At 97, sailor goes ice boating on Michigan’s Wolf Lake

Grass Lake — For decades, Mel Nichols traveled across the country to sail competitively.

From frozen lakes in Michigan and Minnesota, to bodies of water in Tennessee and near Tampa Bay — he filled a shelf with trophies and was once a nationally ranked competitor.

Heading into his 80s, however, Nichols retired — though at 97, he has never stopped thinking like a sailor.

“Oh, I look out at that ice and think it sure is inviting,” Nichols said from inside his home on the shores of Wolf Lake. “You’d have to experience it. ... It’s about the most thrilling sport I can think of.”

“You never get it out of your blood,” he added.

On Jan. 30, Nichols again got the chance to ice boat Wolf Lake with his son-in-law Bruce Brown.

Reaching speeds of up to 40 mph, the two drew a small crowd of neighbors who gathered in the unseasonably warm January weather to watch the pair skid across the ice.

For Nichols, who last ice boated two years ago and retired from sailing because of decreased mobility and travel concerns, the day was the first time — in quite some time — he’s enjoyed his favorite sport.

“If we don’t have ice here, then you travel, and it got to be more than I could handle,” Nichols said, recalling a lifetime of sailing and the recent unfavorable Michigan winters.

“The last couple years, we haven’t had any good ice — we’ve been snowed in,” Nichols said.

Atypical January weather, including warm temperatures and little snowfall, made for ideal ice-boating conditions.

Noting the smooth ice at Wolf Lake and fair wind, Bruce Brown decided to set sail with his father-in-law.

“It looked like it was going to be good (day) to get Mel out.” reflected Brown, who met Nichols in the 1980s and has sailed with him ever since. “Mel is a sailor, he wants to go out and sail his boat — and I want to make sure he’s safe,” Brown said.

Before heading out, Brown prepped the boats and scouted the ice, and by midmorning, the two were coasting around.

The boats, which can reach speeds of up to 70 mph, take some effort to control, Brown said.

“You’re always moving the tiller, moving the sheet line, shifting your weight; it can be pretty strenuous,” said Brown. “(But) Mel hasn’t lost it, even if his body sometimes doesn’t want to cooperate. ... He’s an intrepid sailor.”