Official Ice-Out 2014 Thread

[safe passage]

Update on Wolfeboro Bay this evening. We still have ice floating in the Bay and on into South Wolfeboro Bay. Sewall Point light buoy has ice all around it but otherwise the ice is just about gone in this end of the lake. Won't be long now.

[Steveo]

It was but a few weeks ago that I mentioned that my boat was scheduled to go in on May 3rd and we all agreed there was no chance. I also guess April 23rd for ice out, which at the time, was at least 2 weeks early of what everyone was thinking. How things changed so fast, boat will be in the water May 3rd and I have a decent chance of winning ice out contest.

[Pine Island Guy]

Thanks to Misty Blue, the Alumacraft was all fired up and ready to go! The ice was all clear from Y-Landing to the western side of Pine Island and then was able to stay close to shore and get to the house on the eastern side... still plenty of ice in front of the house all the way to Trexlers... but with the sun and a little bit of wind, it should go in a day or two!

Great to spend the weekend out there, all is good... bring on summer! -PIG

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Pine Island Guy

still plenty of ice in front of the house all the way to Trexlers... but with the sun and a little bit of wind, it should go in a day or two!

Great to spend the weekend out there, all is good... bring on summer! -PIG

I hope so I want to try to make it out to my place next weekend, maybe even get my dock put in if the ice is officially out.

[fatlazyless]

I noticed that the Cattle Landing, Town of Meredith, town dock had its three fiberglass pylons which hold it in place have been pushed way off 90-degree vertical by a layer of moving ice probably about three days ago. All three pylons are leaning as opposed to vertical with the outer one having the most lean; about five feet of lean difference between the base where it goes into the lake bottom and the slider socket where the floating dock is "held" to it. It's enough of a lean so the floating dock is all askew, and no longer horizontal, with it held in place in a lopsided position and it's a floating dock; still usable by boaters unless the town decides to close it for safety reasons......one never knows(?).

And, all the ice in the area has disappeared and it's all open water from Cattle Landing to Mark Isl to Timber Isl to Governors Isl.

[Pine Island Guy]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

I hope so I want to try to make it out to my place next weekend

MAXUM - you should be able to get to your place easily, even with the current ice situation... the channel in between the mainland and Bear/Pine is pretty open and the ice that is there can be pushed through easily over to the PO... and is melted far back enough from the shoreline to get around the north side of Bear... the rest is soft enough that with some good wind, should push it out and break it up pretty quickly (especially with a few nice sunny days)...

Lake level is nice and high, didn't see much floating debris -PIG

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Pine Island Guy

MAXUM - you should be able to get to your place easily, even with the current ice situation... the channel in between the mainland and Bear/Pine is pretty open and the ice that is there can be pushed through easily over to the PO... and is melted far back enough from the shoreline to get around the north side of Bear... the rest is soft enough that with some good wind, should push it out and break it up pretty quickly (especially with a few nice sunny days)...

Lake level is nice and high, didn't see much floating debris -PIG

Thanks!!! It's been 3 weeks since I've been out so ya know going through withdrawls. Hopefully it'll be nice out. Ideally like you say the ice will be gone.

[Misha888]

Smith Cove and The Witches are clear of ice. Marine patrol checking in on the fishermen today.

[Oregonrain]

I don't see any ice in the Weirs Cam. I can't believe how quickly it's gone! Has ice out been declared yet?

[GodSmile]

Originally Posted by Misha888

Smith Cove and The Witches are clear of ice. Marine patrol checking in on the fishermen today.

Does anyone know if Ice is out of Fay's?

[HellRaZoR004]

Still plenty of ice off Black Cat Island

http://www.blackcatnh.com/

[safe passage]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

I noticed that the Cattle Landing, Town of Meredith, town dock had its three fiberglass pylons which hold it in place have been pushed way off 90-degree vertical by a layer of moving ice probably about three days ago. All three pylons are leaning as opposed to vertical with the outer one having the most lean; about five feet of lean difference between the base where it goes into the lake bottom and the slider socket where the floating dock is "held" to it. It's enough of a lean so the floating dock is all askew, and no longer horizontal, with it held in place in a lopsided position and it's a floating dock; still usable by boaters unless the town decides to close it for safety reasons......one never knows(?).

And, all the ice in the area has disappeared and it's all open water from Cattle Landing to Mark Isl to Timber Isl to Governors Isl.

Thanks for the info. I was just up lake from Wolfeboro and encountered no ice until I got to the area between Round Island and Timber Island. Couldn't go between Timber and Mark Island. Made it past Cattle Landing but not past Rock Island. Seemed to be iced in from there until about Loon Island so I would say ice out will have to wait for at least the area in between Bear Island and Camp Menotomy. Hard to tell from the water though.

Also lots of free floating ice between Maiden Lady Cove on Meredith Neck quite a ways up As far as I could see. Couldn't get much past the line between Sachems Cove and Maiden Lady Cove north. Never got to Center Harbor. Not long though as rest of lake is pretty open. This was as of 4:30 PM TODAY

[webmaster]

Post by Emerson Aviation.

[Slickcraft]

Originally Posted by GodSmile

Does anyone know if Ice is out of Fay's?

Yes, has been clear since Friday out through Smith Cove past FL 26 all the way to Welch!

[AkwaMarina]

You can just about watch it melt, all of Meredith Bay will be clear of ice I bet tomorrow.

[Misha888]

Originally Posted by GodSmile

Does anyone know if Ice is out of Fay's?

No ice in the cove.

[fatlazyless]

Apparently, the town has decided to close the Cattle Landing town dock due to it being a little bit topsie-turvy what with all three pylons having been ice-sheet and wind moved out of their correct vertical position.

Bright yellow safety tape and two M-DPW wood horses now block off the entrance, plus the steel staircase has been lifted up and away from the floating dock ....... but on the bright side, it looks like an easy fix to just re-position the three pylons and will probably get fixed asap-pdq in my humble opinion ..... wait and see?

So, let me see .... the old Cattle Landing dock was in-place for maybe 75-years and was a log timber and rock crib style construction ...... and going back to 1992 it was never closed to use due to ice damage......and this new floating dock which was constructed in 2012 is now closed ......and unlike the old dock.....boaters cannot easily use the outermost end as a drop-off /pick-up spot due to the pylon in that spot .... and it's the pylon design that unlike the old crib design got damaged by the ice. It sure seems like the old rock and timber dock was a more rugged design better able to stand up to wind driven ice than the existing floating dock which cost about 125 thousand dollars in 2012.

So knowing all this .... if the town could return to 2012 and redo the dock construction decision....would they go with another stone and timber crib dock similar to the old one ...... or go with a floating dock? As the saying goes....hindsight is always 20-20.

Driving down the six mile long Meredith Neck Rd is a drive down a road that is falling apart.....it is a State of NH road as opposed to a Town of Meredith road.....and the asphalt is falling apart with numerous cracks, bulges, cold patch repairs, and missing pieces of asphalt....and once you get to the Cattle Landing town dock.....the dock is closed due to ice damage due in large part to a crappy floating design.

Once upon a time....the road got maintained and the old dock was rugged enough to stand up to the ice-out movement....but not anymore.

[tis]

Very interesting comment, FLL. Guess things ain't what they usta' be.

[CAVU]

I guessed Apr23rd too. I can't remember the exact time and don't know how many people we're guessing around me. How would you know if you won, do you get notified?

[webmaster]

Post by Emerson Aviation.

[Island Girl]

That area of the lake appears to be in a different weather zone.... so much ice there when the rest of the lake is out. Maybe it is a thick plastic coating that will never give way! It is just sitting there, taunting us.

Given the location of the ice, we will travel to our island ice-out or not this weekend.

[Resident 2B]

A shift in the wind direction will finish the ice off. One is on the way!

R2B

[Andrea.wiltfong]

Originally Posted by webmaster

Post by Emerson Aviation.

I totally picked April 23rd! Yeah baby!

[party.of.five]

Ice is gone in the channel near Ambrose Cove. The dock is nearly underwater, but it's still standing so it's all good. I feel so awful for those who have damage. What an odd year.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Island Girl]

Originally Posted by Andrea.wiltfong

I totally picked April 23rd! Yeah baby!

You and 26 others!

[Flyfisha]

Only one on rattlesnake for two days!! No ice or people in sight!!!

[webmaster]

Only 4 days ago:

[Island Girl]

I was just watching the ice melt.... on a few cams. The ice was literally melting before my eyes... and then the cams stopped sending images (most cams are set to stop sending after dark, more or less).

The Bear Cams had a lot of ice.... and then they didn't! Amazing to watch from afar.

The wind is picking up so it will be gone soon.. very soon. Make sure to watch Gatto Nero's video of the ice piling up on his breakwater a few minutes ago. If you have never seen the ice candles... you will see them around the middle of the video. Also.. turn the sound up to hear the power of Mother Nature!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Ac6...ature=youtu.be


IG

[JMR]

I went out and opened the island for the season today. Only saw one other boat all day. Missed the airplane crash. but had a great day. No ice or debris in sight. Really wanted to stay the night, but had to come back to seacoast. First of many visits!

One note neither West Alton Marina nor Minge Cove have gas for sale, yet. Minge expect delivery on Thursday and WAM is re-building its gas dock, so they won't have gas for w couple of weeks.

[Slickcraft]

Out on Welch tonight, no ice in sight the past two days. I had yesterday morning in the contest, now if the northern part of the lake had only cooperated.

We walked to the south side of the island about 4pm but could not see where the plane crash site was. Good the pilot was able to make a 911 call or he probably would not have survived.

[Greene's Basin Girl]

I think about 20 of us chose April 23rd for ice-out. It will be all about the time of day!

[webmaster]

Originally Posted by Green's Basin Girl

I think about 20 of us chose April 23rd for ice-out. It will be all about the time of day!

If my quick count is correct, out of 513 entries there are 30 guesses of April 23rd and 28 for the 24th.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/contests/2014/

[robmac]

I picked the 23rd and just heard on radio that Emerson air felt today could be it if the stubborn ice in Center Harbor left

[webmaster]

Post by Emerson Aviation.

[Gatto Nero]

Big change in just the past two hours here on Black Cat. I've been watching the ice flow south since about 8:00 and now there is very little left around me.

[Sal]

There is NO ICE left on the fat part of the bay. It all disappeared last night.

[Steveo]

I have 1:29pm today Dave, time to take off, maybe wait another 30 minutes

[tis]

I just heard 5 minutes ago that ice out has been declared. That's all I know.

[DavidAE]

I have declared Ice out as of today April 23, 2014 at 2:10PM. The folks at State of NH Marine Patrol wanted me to remind folks that the water is still very cold and that if anyone finds themselves in the water that hypothermia can and will set in very quickly. Enjoy the season everyone!

[Fargo]

I just arrived home and the wind is howling, there's a 2-3ft chop by the GI bridge. If ice is out this is one week after Lilly Pond.

[SteveA]

This from the Emerson Aviation Facebook page.

[Steveo]

Originally Posted by Steveo

I have 1:29pm today Dave, time to take off, maybe wait another 30 minutes

Ok I shouldn't have said wait 30 minutes and I would have been on the money.
Damn!

[NHgirl]

I was right on the time, just off 8 days. 1:29pm is close to 2:10, so there is a chance of you winning.

[Steveo]

Originally Posted by NHgirl

I was right on the time, just off 8 days. 1:29pm is close to 2:10, so there is a chance of you winning.

Unfortunately not, I saw a 2:00pm guess.

Oh well at least it is out!

[ishoot308]

Here's the closest one I have seen...

April 23, 2014 2:15 pm
Matthew Piekarski

[gf2020]

I was up last Thursday and there was plenty of ice. Alton Bay was clear but Paugus Bay and the main lake were full of ice. Hard to believe it's all gone 6 days later.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

[webmaster]

The winners are posted here.

[jeffk]

I calculated the mean ice out date from all the recorded occurrences and it is April 19/20.

So after all the nasty winter weather, all the almost 3 foot thick ice measured, and the late start to the thaw we are only about 3 days past the historical mean ice out date. The 3 days is almost statistically insignificant since 3 days is well within 1 standard deviation (+/- 9 days) of the mean. 66% of the data points fall within one standard deviation of the mean.

Weather has a funny way of evening itself out.

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by jeffk

I calculated the mean ice out date from all the recorded occurrences and it is April 19/20.

So after all the nasty winter weather, all the almost 3 foot thick ice measured, and the late start to the thaw we are only about 3 days past the historical mean ice out date. The 3 days is almost statistically insignificant since 3 days is well within 1 standard deviation (+/- 9 days) of the mean. 66% of the data points fall within one standard deviation of the mean.

Weather has a funny way of evening itself out.

I went to Bentley College in Boston, back in the day, and had to take Statistics 101. Can't remember a darn thing from the class, not even the Prof's name. I just remember his welcome the first day : "Welcome to Statistics 101. This is where you will learn how to tell your side of the lie!"

Seriously, love your data...and Mother Nature once again proves she pretty well knows what she is doing.

[upthesaukee]

Number of days thread was up : 24.

Views as of a few minutes ago: 38,205

Avg per day: 1592

Who cares about ice out???? a whole bunch of people!

[Island Girl]

Thank you all for participating in this year's ice-out thread. Your comments, pictures and videos are most valued by those of us who need our ice-out fix. On this forum we can indulge our passion for the Lakes Region. Ice-out has been declared... be safe out there!

Let's have a great season and look for good weather.

Again, thanks for your participation!

IG

[upthesaukee]

There's my guess for Ice In.... oooooopppppssss....wrong thread.

[Island Girl]

Good grief... no ice in yet, uppy!

[GBerg]

In case you like graphs...

[fatlazyless]

Apparently, and somewhat like a frost heaved possessed road that flattens out once the ice underneath melts away .....the Cattle Landing town dock has returned back to horizontal probably thanks to the wind driven waves of late ....... it looked like a level would have it right on the bubble.....as I drove past this morning!

It is a very heavy concrete construction floating dock, held in place by three pylons, and apparently, the wind driven waves of the last 18-hours were enough to shake it loose from its topsy-turvy, somewhat twisted platform performance and return it to a horizontal, all-level and very usable flat surface.

So's .....how abouts that? ....... just like the NH frost heaved roads .....this 125-thousand dollar town dock is smart enuf to self-correct itself.......ayuh!


Will someone please call town hall and tell them to come remove their yellow safety barriers and yellow csi tape because the dock is back to normal except that the three pylons are still all pushed out of position which may not make any difference since the dock sort of functions as a template for alignment, or something.

[Happy Gourmand]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Apparently, and somewhat like a frost heaved possessed road that flattens out once the ice underneath melts away .....the Cattle Landing town dock has returned back to horizontal probably thanks to the wind driven waves of late ....... it looked like a level would have it right on the bubble.....as I drove past this morning!

It is a very heavy concrete construction floating dock, held in place by three pylons, and apparently, the wind driven waves of the last 18-hours were enough to shake it loose from its topsy-turvy, somewhat twisted platform performance and return it to a horizontal, all-level and very usable flat surface.

So's .....how abouts that? ....... just like the NH frost heaved roads .....this 125-thousand dollar town dock is smart enuf to self-correct itself.......ayuh!


Will someone please call town hall and tell them to come remove their yellow safety barriers and yellow csi tape because the dock is back to normal except that the three pylons are still all pushed out of position which may not make any difference since the dock sort of functions as a template for alignment, or something.

Either that, or they fixed it!!

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by The Phantom Gourmand

Either that, or they fixed it!!

Maybe it was fixed by either the DPW or a construction company but I doubt it, and my best guess is that it was originally damaged by a moving ice sheet and then the big wind driven waves earlier this week were strong enough to shake the wobbly two floating dock sections loose from the three repositioned fiberglass pylons and return them to their normal floating position.

It looks like at least one pylon is damaged enough to need to be replaced, plus maybe two of the dock pylon sockets were slightly twisted out of correct position.

Maybe a seasonal dock that gets removed every thanksgiving could have been used here?

[Music Man]

Well, today is May 12th - imagine if we were setting a new record for ice-out....

[Sal]

My wife's family has a place on Back Oak Lake in northern Wisconsin. The lake is a little smaller than Moultonborough Bay.
Their "ice out" was yesterday, May 12, 2014. Brrrrr.