What happened here?

[Panta Rei]

I live near Madison Wisconsin which is in the southern 1/3 of the state. We have much the same temps as Chicago. We seldom have snow that sticks around this time of year. I don't remember our 1300 acre lake freezing over this early. Often it may be as late as January. It's completely frozen this morning.
Yesterday I took this photo at the north end of the lake. I don't know what happened but this is a first for me. Piers that remain in the water on this lake never survive the ice movements, heaves, and spring break-up. These boats are on the worst possible shore since strong warm Spring southern winds generally get the ice moving, breaking it up and driving it to the north shore.
The photo was taken yesterday. The ice around the boats looked to be an inch thick. This morning the lake is completely iced over with the exception of small opening keep open by a flock of procrastinating geese and mud hens.

I'm checking with my fellow sailors on the lake to see who owns these the boats. The Lake will likely open up again latter in the week and the thicker ice around the boats may be broken up with a few tosses of an anchor.

 

[rufus1138]

thats horrible that someone would let that happen to perfectly fine sailboats.

 

[Ron20324]

I don't see any AC power to run a bubbler

 

[Panta Rei]

I don't see any AC power to run a bubbler

Yes, no AC in that location. It's a terrible place to raft up and use a bubbler. And that nice Honda on the S2 is just sitting there waiting to be removed once the ice thickens and people are on it.

I sail and Ice boat with the local Lake Cop. I have an email into him. He should be able to track the owners down using the registration ##s. If it was just one boat I would be thinking illness or something but two boats makes me think someone has made a terrible mistake. (note that the boats are already making contact with the pier)

 

[alexco38]

Global warming ? Looks pretty cold to me.

 

[Roadking Larry]

That hard looking stuff on your lake, that's ice isn't it. I've heard strories about that kind of stuff, wasn't sure they were true though.

 

[Ron20324]

That hard looking stuff on your lake, that's ice isn't it. I've heard strories about that kind of stuff, wasn't sure they were true though.

We can also arrange a bottom view of it for you .

 

[SeaTR]

That hard looking stuff on your lake, that's ice isn't it. I've heard strories about that kind of stuff, wasn't sure they were true though.

Alright now, Roadking Larry, you live a stone's throw from the Kansas border and ICE is a new story to you ??

I'd think that there wouldn't be ANY type of weather that you would not be familiar with....from tornados to (remnants of) hurricanes, blizzards to thunderstorms / torrential rainfalls. I mean, c'mon man !

 

[Jackdaw]

Are you sure there is a problem????

That ice will break up with any wave action. The boats seem cared for. Why get COPS involved??

 

[justsomeguy]

It's just a sailing buddy who happens to be a cop.

 

[zeehag]

that place looks like the reason why the gods made the tropics.....bbbrrrr

 

[Nereussailor]

I used to live up there.........don't miss that stuff!

 

[25yearslater]

That looks like an insurance claim in the making. We awoke to 16 degrees today so we are all glad to have our boats on the hard rather than in the hard around here. What's next Zeehag? Paper cuts and lemon juice? Rub it in you rascal.

 

[rgranger]

I grew up 40 miles southwest of Chicago and we had a pond behind our house. It was always frozen hard by Thanksgiving and all the people on the bond would get out and shovel it off. We would make goals out of the snow banks and play hockey using brooms and tennis balls. But as an adult, that pond never freezes hard enough to play on anymore.

 

[rgranger]

Are you sure there is a problem????

That ice will break up with any wave action. The boats seem cared for. Why get COPS involved??

Where did you see "cops"...

 

[Dalliance]

Sails and boom are off both boats. Like someone started prepping for winter storage and, for whatever reason, hasn't finished the job yet. Will be interested to hear the follow up. Winter is closing in fast.

Was up at Lake Wisconsin, just NW of Madison, for Thanksgiving and they were ice fishing on the lake already.

 

[Joe]

Where did you see "cops"...

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=158284&#post1076658

 

[rgranger]

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=158284&#post1076658

... my bad :neutral:

 

[shemandr]

were ice fishing on the lake already.

Fishing through a hole in the ice….. Really? Is that fun?

 

[Roadking Larry]

Alright now, Roadking Larry, you live a stone's throw from the Kansas border and ICE is a new story to you ??

I'd think that there wouldn't be ANY type of weather that you would not be familiar with....from tornados to (remnants of) hurricanes, blizzards to thunderstorms / torrential rainfalls. I mean, c'mon man !

When the wind is right I can nearly spit on kansas.

Just poking a little fun. The lake I'm at has frozen over a couple times in the last 40 or so years.

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=11802346

The sailboat dock pictured in the article is the dock where my slip is at. This was before my time at the lake though.