Ice-Out Watch 2006

[Eki]

The last few posts I have read the refer to links to the citizen are useless, because I have not signed up for their service...

[upthesaukee]

Access to the Citizen is free. It does make a lot of links available that would not be otherwise.

I think our webmaster would prefer to see a link to an article rather than copying and pasting the article into a thread (copyright laws, you know ).

Sorry you've missed some of the posts.

[Merrymeeting]

Water temps at 38, air temps later this week in the 60's, nighttime temps staying at or above freezing for the next week...

I noticed some big pieces of ice on the Anchor Marine cam that floated in yesterday. Now watching a big piece move by on the Abakee Cottages cam.

It's going to start happening fast now.

[Silver Duck]

Betty & I took a ride around the lake yesterday after attending the mini Forum Fest. From the look of things, I figure that we're still a couple of weeks away from ice out.

I've uploaded a few photos that we took up the North end of the lake, since we don't usually get as much coverage up there. Once Don approves them, I'll try to figure out how to post links to them. (I should have asked the experts how to do that yesterday!)

Silver Duck

[Merrymeeting]

They are there now Silver Duck. Thanks for the update for all of us. Link isn't necessary if you just go to the PhotoPost (under "Quick Links" above) and look for recent postings.

[Silver Duck]

Thank you, Don, for the quick approvals and thank you Merrymeeting for the hint. I wasn't going to try to be this ambitious, but I figured out how to imbed the image!

This was taken from the town docks in Center Harbor.



The Mount is waiting peacefully for ice out (which is more than I can say for myself!)



Here's a view of the Northern tip of Bear Island.



And, one of the Western side of Pine Island.



And, finally, yours truly standing at the end of my slip with Bear Island in the background.



We're getting there , but still have a ways to go !

Silver Duck

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Thanks for the pictures Silver Duck, it's nice to see different vantage points around the lake. Also, it's great to finally see what you look like! Maybe next time we'll get to meet you and the Mrs.

[emailmannh]

I've hit the small lake I live on, now it's time to ride the big lake. Weather looks very good to put the jetski's in on Tuesday 3/28. That's what my buddy and I are planning on, just need to know where we can find a launch in Alton, Gilford or Laconia that is open to the big patches of open water. Someone have a launch we could use for a day? Email me at Mark@nhhb.org

Thanks

[Rattlesnake Gal]

If you go into Meredith Bay, we'll get to see it on the webcam!

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by emailmannh

I've hit the small lake I live on, now it's time to ride the big lake. Weather looks very good to put the jetski's in on Tuesday 3/28. That's what my buddy and I are planning on, just need to know where we can find a launch in Alton, Gilford or Laconia that is open to the big patches of open water. Someone have a launch we could use for a day? Email me at Mark@nhhb.org

Thanks

Ames Farm for sure! Its wide open.

[Weirs guy]

Heres another good sign too, the boys over at Anchor Marina were out playing a little yesterday between Spindle Point and the channel. First boat of the year on 03/26 when last year there was still to much snow to get into my back yard!

[Mink Islander]

What's that object off in the distance that appeared 2 days ago? Looks like a bob house?

[DRH]

Originally Posted by Mink Islander

What's that object off in the distance that appeared 2 days ago? Looks like a bob house?

When I took the 3/26 photo, there was an airboat coming across the ice from the islands. That's why it's only in that particular day's picture.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Check out the Castle Springs cam. Is it me or does it look like there is lots of open water?

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Here is Orion's excellent lake guide of the Castle Springs Cam.

[Lin]

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Gal

Check out the Castle Springs cam. Is it me or does it look like there is lots of open water?

I've been watching that area on the castle webcam too thinking it's all open water or must be real black ice. Looks like going up to Moultonborough though is still icy.

[Lin]

Actually checking the webcams now at 2:45 pm compared to 7 am this morning 3/27 there looks like big chunks of ice went out in front of the bear cam, pine island and lake Wentworth. Looks like Brookwoods cam is showing some open water that's been creeping along either that or everytime i look at it it's a shadow from the land mass i'm looking at while their beach cam is finally showing shoreline melting. It even looks like off in the distance from the snakeyes cam that there is open water showing.

[mcdude]

Sunday March 26 - Late Afternoon and Monday March 27 Late Afternoon..
...What a difference a day makes!

[Lin]

Nice comparison shot Mcdude, seems the ice must have sank or melted a lot today.

[Keith]

wentworth almost went totally out today. Yesterday, it was all ice. Today, you can only see it off in the distance (now open from crescent lake to state park to behind Stamp Act). watch out for a few bergs if you go out there now
Ice will be gone there by friday.

Watching the water temp every day. When it hits 50, its wakeboard time.

[Silver Duck]

Hi RG

I was really sorry to have missed you at the mini forum fest, and definitely look forward to meting you next time. Perhaps Pepper would be willing to host another "mini" get together before it's time for the regular forum fest?

As for seeing what I look like, I shouldn't think that that's any great treat!

Silver Duck

[DRH]

Lily Pond is all open water as of 5:30 PM today when I drove by.

[upthesaukee]

I was less than an hour behind you at Lily Pond, and half an hour behind you with the same news!

Looks like around April 6 - 10th!!!!

I noticed what may have been openings out near the end of Alton bay, and also around the markers at Sandy Point.

We'll see how the pictures go tomorrow. I think it will start really moving now. I notice in the West Alton Digicam that you can see open water around the SE end of Treasure Is.

[DRH]

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

I notice in the West Alton Digicam that you can see open water around the SE end of Treasure Is.

Yes, you're exactly right. The area between Sleepers and Treasure Islands and Rattlesnake is now open water, and that open water area is extending further and further southeastward each day. As of late this afternoon, there appeared to be a finger of open water extending from between Treasure and Rattlesnake Islands about half way over to Ship Island. The ice got noticeable darker this afternoon, with the mild temps (high 40s) and full sunlight. It's supposed to be milder yet each day this week, with full sun every day. That combination of mild temps and full sunlight will hopefully make short work of the remaining ice!

[Bear Islander]

I took an image from todays BearCam and looked for one from last year that was similar in the amount of open water. This non-scientific comparison has ice out coming 17 days earlier than last year.

March 27, 2006 looks like April 14, 2005.

[lucky49m]

Thanks to all the people who keep us informed about ice out, it is really helpful to all of us who live a distance away. Sounds like we will be fishing out of our boats by the 1st of April.
Thanks again.
Lucky49m

[Bear Islander]

Fairhaven is a private home about halfway between Shep Browns and Y-Landing.

Loon Island is on the right side of the image and Bear Island is in the distance.

[Keith]

Looking towards the Belknaps from Tuftonboro Neck - the broads, taken today.

Not much longer at all.

-keith

[Merrymeeting]

The ice is increasingly looking fragile and disappearing. I'm half expecting to get up tomorrow and see that what happened on Wentworth happens on Winni (i.e, instant ice-out!)

I still think 38 degrees is the magic water temp number (sorry IG ).

Does anyone know if the fly-overs have started? Any updates from above?

[upthesaukee]

Here's a couple of pics taken on 3-28-06:

1st is Sandy Point open water by markers.



2nd is from scenic view on Rte 11. Little thread of water cutting across the bay.



and last is Little Mark is in the clear!!!!



Thaaaaaattttttt's allllllll Fooooolllllllllllkkkkkkkksssssssss .

[Mee-n-Mac]

Just wanted to say Thank-you for the daily picture updates of Alton Bay....those of us with property on the Bay really appreciate it I feel like a little kid at Christmas time every day when I'm logging in to check out the latest pics ! You're the best

--Mee

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Mee-n-Mac, I think we all feel like little kids at Christmas time!
I was so encouraged by the webcams today that I cut open the boat and started cleaning! Come on ice-out.
Thanks Keith for the picture of The Broads! Also big thanks to Upthesaukee for all of your ice-out photos and DRH too! We are lucky to have you! All the fantastic webcams too, each and every one of them. Thanks!!!

[Misty Blue]

Grant...

If you can navigate your way to Braun Bay, I not only have all of the home brew stuff (Braun Bay pilsner sounds good) but I got a Seadoo Scooter for Christmas! Does that sound like a summer afternoon?

Misty Blue.

[nightrider]

Where exactly is Fairhaven cam on Meredith Neck. I have a chart but cannot find it. I'm trying to determine what I'm looking at with the Fairhaven Cam.
Also, it looks like Smith Cove Cam is back. Good job!

[Bear Islander]

Originally Posted by nightrider

Where exactly is Fairhaven cam on Meredith Neck. I have a chart but cannot find it. I'm trying to determine what I'm looking at with the Fairhaven Cam.
Also, it looks like Smith Cove Cam is back. Good job!

Fairhaven is a private home about halfway between Shep Browns and Y-Landing.

Loon Island is on the right side of the image and Bear Island is in the distance.



deja vu

[Erbyjoe]

Good Morning,I'm new to this site.I was wondering if someone could give me the site where you get all the camera shots from.I usually go out of center harbor.So to see the rest of the lake would be great.Thanks in advance.

Erbyjoe

[DBA]

One nice collection is located at http://www.rattlesnakecam.com/iceout.htm

[Island Girl]

I got a phone call yesterday afternoon from two guys who were jetskiing in the broads. I wish I was there to take pictures... I would have loved to be out there..

... so guys.. what were the ice conditions.. how thick? how much?

Also how do you dress to jetski in March??

Thanks for the call.. buzz by on Saturday if you are there again. I will have my cameras ready!!!!

The Babes are doing the Melting Dance

IG

[MAXUM]

Hey I was wondering if I could bother somebody enough to give me an idea of how clear Meredith bay is of ice from Meredith all the way down towards the Wiers. Planning to take the boat out fishing. Seems like Ames Farm is the best bet to gain access to the most open water, but if given the choice I think I much prefer fishing up around Meredith, provided there is ample open water.

Thanks all for the great information!

I will take the camera with me no matter where I go Satruday and will post pics...

[Weirs guy]

MAXUM, I haven't been down to Meredith, but based on what I can see from the Weirs there is still a lot of ice from Spindle Point all the way to Meredith. It may even still be completely iced over? Weirs bay is open (save for some big ice bergs) from Spindle Point and the end of Governers Is., thru the channel, and about half way down Paugus.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Anglers Will Find Plenty of Open Water on Winnipesaukee for Season Opener

Good Luck Maxum - have fun!

[NHKathy]

Looks like a LOT of ice movement today on this cam!
The ice between the two trees just keeps moving back and forth, quite quickly it seems.

[Weekend Pundit]

I checked Paugus Bay this morning. Everything between Four Seasons and Lakeport is looking quite slushy. Everything north of that is open water.

I'll be taking a few photos after work tomorrow that should give us a better idea the state of the ice. I'll be checking Paugus Bay and Glendale as well as heading up to one of the high points in Gunstock Acres in Gilford to get an overall view of the lake.

I guessing April 12th for Ice Out from what I've been seeing.

[Waterbaby]

Originally Posted by Island Girl

The Babes are doing the Melting Dance

May I join ya'll?

Sorry I missed everyone Saturday @ Pepper's, had planned on heading up with son and somehow RW got in the way.......... ......... I like the idea of another mini-fest, however - Pepper, what do ya say?

[emailmannh]

Covered most of the middle portion of the lake, bays were still iced in. Clicked off 42 miles. Ice near Rattlesnake, just shy of the webcam location and we could not get to the site. Otherwise it was one of the best rides you could ask for.

[Island Girl]

Originally Posted by emailmannh

Covered most of the middle portion of the lake, bays were still iced in. Clicked off 42 miles. Ice near Rattlesnake, just shy of the webcam location and we could not get to the site. Otherwise it was one of the best rides you could ask for.

How thick was the ice and is it punky or solid?

Thanks guys!

[Lin]

neat photos, thanks for posting. The top two look very cold still but the third looks like it could have been a late spring/earlysummer photo. thanks again for the report

[mcdude]

The ice is out on Lake Wentworth! Wow! I really feel like Spring is coming fast now!

From the Lake Wentworth site,

"

The ice is out! - 3/29/2006 7:15 PM
Ice-out occurred on Lake Wentworth on Wednesday, March 29, at 5 p.m., according to Allen Stevens, who maintains the Crescent Lake dam and is widely considered the final word on when the lake is officially free.

According to Shaun Berry, who relayed the finding, this year's ice-out is the earliest since Allen has been tracking the springtime process.

Winner of the $25 Wolfeboro Gold Card in the lwa.org ice-out contest is Paesley, with a guess of March 29 at 2 p.m. Congratulations, and thanks to all the members of the lake community who took part in this year's contest.

We look forward to doing it all again next year."

[emailmannh]

On Tuesday afternoon we found solid ice and punchy/slushy ice. The slushy stuff you can ride right thru. We've done this the past three years. It's fun to explore the different areas and ice conditions. Last year our first ride on the jetskis was April 18th.....almost a month earlier this year.

[Island Girl]

Our friend Bill Hemmel from Lakes Region Aerial Photography just sent me two aerial shots of the Broads taken on Tuesday.

I have put them on the ice out page at www.rattlesnakecam.com/iceout.htm

Enjoy... thanks Bill

IG

[gtxrider]

Originally Posted by emailmannh

Covered most of the middle portion of the lake, bays were still iced in. Clicked off 42 miles. Ice near Rattlesnake, just shy of the webcam location and we could not get to the site. Otherwise it was one of the best rides you could ask for.

Oh to be out on the lake. It looks very calm no other boats to create wakes.

[Orion]

Those pictures tell it all. Great info and super shots posted.

[Mink Islander]

I only see the earlier shots at the bottom of the site.

[Island Girl]

Delete your temporary internet files (Clear the cache).

Interestingly.. Lake Wentworth shows a lot of ice... and it is out now... things are melting fast!

[Mink Islander]

Great Pix. Wish he had some looking the other way too!

[mg2107]

WOW ! Great Pix !

[MboroughNeckKid]

Little project i started today....hopefully everyone likes it, will try to update it twice a day until its pointless, though tomorrow may be a little difficult as I will be up that way doing some spring cleaning around my grandparents place. (unless someone wants to private me some pics from late afternoon, I can get the morning ones!)

http://www.geocities.com/rslynch4443...?1143763972906

[wildwoodfam]

Try refreshing - that get the most recent pics on your page.

Originally Posted by Mink Islander

I only see the earlier shots at the bottom of the site.

[Weekend Pundit]

I took a drive around after work today, checking along Dockham Shore, Smith Cove, Ellacoya, and going to high ground in Gilford to check out Rattlesnake Island and Alton.

Smith Cove is open, though Fay's is still iced in. There's more open water there today than there was two days ago. Rattlesnake still has ice along the northern and eastern shore and the entrance to Alton is still iced over.

I've got a few photos, but at the moment I haven't edited or uploaded them Hopefully I'll get around to that a little later.

[Weekend Pundit]

Here's one photo I took of Rattlesnake from Gunstock Acres around 5PM today.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...1&d=1143767650

[Island Girl]

Thanks for sharing...

We Rattlesnake Islanders are most anxious for ice-out...

[hazelnut]

I started a Cow Island website. On the site many of my neighbors including myself have posted pictures of various spots around Long Island 19 Mile Bay and Cow Island. You can check it out at: www.cowislandnh.com

Webmaster Don has linked the new site from the associations section in the links area.

Bring the heat on!!!!!

[upthesaukee]

Nice job, Hazelnut!!!!

[spotsink]

Originally Posted by emailmannh

Covered most of the middle portion of the lake, bays were still iced in. Clicked off 42 miles. Ice near Rattlesnake, just shy of the webcam location and we could not get to the site. Otherwise it was one of the best rides you could ask for.

Is this the new Spring "Skiing" in New Hampshire? I think I need to try it out!

Does anyone know what conditions are over toward Cow and Little Bear? and 19 Mile Bay?

Are there any members who live on Chase Point who could post a photo looking toward Hole In The Wall?

[Lin]

Hazelnut, nice job on the website. We don't live on Cow but appreciate the photos from up in that general area. Thanks

[mcdude]

Originally Posted by Island Girl

Interestingly.. Lake Wentworth shows a lot of ice... and it is out now... things are melting fast!

From the Wentworth Forum

Oops ... - 3/31/2006 7:47 AM
... looks like we may have called ice-out just a bit too early. The word is that a good section of Townsend Shore remains in the grip of a substantial sheet of ice. Not clear if it was there all along or drifted in from an area adjacent to the nearby islands.

We'll honor our commitment of a Wolfeboro Gold Card to Paesley (the ice certainly appeared to be gone at the end of the day Wednesday) and make a new award when Townsend is declared ice free.

For those wondering what ice-out means on Wentworth: it's when each of the lake's shores is free of solid ice (floes and broken ice don't count).

Sorry for the confusion -- looks like we'll have to tune up our ice-o-meter.

[Merrymeeting]

When I checked the Bear Cam about 8:45 AM today, there were boat wake waves coming from somewhere off to the left. Clearly someone was having some fun out there.

Looks like we won't have a March ice-out, but it is changing quickly.

[hazelnut]

Thanks for the nice comments. I will be posting more pictures from that neck of the woods as they come in. I will be heading up into that area this Sunday with camera in hand. I will post the pics next week.

[mcdude]

Originally Posted by hazelnut

I started a Cow Island website. On the site many of my neighbors including myself have posted pictures of various spots around Long Island 19 Mile Bay and Cow Island.

Nice job, Hazelnut!

[spotsink]

I saw a boat on the Varney Point cam this morning - lots of prople getting an early start!

[Merrymeeting]

It's happening before our eyes now. This morning Merrymeeting was still completely locked in, with fairly solid looking ice. The view on the webcam now shows open water close to 100' out and receeding fast.

Disappearing on Bear Cam too.

[Bizer]

With a confidence rate of 99.9%, I say that ice-out will be declared tomorrow, but not necessarily by the Lakes Region Association. Be advised that tomorrow is April first and any ice-out posts are highly suspect unless posted by Don.

[Grant]

Looks like 11 folks took April 1...

[KPW]

Originally Posted by spotsink

Is this the new Spring "Skiing" in New Hampshire? I think I need to try it out!

Does anyone know what conditions are over toward Cow and Little Bear? and 19 Mile Bay?

Are there any members who live on Chase Point who could post a photo looking toward Hole In The Wall?

There are pictures posted on www.cowislandnh.com
There is another link to the original Cow Island Webpage under links on the forum.

19 mile bay is still pretty well socked in. Fishermen reported 14 inches in spots as of Wednesday/Thursday.

[spotsink]

Originally Posted by KPW

There are pictures posted on www.cowislandnh.com
There is another link to the original Cow Island Webpage under links on the forum.

19 mile bay is still pretty well socked in. Fishermen reported 14 inches in spots as of Wednesday/Thursday.

KPW: Thanks for the information.

[Cow Man]

I was up at Harilla's yesterday about 1 PM. It was ice free from the public docks and landing to about half way to the hole in the wall. There seemed to me to be three individual sheets of ice floating around and I got the feeling that I would have been able to make the trip by boat if I waited a few hours.
I took some telephoto shots of Cow which appear to show open water around the hole in the wall extending about half way up Ragged Island.
The ice was very porous near shore and I hope the crunching sound it was making contacting the shore is not indicative of the mess it will cause with our docks!
I left my boat at Harilla’s and am going to try again today.

[wildwoodfam]

Just checking out the Bear Cam and there it was at 10:40am - boater puttering by - not moving too fast through the slush - but moving along!!

[webmaster]

To make it easier for new visitors to find recent Ice-Out information I have split this thread into a new one. Please carry on in 2006 Ice-Out Watch II.

Don