Meteorological Spring started March 1st. Vernal Equinox or astronomical Spring arrived at ~0400 on March 20th. Neither matters up here in the Northwoods. It is when the nearshore ice disappears until next winter. Assuming there is even any ice. Becoming more of a rare occurrence. Unless you consider a few meters of ice extending from the shoreline as ice.
Awoke couple mornings ago to the normal for this year view of ice still extending out a nm offshore. At least the South Channel and a wide finger of open water was extending towards the shoreline. This winter for the first time in a few years the ice cover extended way into the S.Channel. Beautiful day for a Spring hike. +10km later home, bit tired, and hungry. Straight upstairs to take shower. Didn't even notice until coming back downstairs into the living room that the ice was gone. Spring! Awoke this AM to winter. Frizzle, cold at -5C, windy, grey. Looked out. Ice is back. Not Spring yet.
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Watching the ice here in Minnesota. Lake Minnetonka (Twin cities area, but it is a big lake). Ice is about half out after a windy weekend. Probably another week or two for full ice out.
But I have to get the dock re-installed before I launch for the season.
I've sailed in freezing weather where wet lines get hard to untangle or are too stiff to run through the blocks. But I'm older (wiser ??) now and will wait maybe a month before I gear up for the summer season.
I happened to drive past lake Michigan near Milwaukee last weekend . All the ice was gone !
It made me realize how muchstuff needs to be done before I launch.
Right now finishing the outboard mounting pad, and getting the new traveller from Garhuer takes priority ...
We are just beginning to get into the "Ice in..." seasons here.
As in, "Barkeep, 2 cubes in my glass of Planteray 5 Years, please!" :D
Decades ago when I was a bit younger and maybe a bit more less wiser. Friend and I had to get one more L. Superior windsurfing session in. Epic NE conditions with F4-6 winds. Long fetch creating boom high rollers inside Chequamegon Bay. Balmy +10C air temp. Water temp felt warmer. Windchill from the spray was painful. Still a blast. Until both of us realized our feet even with booties were getting cold. Reduced board feel = more crashing. We stopped. Grabbed our gear and huddled in the leeward side of the local windsurf shop which was closed for the day. Thermometer in the late day sun read above freezing, but our lines have stiffened up with a slippery coating of ice. No fun de-rigging. Drove home in the wetsuit with heater on max.
At least sailing I can throw on proper clothing to keep me warm. Except like windsurfing, the fingers suffer. Picked up a pair of "freezer" like gloves. Heavy insulation, heavy rubber coating, almost up to the elbows coverage. Too bulky for anything but handling the tiller. At least warmer fingers.
Too cold windsurfing and sailing days are done. If I see ice anywhere on the water I stay dry. Better to be inside enjoying a cold drink. Am I older and wiser or just an older wimp?
Record for 1st out in this region of L. Superior is April 1st. My sailing instructor took his cat ketch dingy sailboat out among the growlers. He did make sure the forecast was for the offshore wind to stick around for awhile. The growlers can pack in along the shoreline with an onshore wind impeding your return to harbor. Wooden hull boat. Maybe more impact resistant than fiberglass?