Training Log Archive: CleverSkyIn the 7 days ending Dec 15, 2018:
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Saturday Dec 15, 2018 #
9 AM
skating (ice) 47:47 [2] 13.48 km (3:33 / km)
Lake Monomonac, pretty good ice, which was a mild surprise because on the way up I passed a number of ponds with puddles on them. But the ice on Monomonac was mostly hard, and according to the fishermen ranged from 4"-7". Parked at Kit's place and did a pretty comprehensive tour of the lake, skipping the parts where the ice looked questionable. Lower back got a bit more tired than it did last week.
10 AM
Note
Then it was time to try sailing. The manual for this sail thing that I bought says "SK8 works best whenever the wind is blowing." (Duh) Unfortunately, the wind wasn't really blowing. Just the slightest hint of air movement from time to time, but mostly dead calm. Probably not a bad way for me to get started, though. I was out for a while, generally moving no faster than a slow walk, but at least I was successful enough to not be drifting downwind. I did a bunch of passes back and forth near the Santa Maria, then headed north on a beam reach on a port tack. (I think.) There were a few brief moments when the breeze picked up enough that I was sort of cruising along, probably never as fast as I normally skate, but at least faster than walking. And I managed to get most of the way back, though I did eventually lose patience and do some skating near the end. Part of the problem was also that between the hazy sunshine and the high temperature (the thermometer in the car said 54F when I got back to it), the ice was getting mushy on top. So it wasn't epic, but I got enough of a sense of how it works to try again in slightly stronger wind.
Sunday Dec 9, 2018 #
11 AM
skating (ice) 1:06:33 [2] 20.33 km (3:16 / km)
Woohoo!
On the way back from Watatic yesterday, I saw a few ice fishermen out on some smaller ponds, so I figured I could get some skating in. A little pond wouldn't be too bad, but something bigger would be better, so I went on the interwebs and looked to see if the iceboating folks had anything to say. There was a big race this weekend way up in Maine, but I didn't want to drive that far. However, a guy in Rindge NH said that he had gone out on Lake Monomonac and drilled some test holes, and found 4" just about everywhere (except 3" near a known, well marked reef). He said he was likely to be sailing, but really wanted to have somebody else there to join him. So I hunted around and found my antique speedskates, and off I went.
There's a convenience store at the state line next to a boat ramp, and that looked like the best place to park. A stream comes in right there, so there was some open water, but the ice looked plenty thick right by the ramp. The surface was fantastic, about the best ice I've ever been on. The wind was out of the SW, so it was really easy going when I started, though I knew it would be more work heading back. I stopped at one place where there was a lead that had refrozen, and the clear ice there looked to be a couple of inches thick. I had a couple of screwdrivers in my sleeves, and icepicked a hole through the ice to verify that. Two inches is (barely) enough for a lone skater, but the rest of the ice was thicker than that lead, so I felt okay. I did a tour of the perimeter, looking for iceboats, but didn't find any. I tried going down the SE arm of the lake, but got stopped at the narrow spot by a pressure ridge that I didn't think I could cross (maybe if I had tried barrel-jumping...). So I headed back, and figured maybe that was enough and I should go back to the car.
Just as I was about to head back to the SW part of the lake, I glanced back and saw a sail by the shore. So I skated over to the old guy putting his iceboat together and asked "Are you Kit?". Yep, he was the guy who had posted on the forum. We chatted while he finished setting up, and he wondered if there was enough wind, and I said that there definitely was once he got out of the lee of the trees.
We had a great time! I love skating with iceboats when there's enough wind for them and not too much for me, and that's what we had. He was definitely able to scream across the ice in that rocket ship, and and he seemed amazed and impressed by how fast I was able to go (I certainly couldn't keep up at all when he got up to speed, but at other times, like when the wind lightened up, I would sometimes pass him. It was a total blast. He stopped a couple of times to adjust things, and that gave us an opportunity to chat more. We joked that if he had a rope he could tow me like a waterskier (which would probably work just fine). He was glad that I was there, so that he could assure his wife and the other iceboaters that he hadn't gone out alone, and I was glad that I found him and got motivated to skate longer.
Time adjusted for the 25 min or so that I was standing still and talking. Temperature was in the high 20s, so it was quite comfortable. I felt pretty good skating, without as much of the lower back fatigue that I often get, and I didn't get too worn out even skating directly into the wind. Kit had said that I'm welcome to park at his place to skate if I want, and after I got back to my car, I drove around to see if I could find it, and got there just as he was pulling in, so I was able to snap a picture.
(AP guessed this was orienteering -- ha!)
On the way back from Watatic yesterday, I saw a few ice fishermen out on some smaller ponds, so I figured I could get some skating in. A little pond wouldn't be too bad, but something bigger would be better, so I went on the interwebs and looked to see if the iceboating folks had anything to say. There was a big race this weekend way up in Maine, but I didn't want to drive that far. However, a guy in Rindge NH said that he had gone out on Lake Monomonac and drilled some test holes, and found 4" just about everywhere (except 3" near a known, well marked reef). He said he was likely to be sailing, but really wanted to have somebody else there to join him. So I hunted around and found my antique speedskates, and off I went.
There's a convenience store at the state line next to a boat ramp, and that looked like the best place to park. A stream comes in right there, so there was some open water, but the ice looked plenty thick right by the ramp. The surface was fantastic, about the best ice I've ever been on. The wind was out of the SW, so it was really easy going when I started, though I knew it would be more work heading back. I stopped at one place where there was a lead that had refrozen, and the clear ice there looked to be a couple of inches thick. I had a couple of screwdrivers in my sleeves, and icepicked a hole through the ice to verify that. Two inches is (barely) enough for a lone skater, but the rest of the ice was thicker than that lead, so I felt okay. I did a tour of the perimeter, looking for iceboats, but didn't find any. I tried going down the SE arm of the lake, but got stopped at the narrow spot by a pressure ridge that I didn't think I could cross (maybe if I had tried barrel-jumping...). So I headed back, and figured maybe that was enough and I should go back to the car.
Just as I was about to head back to the SW part of the lake, I glanced back and saw a sail by the shore. So I skated over to the old guy putting his iceboat together and asked "Are you Kit?". Yep, he was the guy who had posted on the forum. We chatted while he finished setting up, and he wondered if there was enough wind, and I said that there definitely was once he got out of the lee of the trees.
We had a great time! I love skating with iceboats when there's enough wind for them and not too much for me, and that's what we had. He was definitely able to scream across the ice in that rocket ship, and and he seemed amazed and impressed by how fast I was able to go (I certainly couldn't keep up at all when he got up to speed, but at other times, like when the wind lightened up, I would sometimes pass him. It was a total blast. He stopped a couple of times to adjust things, and that gave us an opportunity to chat more. We joked that if he had a rope he could tow me like a waterskier (which would probably work just fine). He was glad that I was there, so that he could assure his wife and the other iceboaters that he hadn't gone out alone, and I was glad that I found him and got motivated to skate longer.
Time adjusted for the 25 min or so that I was standing still and talking. Temperature was in the high 20s, so it was quite comfortable. I felt pretty good skating, without as much of the lower back fatigue that I often get, and I didn't get too worn out even skating directly into the wind. Kit had said that I'm welcome to park at his place to skate if I want, and after I got back to my car, I drove around to see if I could find it, and got there just as he was pulling in, so I was able to snap a picture.
(AP guessed this was orienteering -- ha!)