yet!!! meyer
DN Runners Missing since Battle Lake.
3/16 carbon runners with wings. Built by Ron Sherry. In Black Harken runner bag with a Colorado College luggage tag that says 3/16 w/wing. May also have regatta stickers on them.
I sailed them on Sunday at the Great Western Challenge but they never made it home. I had to have taken them off in the pits.
Contact Mike (Six one two) 598-38 zero zero
Battle Lake, Minnesota. Site of the 2018 Great Western Challenge. Who could have predicted that this year’s Challenge would be…wait for it…epic!
For the first time in years, Saturday beat out Friday as the best day. Don’t get me wrong, Friday was still awesome. It was the perfect day to get back on the ice and dust off the cob webs. The 58 sailors that made the trek to northern Minnesota enjoyed medium air, a huge sheet of mostly smooth ice and more scrub races than their necks could handle.
Battle Lake, Minnesota
Dec 1st
Special Thanks to Mercedes and Deb and Pat for scoring 10 Races!!
NE Wind 15-20
25 Degrees
Music by Kungs vs Cookin’ on 3 Burners - This Girl
Western Challenge update per Deb.
Hey Western Challenge sailors - check in with Deb and Mercdes tomorrow morning 9 AM (Saturday) at the launch. We will be in a truck and there for you to sign in with your name, sail number, and fleet preference (Gold or Silver). First race at 11 AM. See you tomorrow!
Western Challenge DN Regatta confirmed for Battle Lake, MN, just north of Ashby out I 94. Ice depth at 2PM Monday up to 5”, hard black ice. One DN was ripping it up today on the West Bay near town. Scrub racing Friday Nov 30, Regular fun races Sat-Sun.
Launch site is the Lions Park, just 1 mile north of Battle Lake.
Lodging options:
1. Bonnie Beach Resort 4 miles away. Large 3BR 2 Ba newer cabins on Clitherall Lake $150/night. 4 separate beds. Bring your own bath towel,soap. 5 left! 218-864-5534. Pat is owner.
I use my DN 5506 for family cruising on local lakes and I am hoping to find a free or low cost runner plank.
I commonly have 2 people in the boat, so a hefty plank is best.
Are you looking to free up some storage space?
Give your old runner plank another life!
Charlie Hurd
612-709-2199
JD has called the Western Challenge on for Battle Lake, MN. Update by noon Wed.
—
Mike Miller
US5369
The first regatta of the season is scheduled for Friday Nov 30, 2018. Per JD, usual location will be best ice in Minnesota. We have been sailing on ice since Nov 16. Many lakes up north are now thick enough.
We now have a beautiful new freeze of Battle Lake, just north of our usual Christina near Ashby, Mn.
A number of lakes closer to Minneapolis should come thru in the next week. Very little snow predicted in our regatta locations. Time to sharpen runners and check your equipment. Watch this site or Facebook Minnesota Iceboaters for updates.
Nite runners for sale. Like new condition. Gold Fleet caliber. Race ready.
Parking brake and storage box w/ cover and carrying strap included.
$1000
Nite Battens for sale, Multiple sets of RBS Epoxy “E-Glass" battens. Batten stiffness varies for heavy air sails (E19230) and All Purpose sails (E19160). Also, soft battens for light air. Sold in sets only.
Contact Mike at: (612) Five Nine Eight-3800 or mike.bloom at prodigy dot net
Kennedy and I joined a couple of kiters and a skate sail on Silver Lake Thursday! A solid 4” of ice in 45F sunshine with South winds of 10-13. Great conditions to rip a short course until the necks couldn’t take it anymore. Got the gps up to 45 mph! One small working seam developed toward the west shore, with a small open spot near a point of land.
There is a suitable DNR launch on the SW corner of lake. Follow Hwy 7 west about one mile, make a sharp left. Not marked gravel road. You feel like it’s a private farm road but head straight east to the trees.