Hoping for sub-zero temperatures

The Bay Village Sea Scouts' iceboat has been refurbished and is ready to sail.

The Bay Village Sea Scouts along with ice fishermen are probably the only people looking for a prolonged spell of low temperatures. At temperatures in the teens, ice on the lakes and ponds in northern Ohio will thicken enough to allow the scouts to try out their new iceboat. This past fall, the scouts completely rebuilt and refurbished their Detroit News (DN) iceboat. With a new coat of paint, new rigging, and sandblasted, sharpened blades the boat is now ready to sail.

In order to “Be Prepared” the scouts researched to find the optimal ice conditions to safely venture out onto the ice. They found that the Minnesota DNR recommends a minimum of 4 inches of new clear solid ice. White ice, sometimes called snow ice, is only half as strong as new clear ice so the safe thickness of white ice needs to be at least 8 inches. As soon as the ice reaches a safe thickness, the Sea Scouts will take their boat to Chippewa Lake to put it through its paces.

Going out on the ice without a proper regard for safety is dangerous. Although the Sea Scouts live near Lake Erie, they will drive an hour to Chippewa Lake to sail their iceboat. The ice on Lake Erie has ice flows and under currents which make it particularly dangerous to venture out onto.

If you have experience with iceboating please contact us at the number below, we would appreciate your help. The Sea Scouts are a co-ed youth program with a nautical emphasis, for details on joining contact:  Skipper, Richard Gash, 871-6106.

Richard Gash

Adult leader with Sea Scout Ship 41.

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Volume 6, Issue 1, Posted 10:07 AM, 01.07.2014