16,000 views the state has not yet figured out how to tax yet :emb:

I had a buddy drive from Alton up to 19 mile yesterday then back down to Alton and up to Mt Major overlook and here is what he reported:
-19 mile to Cow is locked up pretty good...probably another week
-Wolfboro wants to free up but the ice is just blowing back and forth...several more days
-there is ice piled up along most eastern shorelines which some floating/drifting ice in other "open areas"
-pretty much everything north of Sandy Point in Alton Bay out to Welches is open but I would be cautious of floating ice coming down from areas above Bear that will probably break off and come floating down in the coming days.

I would say your are very safe coming for Minge to Sleepers. I will be spending all morning in the area from Black Point all the way up to Welches tomorrow. Good luck

PS: Does Minge Cove has a public ramp? I'm guessing not...

Made a trip out to rattlesnake yesterday via minge cove. No ice as far as I could see once outside of the small cove inside minge. Once we returned to minge a few hours later the ice was already gone. Here are a few pictures; one leaving minge, one returning and two from the south side of rattlesnake facing gunstock (which had some snow still!!)

Just a reminder that it really should say "Viewers". The forum software only counts each of you once even if you visit the thread many times.

For those of you who love stats I've just installed a new feature. Click "Quick Links" (must be logged in), go to the bottom of the list and click Site Statistics. Use the links to view all kinds of general info about the visitors to this site and how they got here. Click here (again, must be logged in) for the countries that have visited in the last week or so. Could all that be interest in Ice-Out? We're doing well in China!

Thanks to all who have posted pics and reports about the ice. Having only been on the lake for 2 years, I now have a springtime addition to following the progress of the Ice Out. Can't wait to get back to Rattlesnake next week when the boat goes in!

I'm going out on a limb here and declaring ice out will be today! If not today, by the end of the weekend. Yesterday I walked along the lake in Meredith and there was no ice as far as the eye could see. With the 60 degree weather today and high winds, whatever ice remains will be gone very soon.

Hey, who left without me?

If you are seeing anything like I do, its all DOS out of Asia :eek:

I have the same exact boat. I better go and make sure that mine is still at the marina:laugh:

Ice Out... almost
 

We are really getting anxious... thanks so much for the updates!:)

Moultonborough Bay is clearning out nicely, but there are still big sheets of gray ice clogging the northern mouth of the bay and up the narrows towards Lees mills. The northern wind today has been pushing the ice sheets against the ice, but rocks and islands have slowed the movement. If the wind shifts, it will break up a bunch. I'm thinking another day or two before its totally clear.
6:45 update: The mouth and most of m'boro bay appear clear. Ice to the north still blocked, but much smaller volume. Dock in predicted for Sunday. Saturday is a Wildcat ski day.

Looks Good
 

Minge Cove is clear. From our vantage point on Echo Shores (just west of Minge Cove) it looks like the eastern end of the south side of Rattlesnake is clear. We can't see the western end of Rattlesnake, though.

I've been watching the Black Cat Weather Cam all day, and that ice has made significant progress since this morning. Actually, the past hour has taken a pretty large toll on the large chunk of ice. Hopefully by this evening, that camera will be clear of visible ice! :)

Moultonboro Bay is still blocked in the middle, around the Gansy Lane area. Last night, on my way to Wolfeboro for memorial services, 19 and 20 mile bays were still clogged with floating ice debris.

Still have to wait some, IMHO :)

Thanks
 

Thanks for all the replies about Minge and Rattlesnake. I'm headed for the island first thing in the morning!!!!!!!!!!

Smith Cove to Bear Island
 

Hi All,
Thanks for all the updates on the ice out progress everyone! It's great! We were considering heading out from Smith Cove to Bear Island and I see nothing posted on this area. Has anyone been out that way and can confirm clear water? What do you think?
Eagle's Nest

we are on Bear Island tonight, came in fro Shep Brown's today at 11am, ice free from sheps to south side of Bear, still some ice from southern tip of bear over to Mink and Mark Isalnds, I would guess it will be gone by tomorrow.

ice still in Meredith Bay as of 6PM today, very black though, I would say its gone by tomorrow

To Bear Island South
 

Thanks for the update on Bear Island. Have a great weekend!
EN

Camp is open
 

We spent a comfortable night on Welch Island with the wood stove going. No damage to breakwater or main dock, seasonal dock is down and the flag has been raised.

We saw a few fishermen out early this morning and last evening a couple cruised by and waved. Other than that the lake was quiet.

We went slow out and back on the lookout for floating debris but saw none.

Why hasn't it been called?
 

Would someone explain to me why ice out has yet to be called? I'm a newcomer to the lake. This will be my eighth season. Where is the Mount unable to pass?
From where I sit, the only ice I see is on the slopes of Gunstock!
Is Dave off today????

Perhaps things like this

As of 3:00 p.m. this afternoon Meredith Bay still has ice. It is very black, lots of broken up sections. We need a good sunny day with some wind. Looks like it may be late Monday before the bay is open. You can travel the shoreline though to get to the Weirs.

Hurricane Channel is totally clear
 

The last of the ice has disappeared within the last hour southeast of the Long Island bridge, and the water is totally open from Long Island across to Moultonborough Neck.

There are a bunch of sailboats showing on the cams on Wolfeboro Bay right now. Looks like the Brewster sailing team is getting an early start! :)

Today
 

Just returned from Rattlesnake Island went over from Goodhue & Hawkins. No ice in the Broads, no ice between Rattlesnake and Sleeper. I could see some ice had drifted/been blown toward the mouth of Alton Bay.

Also went to Rattlesanke Landing and no ice anywhere around. could see all the way to rattlesnake that no ice around.

Rattlesnake Landing dock has been put back into water and is usable.


Will try to figure out how to post the photos from the landing.

Saturday Photos
 

first attempt to upload todays photos

A day on the Snake
 

Spent the day out on Rattlesnake--Ice came in from Alton around 3pm so headed to Minge Cove. Had a great day, opening up and cleaning around camp. Can't wait to spend the week of the 18th out there!!!! SALMON BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As 0f 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning, Meredith Bay is almost 100% open. The wind last night really helped out.

WOW the wind is HOWLING on the lake. Check out the webcams.

Ice-Out today or tomorrow?

I believe it will go out today. When I woke up there was 2 large ice sheets in Hubbard Bay, a mere 1.5 hours later there is only one sheet left out by Pitchwood Island, otherwise the bay is clear. Sun is out and wind is helping. Maybe I need to fire up the SeaDoo today.

which way is the ice moving today?
 

Wind still coming from the north up there? For us at ice out time, north = dock probably OK; south = maybe not. :eek:

Thanks

Yes, wind seems to be out of the North, but there isn't much ice left to blow around anyway ;)

I'm not there but both Black Cat Cams indicate it is coming from the north.

I'm afraid that if you fired up the SeaDoo today you'd be an Ericicle before too long. :eek:

Hopefully I'll be opening camp next weekend, long term forecast calls for 60's at the end of next week. Perhaps you can fire it up then and visit.

The winds are fierce from the NNW. Lots of white caps. Yesterday afternoon's ice is gone, probably back to the mouth of Alton Bay.

I have been known to do crazy things! Check the date....;)

:eek: WOW! :eek:

I knew you had a screw or two loose. :laugh::laugh::laugh:

That is Awesome. I think that is the same year I took the Whaler over to Cow Island in January. It was a late freeze that year. We had to chip about 1/4-1/2 of an inch of ice with an oar for about 100 yards to make it to shore.



So what are ya waiting for now? I'll be checking the Weirs Cam over the next few hours looking for ya! Watch out for ice bergs. :laugh:

Ice out photos
 

Great job with the photos. It's nice to see the process of the melting of the ice.

Ice out should be declared in the next day or two. I was out all day yesterday. There was floating ice "floatillas" in the Broads and up to 5 mile island. Most floating ice was on eastern and southern shorelines first thing in the morning but the wind coming out of the south moved that ice "into play" as the day went on.

We felt very safe coming out of West Alton Marina with the protection of Ragged and Sleepers island. Even as we saw floating ice moving in from Ship island, we said "no way that effects our return trip". Well, sure enough that ice all went like a magnet to the mouth of the inlet for west alton marina. Fortunately both us and another crew in a bigger boat behind us, could SQUEEZE around the ice.

There were a few broken sheets of ice around 6 mile but the only organized ice we saw was on the Moultonboro side of The Hole in the Wall and the northeast side of Little Bear. We didn't even try navigating it but it looked solid enough that we think it will be there until late this week (even after ice out is declared).

Water temps varied from 36.3 around Rattlesnake to 39.4 behind more protected areas to the north. I'm pretty sure we could have made it to Black Cat but we were fishing and running out of time so we explored less.