26 April, 2014
A tour of Newboro Lake turned up no embarrassing icebergs, so this year’s winner with her selection of April 25th is Dr. Roslyn Dakin, formerly of the Queen’s Biology Department, now working on a postdoc at UBC. Congratulations, Roz.
My pick was not based on any science. I have no prior knowledge of the ice on Newboro Lake. I’ve been out on the water twice, but always in late summer. I went with my gut and the feeling that 25 was a nice round number that seemed very late.
Thank you for the award,
Roz
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Tony and I will explore the lake tomorrow with splake rods in hand, but my operating hypothesis is that the last floe off Ricks Island dissipated at 7:00 p.m. on April 25, 2014.
I’ll name the winner upon return from a sweep of the lake. If the splake bite on Indian, this may take some time.
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I believe the PDF file below identifies the entries* in this year’s contest with the exception of outliers Dianne Strangfeld Roth at May 4th and Kate Stutzman at June 30th.
* The 9:00 a.m. reference with each name on the calendar is a software artifact and has no other significance.
So when will the last sheet of ice greater than 100 square feet disappear from Newboro Lake?
As in previous years, all you need do to pick up the bragging-rights mantle currently held by Louise Pritchard is post as a comment to this page your selected calendar date. The calendar slots will disappear on a first-come, first-served basis, with your entry becoming official when I have authorized your comment to this page.
In case of a tie:
With any luck ice-out will occur on a date selected by one of our worthy contestants, but should it occur upon a date unselected, the holder of the next closest date will prevail, with preference in a tie going to the earlier of the two competing dates.
Best wishes in this year’s contest, and here’s hoping for an early and undramatic end to winter.
the Walnut Diary 
March 17, 2014 at 9:27 am
To start things off, Rod Croskery of Forfar, Ontario, hereby claims May 1st as the 2014 ice-out date for Newboro Lake.
March 17, 2014 at 9:54 am
This is a tough decision for 2014 as the winter has been far colder and longer than in the past. I am going to choose April 30th. ( I hope I am correct only for the sole reason being that we need SPRING!)
March 17, 2014 at 11:11 am
…………………………………….. May 2nd 2014 for me …. Tony
March 17, 2014 at 11:17 am
April 25
March 17, 2014 at 8:28 pm
Tom S calls it on April 19
March 18, 2014 at 10:23 am
Kate says June 30th.
March 18, 2014 at 2:34 pm
Considering the average ice-out dates, as well as the unusually cold winter, I’ll shoot for April 29th.
Dave Waterbury (Lewis Island)
March 19, 2014 at 9:22 am
I hope its earlier but I think May 3, 2014 is the date.
March 23, 2014 at 7:40 am
I’ll hope for a warm April and take April 28th … Thank you for your great website, Rod!
March 23, 2014 at 1:26 pm
Agreed – Thanks Rod. We usually open the last weekend of April so that is our hope as well but, stick’n with the bet on the 29th. 😉
March 25, 2014 at 7:28 pm
I’ll pick 23 April – thanks for hosting and coordinating – Rod
March 26, 2014 at 8:47 am
Defending champion Louise Pritchard (2013) has chosen April 26th as ice-out day for 2014.
March 29, 2014 at 7:51 pm
I say April 20th, (my birthday), last year it was April 16 my son Anders Birthday!!
March 30, 2014 at 6:52 am
May 4, 2014 (Perhaps newbie luck?)
March 31, 2014 at 8:33 pm
John Lee asked me to put him on the list for April 24th.
April 1, 2014 at 3:57 pm
Doug Fyfe just asked for April 22, 2014.
April 1, 2014 at 4:52 pm
If this contest doesn’t get itself over before May 1st, I’ll have to compete it from a 2 bedroom apartment in Kitsilano overlooking the big salty lake. We’re going on vacation. Of course if Kate Stutzman wins with her June 30 entry we’ll be back around, but by then everyone will be too depressed by the ice to care.
Here’s to an early ice-out!!!
Rod
April 1, 2014 at 5:02 pm
Yes the only ICE I want to see by June 30th
better be in a glass with some alcohol over it!