My 20' welded aluiminum boat will penetrate "soft" ice up to 4" thick. I did not try to cross 5 Mile Bay because I would have to pass through 4" ice for about 1 1/2 miles. There is a very real danger of getting stuck with no one to rescue you. If we had another 2 days of mild weather and above freezing nights the ice would probably be gone. However the weather forcast is for lows of -8C and highs of -3C for the next 5 days. This will cause the ice to solidify. I predict it will take at least another week to open up.