[Paddlewise] Winter paddling and ice

Sunday was a clear, calm, sunny, warm (upper 30's water and air) day 
on Casco Bay, so I thought I'd take my first longer paddle of the winter, 
from Falmouth town landing to Peaks Island and back (about 10 nm 
round trip).  Saw eider ducks, oldsquaws, buffleheads, mergansers, 
loons, and possibly one shy seal.  The usually plentiful harbor seals seem 
to have gone south, so perhaps it was a gray seal.  

Paddling along Great Diamond's cliffs, I looked up and saw two does 
foraging in the snow at the edge of the cliffs.  They seemed to notice me 
a little, 60 feet below, but not to be concerned.  A minute later, I looked 
up again and saw a mighty 8 point buck, standing stock-still in the snow, 
staring at me.   What a royal sight!

When I put in, there was no ice visible in the water at all.... but as I went 
farther south, nearer to the mouth of the Presumpscot River, I started to 
see occasional smallish chunks of ice.  I thought it would be fun to paddle 
through (and over) some ice....but the scraping sound on my fiberglass 
hull convinced me to do this only once.  

So here's the question for all you more experienced winter paddlers:  
how hard is this on the hull?  Is it to be avoided?   Is the bark worse than 
the bite?   

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