Ice Paddling

[nobucks]

I haven't been around here in a while, so I thought I'd show you what we do up here when we get Spring fever.

This was last Sunday, out at Presque Isle in Marquette, my first time out on the open water this year.

Seal launching was not the big deal that I thought it would be. Getting back out was more difficult. You have to wait for a wave to come in and then paddle hard and let the wave throw you up on the ice shelf. But, the Lake was throwing up 2 - 3 foot swells, so it was really a matter of timing.

After I finished paddling, I went for a dip in the Lake with the drysuit. Still a small leak in the foot, but otherwise, nice and dry.

Don G. took the photos below.

 

[redfisher]

Muy loco mi amigo. me gusta la clima caliente de florida.

 

[jdupre']

No like solid water. I'll take my water in liquid form, thank you. Ice is for tea and Jack Daniels, not paddling through. I do like your spunk there, nobucks. After several months of harsh winter, I guess you're ready for just about anything to get out of the house.

We have a saying down here. "Yeah, we had a short winter this year. I think it was on a Tuesday...........in the morning." :wink:

 

[islandpiper]

Hey nobucks, i know EXACTLY where you were, spent a lot of time there through the years. But, twenty years in Iron 'River (that's 44.76 times more winter than they suffered through in Mpls during that same period).......was enough. I remember one year visiting the lower harbor in Marquette on July 9th and seeing blocks of ice still stuck in the corners, washed with that 32 degree water with every wave, and KIDS SWIMMING IN IT. Youch.

But, paddle on and enjoy it!!

cheers, piper

 

[nobucks]

More ice paddling...

We went out paddling in the ice again today. Temps were in the 60's, the sun was shining, and the ice was falling. We went south of Marquette, around the Michigan Welcome Center. Swells were one to two feet high and were reflecting off of the ice. My babysitter, Don, paddled right up along the ice foot for a while. I stayed off between twenty and one hundred yards, depending on what the waves were doing. The waves were reflecting off of the ice and coming back at the same height they went in.

There was a lot of floating ice too. Sometimes it felt like we were padlding through a Margarita or a Slurpee.

I did grab a nice big piece of floating ice, very clear, to take home and use for recreational purposes (see below).

The Carbon/Kevlar paddle worked very well. The hard finish was especially nice when fending off the big ice bergs floating around us.

Don, getting ready to go. That's a 1000 foot ore boat offshore on the horizon.

This is me paddling about 100 yards off of the ice foot. US 41 is in the background.

The ice foot here is about 10 - 15 feet thick. You can also see the ice bergs floating behind me. This is on the way back. On the way out we were a lot closer to the ice.

Lake Superior ice. Look at how clear it is!

Lake Superior ice does the job nicely in some single malt Scotch.

 

[islandpiper]

nobucks........yes, i can feel that cold water now.......nice memories. But, you have left yourself open for a full frontal attack by Kayak Jack. He's on the road right now, but EVENTUALLY he'll come back and notice your ice in single malt, and then you are in for it, buddy. Mark my words.

Piper

 

[Wannabe]

Need to finish filling the glass up with sweet tea or maby grapejuice to make it palatable.
Bob

 

[Kayak Jack]

Yer right, Piper San. I leave in a couple of hours. Joel, you taint the single malt with addition of anything. AARRGGHH!

And I liked you too. sigh

 

[dawallace45]

Too cold ! stuff that !

David

 

[bearridge]

Dang Joel,

I had ta put on a coat jest ta finish lookin' at them pichurs. Good ta see that with all the dough ya saved makin' yer own gear, ya spent it on some fine sippin' whiskey......'er did ya make that yerownself too?

regards
bearridge

There's two theories to arguin' with a woman; neither one works. Will Rogers

 

[nobucks]

--

The water was cold, but the weather was very warm. Big chunks of ice were calving off of the ice foot the whole time we were out there.

I knew that someone was going to get on me for putting something in the single malt.

I don't ordinarily add ice to my single malt, but I couldn't put the ice in my beer or my wine - only single malt would do justice to this clear, pure ice from Lake Superior.

I don't have a distillery, only beer brewing gear. But, just leave out the hops when you're making the beer, then distill what's left and you have Whisky. Problem is, the Feds want their cut when you do that. :roll:

Also, we saw the Coast Guard go out to the ore boat several times while we were paddling. Found out from the evening news that they had grounded on a reef and spilled some oil.

 

[bearridge]

I don't have a distillery, only beer brewing gear. But, just leave out the hops when you're making the beer, then distill what's left and you have Whisky. Problem is, the Feds want their cut when you do that.

Friend Joel,

That iz jest what my brother Jim tole me when I asked him if he would make some sippin' whiskey....without the guviment law snoopin' round where they dont belong part. Last I heard they allow ya ta make a fair amount fer yer own pleasure 'n that of yer good pals....same with wine 'n beer. Sounds so dumb it caint be true, but it iz. With evil doers everwhere 'n illegal folks bustin' thru the border, ta think that the guviment law haz time ta keep track of how many quarts of beer ya brew iz dumber'n dumb. :?

regards
bearridge

So when all the yielding and objections is over, the other Senator said, "I object to the remarks of a professional joker being put into the Congressional Record. " Taking a dig at me, see? They didn't want any outside fellow contributing. Well, he had me wrong. Compared to them I'm an amateur, and the thing about my jokes is that they don't hurt anybody. You can say they're not funny or they're terrible or they're good or whatever it is, but they don't do no harm. But with Congress-every time they make a joke it's a law. And every time they make a law it's a joke. Will Rogers

 

[nobucks]

--

The laws dating back to prohibition and the revenuers are still on the books and are still being enforced. Some local and state laws may apply too, but the Feds still want their cut.

From the BATF FAQ

Question: Can I produce beer, wine or spirits for my personal or family use without paying Federal excise tax and filing Federal paperwork?

Spirits

You cannot produce spirits for beverage purposes without paying taxes and without prior approval of paperwork to operate a distilled spirits plant. [See 26 U.S.C. 5601 & 5602 for some of the criminal penalties.] There are numerous requirements that must be met that make it impractical to produce spirits for personal or beverage use. Some of these requirements are paying excise tax, filing an extensive application, filing a bond, providing adequate equipment to measure spirits, providing suitable tanks and pipelines, providing a separate building (other than a dwelling) and maintaining detailed records, and filing reports. All of these requirements are listed in 27 CFR Part 19.

Spirits may be produced for non-beverage purposes for fuel use only without payment of tax, but you also must file an application, receive TTB's approval, and follow requirements, such as construction, use, records and reports.

I think we had this discussion a while back too (or was it on a Jeep forum?), when talking about if it would be practical to brew your own ethanol for fuel. The main problem there is finding a free source of fuel to cook the mash and fire the distillery.

 

[bearridge]

Jest one more reason ta abolish 'em. Bah humbug! :? No problem with beer 'er wine. Ya kin make more'n yer likely ta drink each year long az ya dont sell none, but the distilled spirit iz apparently agin the law....even fer yerownself. It iz that dang do gooder thinkin'....ta keep folks frum doin' the jake leg boogie.

Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Dan House