Dudes next Sat/Sun look like a serious contenders for the title!!! I hope I am not jinxing them by getting too excited too early. I wish it was a warm SW but after more then 2 months of waiting I'll take whatever comes. Who's coming to The Wall ?!

8th street?
That sounds awesome!
It might still be a bit icy. Anybody passing by please keep us posted on the ice conditions south of the wall!

If you are thinking of going to "Wolf " beware the "Mast Monster " who lurks on the west shore !!!

Hey Brian,
Are you calling me a monster? I believe that's me in the picture!

He is watching you ! Lol

No kidding, Monday is shaping up like a perfect Wolf day!

Still a long way out to know for sure, but It does look like Monday might be a good day at the Wolf!
I just called down to the Wolf Lake Guard Shack. Here's a paraphrase of the Security personnel's ice report at about 7:15PM today.

Yesterday there was still ice covering the entire lake. This morning there were a couple small pools of open water, and just before sunset about half the lake was ice-free. The ice that is left is anywhere from wafer-thin to no more than an inch or two.

They estimated that the ice would be entirely gone as early as tomorrow afternoon, but definitely within 2-3 days.
Certainly the lake should be ready for a good blow by Monday.

Any collective wisdom about the pros and cons of sailing Wolf Lake vs. Lake Michigan on Monday? Are the seasoned vets looking at Wolf for reasons of safety? less ice? warmer water temps? wind direction? all of the above? other considerations? I'm coming from the northern 'burbs, so staying close to home would be preferable, but I'd appreciate any feedback on the question, as I've never sailed quite this early in the season (i.e. within just a few days of the ice melt). Thanks!

Chris wrote: Pretty much all of the above Chris, but mostly because of the W/SW wind direction. It's the closest location that works for this wind direction for those like me from the south side and the burbs.
I have a funny story: last year I couldn't wait any longer and I went a week too early -it was one of the coldest winters on record after all. The ice was still covering more then half of the lake so I had to launch from the boat ramp and sail in a half circle along the ice. I bumped into it several times and finally couldn't resist the temptation and sat down on that huge frozen pancake for a bit-the wind was too light anyway. It was a silly thing to do but its a good memory regardless:) A week later on 03.31 I had a nice real first session in a 18-30 mph dead S wind and no trace of ice /I keep a statistic in an app on my phone/

Maybe because I'm getting old, but is the wind is blowing offshore I would not venture to sail in Lake Michigan this time of the year.Too cold in case something happen to you, and not be able to return to the shore.

Silver Lake in WI may be closer to someone from the north burbs /if it's open year round/. It's supposed to work for S and W.

Couple years ago early in the season I decided to go to Silver Lake because of a better forecast. When I got there all I could see was ice all over the lake so I decided to drive back and check out Wolf Lake. It was completely ice free.

Just a cautionary tale.