[Boasun]

Is there anyone up in the NW or NE of the USA or Northern Europe and possibility the Great lakes, doing any winter sailing??

 

[cruisingdream]

its minus10deg in the great lakes today
you wouldn't be sailing today you would be part of the ice flow

 

[Boasun]

its minus10deg in the great lakes today
you wouldn't be sailing today you would be part of the ice flow

Not if you have an Ice Boat to go sailing with....
And those things go faster then fast

 

[tommays]

I would say the people who are in wet storage have there hands FULL keeping there boats from sinking this winter and the de-ice systems should be working pretty hard about NOW

 

[erps]

I think we're going to get out this weekend for the three day weekend. This was taken last month when we were heading back from an overnighter in La Conner.

 

[WanderingStar]

I sailed my Melonseed in Dec.
When it gets up to 45 I'll do it again. The Yawl is out of the water, the ketch is in Fl. Next season I'll sail the ketch in winter, as I've one in the past on the yawl. But I can't go out if the harbor freezes, and I won't go out if the wind is over 15, or the temp under 40.
I met a guy at a Baykeeper dinner recently who said "I know you, you're that guy that sails in the winter"

 

[SOUNDBOUNDER]

I sailed my Melonseed in Dec.
When it gets up to 45 I'll do it again. The Yawl is out of the water, the ketch is in Fl. Next season I'll sail the ketch in winter, as I've one in the past on the yawl. But I can't go out if the harbor freezes, and I won't go out if the wind is over 15, or the temp under 40.
I met a guy at a Baykeeper dinner recently who said "I know you, you're that guy that sails in the winter"

The frostbiters I know do something similar to that. They sail through December and then start again in March.
Unless there is an incredible warm spell, January and February are just too cold.

 

[doubleeboy]

We did the Sea Trial and survey for our boat last Saturday in Seattle. 20-25 knots, gusting to 31, nice chop, hi 30s F. for temp. We could not wipe the smile from our faces. Luckily for us it was about an hour sail each way to the haul out. I love sailing when the Sound is empty. Handwarmers from Costco and lots of clothing, my idea of fun, no sunburn, no teenagers in daddy's powerboat pestering you.

I look forward to many winters of sailing ahead!

michael

 

[WanderingStar]

I agree, one of the best things about winter sailing is being on the water alone. Last winter I sailed to some islands and beaches not accessible by road. Lunched, explored, found some old oarlocks. It was great.
There's often a thaw at the end of january......

 

[eMKay]

It ain't happening around here, maybe a short daysail in a cartopped boat on an indian summer day, but that's it. Around here boats are hauled out in mid to late October and put back in in May. I can't imagine trying to sail in typical winter conditions on Lake Erie...

It's very shallow, and the east end typically looks like this until it freezes...

 

[SOUNDBOUNDER]

Great shots, eMKay
I wouldn't want to be out there sailing either.

 

[kgs113]

Here is a link to a cam on my lake. I need to meet somebody with an iceboat.

Oneida Lake View Webcam | Oneida Lake View

 

[Faster]

We were out overnight for New Years eve.. and may well do another weekend soon but we're a little less willing to go out in rain and gales than we used to be..... older and wiser is the way I like to look at it!

 

[bossk]

I was hoping to today, but this is how the weather was in Vancouver I took this at around 2 from my iPhone. Wasn't quite that dark, but was that foggy!

fog.jpg (image)

This is what the view is normally like!

Oh well, maybe next weekend, supposed to be more of the same tomorrow!

 

[eMKay]

Here is a link to a cam on my lake. I need to meet somebody with an iceboat.

Oneida Lake View Webcam | Oneida Lake View

That's crazy, already frozen. I bet it wasn't frozen 2 weeks ago was it? Erie is freezing quickly now too because of the few days of single digits. Erie was completely open a week ago, now it's 80% iced over, and the lake effect snow has stopped, but not before two squalls dropped anywhere from 2-4 feet south of us, we got maybe a foot.

 

[vega1860]

Here's what the boat looked like a few weeks ago in Friday Harbor:

We moved to Shilshole Bay last week. No wind so we motored the whole way. Video of the first half - Friday Harbor to Port Townsend

 

[patrickrea]

As I was driving down Lakeshore Blvd here in Toronto, I noticed that the lake water inside the breakwall was frozen and there were chunks of ice piled up on the breakwall itself. It feels so cold that if we ever get a day without wind, the lake (Ontario BTW) will probably skin over in a heartbeat.

 

[smackdaddy]

I think we're going to get out this weekend for the three day weekend. This was taken last month when we were heading back from an overnighter in La Conner.

Erps, dude, now that's hard core! Definitely an admiring golf clap from the gallery.

 

[AdamLein]

fog.jpg (image)

Is that a shot of that weird black trimaran in False Creek?

Our last sail was mid-December -- it was still sunny. Until this weekend, it's been either a foot of snow on everything, or a fog as depicted by bossk. We were gonna go out yesterday, but decided to clean the bilge instead As long as it's not raining, I'm willing to tolerate a chill -- maybe next weekend will answer.

Last winter was a different story. We bought the boat on Dec 26 and I was singlehanding her in Port Orchard in a t-shirt on Jan 6. We took a couple of weekends in early February and March to sail up from there to Point Roberts, and while it was always cold and occasionally rainy, we never had anything but the best of times.

 

[blt2ski]

We had a race scheduled a week ago Sat, but a bit foggy so canceled it. Folks usually sail year around depending upon how crazy they are. Today would be a nice day! Sunny, granted mid 30's, lighter wind 5-10 maybe when I was down at the marina a bit ago.....Knock out view of the Olympic mtns and I am sure Baker, rainer and the cascades would be looking mighty fine once you got off shore to the west a bit from the east shore of puget sound.

marty