Starting the season!

Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Its the middle of freakin; MARCH, and the County Water Patrol has declared Lake Minnetonka ICE FREE. Our YC lets boats come out and use the crane at that point. Its at least a month early. So early in fact that our crane has its annual inspection scheduled for this Monday, or we would be launching this weekend. Heck our first race is not scheduled until May 8th, 45 days from now!!!



Any other northerners getting this kind of break thanks to El Nino??
 
fred1diver

fred1diver

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Aug 17, 2013
1,309
Pearson P30 202 Ottawa
lucky man, I'm still stuck with ice, I think it'll be another month or so before I can get in the water, leaves me time to work on a few projects
 
cb32863

cb32863

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Jun 29, 2010
1,287
Beneteau First 235 Lake Minnetonka, MN
We definitely got lucky this year. Hopefully the ice stays away as late as it did last year! Lots of practice coming up. Though, I am leaning towards April 2nd for launch.
 
rgranger

rgranger

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Jan 19, 2010
12,926
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Jackdaw said:
... has declared Lake Minnetonka ...
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Minnetonka... I caught my first sun fish on that lake when I was five.... I still have that Zebco (back when they were made of metal) I also think I got my first tick bite there as well.... :)

Here in Virginia it is 70 F today. It is projected to get in the 80's tomorrow but I heard a rumor of snow for Sunday. This time of year you wear short sleeves and carry a jacket.
 
Justin_NSA

Justin_NSA

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Jul 7, 2004
8,534
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
One of our members craned their Catalina 30 in last weekend. My goal is to be in before the end of the month. Lake level is at pool and the rains haven't even come yet!
 
kito

kito

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Sep 13, 2012
2,011
1979 Hunter Cherubini 30 Clemmons
rgranger said:
Minnetonka... I caught my first sun fish on that lake when I was five.... I still have that Zebco (back when they were made of metal) I also think I got my first tick bite there as well.... :)

Here in Virginia it is 70 F today. It is projected to get in the 80's tomorrow but I heard a rumor of snow for Sunday. This time of year you wear short sleeves and carry a jacket.
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I still have my old Zebco 202 from when I was a kid. Of course the rich kid next door had to have a Zebco 404 lol
 
BudGates

BudGates

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Apr 19, 2012
1,043
O'Day Daysailor 17 Nevis MN
With any luck we'll be in Minnesota this time next year. 5 or 6 months of sailing per year sure beats 2 or 3 weekend trips to the ocean. I'll take waiting for the lakes to thaw over dry lake beds any day.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
BudGates said:
With any luck we'll be in Minnesota this time next year. 5 or 6 months of sailing per year sure beats 2 or 3 weekend trips to the ocean. I'll take waiting for the lakes to thaw over dry lake beds any day.
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Bud,

Well, an early welcome to Minnesota!
At WYC we sail (with the club's encouragement) 7-8 months a year. Normally early April to late November. Late fall sailing is the BEST. No powerboats and it seems more chick sailors come with.



But sometimes we wait a day too long... 2 inches of ice to break though - Thanksgiving weekend 2 years back.
 
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BudGates

BudGates

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Apr 19, 2012
1,043
O'Day Daysailor 17 Nevis MN
Thank you Jackdaw. I appreciate the hearty welcome. Nice pictures. Hope it wasn't too difficult to get your boat out of the ice.

I can definitely handle 7 or 8 months of sailing per year. I hope to retire and leave the Mojave Desert in February of 2017. My wife wants to return to her home state of Minnesota. My only requirement is to live within 5 minutes of a lake, river, or ocean where I can sail my dinghy and within 45 minutes of a place to sail our Mac. Even better if both are at the same place. We're currently looking at the Brainerd area. Looks like I'll have to invest in some cold weather sailing gear.
 
rgranger

rgranger

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Jan 19, 2010
12,926
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
BudGates said:
My only requirement is to live within 5 minutes of a lake....
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Unless you live in southern Minnesota... I don't think you CAN live more than 5 min. from a lake... It is called the land of 10,000 lakes for a reason.
 
BudGates

BudGates

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Apr 19, 2012
1,043
O'Day Daysailor 17 Nevis MN
rgranger said:
Unless you live in southern Minnesota... I don't think you CAN live more than 5 min. from a lake... It is called the land of 10,000 lakes for a reason.
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EXACTLY!! That's why I'm all for it. :)
 
sdstef

sdstef

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Jan 31, 2013
140
Hunter 28 Branched Oak Lake
fred1diver said:
lucky man, I'm still stuck with ice, I think it'll be another month or so before I can get in the water, leaves me time to work on a few projects
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I launched my new to me 91 Hunter 28 on March 5 in Nebraska, and have been sailing several times already. I love global warming.
 
Roadking Larry

Roadking Larry

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Mar 30, 2013
700
Allied Seawind MK II 32' Oologah Lake, Oklahoma
You poor souls in the great frozen north have my sympathy. It has been a particularly warm winter though. I sailed in January in 70 degree weather this year. Last year we had to wait till the first week of February before we got to do that.
Of course the shoe will be on the other hand come July and August when we are running triple digit temps by 10:00am and our wind speed is being measured in hopes and wishes.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
BudGates said:
Of course some of those lakes aren't much more than a mud puddle. ;)
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So true. Of you don't count Lake Superior, there are like 9 decent sailing lakes in Minnesota.
Minnetonka
White Bear Lake
Harriet
Calhoun
Leech
Waconia
Pepin
Gull
St Croix river at Hudson

At least those are the ones I've sailed on. There might be others. Funny but the two biggest inland lakes in Minnesota - Mille Lacs & Red, have no sailing to speak of. The gigantic Lake of the Woods on the Canadian boarder the same, sailing there but all up in the Canadian side at Kenora. No one in Warroad sails.
 
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BudGates

BudGates

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Apr 19, 2012
1,043
O'Day Daysailor 17 Nevis MN
Jackdaw said:
So true. Of you don't count Lake Superior, there are like 9 decent sailing lakes in Minnesota.
Minnetonka
White Bear Lake
Harriet
Calhoun
Leech
Waconia
Pepin
Gull
St Croix river at Hudson

At least those are the ones I've sailed on. There might be others. Funny but the two biggest inland lakes in Minnesota - Mille Lacs & Red, have no sailing to speak of. The gigantic Lake of the Woods on the Canadian boarder the same, sailing there but all up in the Canadian side at Kenora. No one in Warroad sails.
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I've read a few articles about sailing in Lake Mille Lacs. From the map and descriptions it looks great. Are you saying that the sailing isn't so good there? That's kind of disappointing as I was rather looking forward to it.
 
JohnVTX

JohnVTX

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Jul 14, 2015
840
Catalina 30 Stillhouse Hollow Marina
BudGates said:
I've read a few articles about sailing in Lake Mille Lacs. From the map and descriptions it looks great. Are you saying that the sailing isn't so good there? That's kind of disappointing as I was rather looking forward to it.
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Extremely shallow lake
 
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