Congratulations are in order for ECSC’s Cameron Douglas who finished his season well by finishing 1st in the I-LYA Junior Traveler Series! Out of a total of 51 entrants in the series, Cam scored a series low 10 points to take the win by four points. ECSC’s Reagan Lessick finished in 7th after ending in a tie for 6th. Complete series results available here. Cameron did not sail the last two events due to leaving for college, we wish him well!
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Reagan attended the last two I-LYA events at Erie Yacht Club and Berlin Yacht Club, finishing 3rd and 5th respectively, and earning her first race win in series competition. There are still a few regattas the Juniors will be attending to continue to develop their sailing skills and represent ECSC across the Midwest.
If you have been to the club recently, you may have noticed that one of the buildings at the junior school area has been torn down. This was the oldest building on the property and was almost falling down from age. We have removed that building to make way for its replacement. The new structure should include a covered area for instructing the kids at sailing camp in the summer. We are hoping this will end the need to conduct any camp activities under the main shelter, and all the campers will be centralized around the junior area. Stay tuned for updates as they happen.
The ECSC Ladies’ Day Sail was held Saturday, August 13, 2016 at the club’s upper pavilion shelter. The event was hosted by Kelli Morehead, along with co-hosts Denise Fox, Sheela Krout, and Nancy Goff. Three “Fantastic First Mate” helpers included Mark Walker, Terry Holland, and Chuck Goff. There were 17 ladies in attendance for the event, including Lesley Baker, Judie Breitzke, Marilyn Cloutier, Jackie Deppe, Jenipher Gee, Nancy Goff, Vickie Greenough, Sheela Krout, Sarah McQueen, Christy Merriman, Kelli Morehead, Kathy Newgent, Jane Schmidt, Nan Schulze, Edna Sprowl, Sherry Weir, and Burnie Wilkins.
Ladies were treated to a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”-themed event featuring décor done up in the classic Tiffany blue and white, along with black and silver accents. Silver beads and crystal and aqua gems scattered on the tables completed an elegant look. Tiffany-blue boxes filled with Lindt truffles doubled as place cards. Black velvet holders adorned with pearl strands graced the buffet tables. A brunch-style meal featured a tasty breakfast casserole, fruit compote, a build-your-own yogurt parfait station, and pastries including mini muffins, scones, and fruit danishes. The beverage station featured coffee/decaf, orange juice, and bottled water featuring a fun bottle wrap with the iconic Audrey Hepburn image and a “Drink Up Darling!” message. Brunch was enjoyed by everyone!
As the weather was not cooperative for the ladies to enjoy a nice sail, all attendees were treated to three “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”-themed games. Marilyn Cloutier won the movie trivia game, Lesley Baker aced the movie word search, and Edna Sprowl came in first in the “What’s in Your Little Black Purse?” game with 19 items! Way to go, ladies!
Everyone had fun seeing old friends, welcoming new friends, and enjoying a lovely time of fellowship, food, and festivity. All attendees and “First Mate” helpers received nautical swag bags filled with surprises to enjoy upon departure. All in all, it was a delightful event and very well attended! In case you had to miss the event, check out the pictures below!
It is hard to believe that August has arrived. This is probably the slowest month of the sailing season due to hot temperatures and light winds. For many, it may be a welcome break as July ushered in most North American Championships for one-design fleets. I was fortunate enough to participate in the Flying Scot NACs in Newport Rhode Island this year. It was a humbling experience with the large waves, strong current, and sea breeze between 15-30 mph all week long. While I had the time of my life, I could not help but appreciate that our little lake offers some pretty nice racing as well. My favorite conditions are on a cooler day with 7-10 mph winds. Generally in Indiana, these kind of days fall in the late spring and early fall.
It is amazing how the dynamic of the sailing experience changes so drastically in different locations. These differences also propagate different cultures. For instance, I was recently on a lake that had roughly 200 sailboats. While this may not seem so strange, the fact that 199 of the boats were of the same kind seemed strange. Can you even picture everyone having the same kind boat on Eagle Creek? Perhaps it was the secluded Appalachian Mountain environment which caused everyone to get the same boat. Perhaps it was the fact that these boats were manufactured just a few miles from that particular lake. Maybe no one wanted to “rock the boat” and get something different. At any rate, it has created a sailing culture that is very unique to that lake.
Speaking of unique; Our club, located in a quiet and unassuming spot, has developed an inclusive and easy going cruiser boat culture. I am not sure if it is more about sailing or socializing. I suspect the latter. Sure, we have some of the finest Beer Can racing around, but mostly it is about the camaraderie found at the “liars” table afterwards. I have been to many clubs around the country and never found one quite like ours. We don’t have the greatest body of water to sail on, nor the finest facilities. What we do have is some of the coolest people you will ever meet, and a pretty decent oasis of fun that does not ruin our appreciation of other venues. Most importantly, we have spunk. That is all you need.
If you like spunk, you may enjoy helping to keep it going. We are looking for people interested in joining the board of directors. Please contact me at commodore@ecsail.org if you are interested in a position next year.
It is hard to believe that it is already August! Eric Jones and his crew have been planning the Lobster Fest for several weeks. Lobster Fest will take place on August 20th. You should have already received a “Save the Date” email. To cover the cost of the Lobsters we are charging $12 per person. We need to have a good head count so we order the right amount of those clawed creatures so PLEASE RSVP. We are still seeking 4 additional volunteers to assist with this event. Earn some work credits and join in on all the fun! Contact Eric Jones or Vickie Greenough if you are up for the challenge.
Labor Day cookout will be September 5th and is hosted by Jack and Cindy Hale.
Chili Cook off will be hosted by Jennifer and Ryan Curtis
July has been a great month. Wednesday and Sunday races continue to be a blast. Temps are high, but so are water levels.
Nick and Sheela Prepping for the Beach Party
ECSC Regatta and Beach party proved to be one of our best Racing events of the year. Saturday had some great racing, but unfortunately Sunday the wind didn’t quite cooperate and there were no races Sunday. Dr. Bob and his crew handled the Race Committee duties with expertise and we had some great racing Saturday. Nick Mates and his crew threw one of the best parties of the year. The band played until the wee hours and the dancing and singing was plentiful.
Jeff and Sarah Hanson at the ECSC Beach Party
Red Fleet was won by Nan Schulze in Dutch Mob, 2nd was Perry Cameron in Sublime, and Austin Graef finished third in Don’t Panic. White/Blue Fleet was won by Rich Fox, 2nd went to Chuck and Nancy Goff, and third was Mark Walker. The green fleet was won by Geoff Endris.
Racers at the Skippers Meeting
On another note, Our club was represented for the first time ever in the Bayview Yacht club’s annual race to Mackinac. This is a large yacht race from Port Huron, Michigan to Mackinac Island in Michigan. Club Member Tony (“Toe-Knee”) Hubbard entered his John Alden Challenger. She is 38 feet long and was built in 1961 in England. Her home port is Sandusky, Ohio, but she proudly sailed for and displayed the Eagle Creek Sailing Club Burgee. Her crew included family, along with
Integrity Charging towards the finish of the Bayview Mac Race
extended sailing family. This included many former junior sailors that Tony has mentored over the past decades. Aboard for the race were Toe-Knee Hubbard, his sons Jason and Jacob Hubbard, Cam Borkowski, Barrett Rhodes, John Bergan, and myself – Rick Graef. Delivery crew also included Jim and Bonnie Wolfinger.
Integrity proudly displaying her full colors
The adventure began with a three day delivery from Sandusky to Put-in-Bay to Bayview Yacht Club, then on to Port Huron. After several days of race prep in Port Huron, Integrity began her first race in decades. We battled light air, medium air, and even squalls filled
The view from aloft with lots of canvas in the air.
with lightening, rain that pelted your eyeballs and 45 knot winds. Our only
Integrity flying her A-Kite…before it blew up.
casualty was our asymmetric kite (from a J105) that exploded in 20-25 knots of wind. Integrity finished a respectable 7th out of the 15 boats in her section, and 15th overall out of the 109 yachts competing on the shore course. Following the race, her crew relaxed for a few days on Mackinac Island before beginning the long delivery home to Sandusky. There are lots and lots more stories – so saunter up to me or Captain Tony at the liars table and we would love to share them.
As I write this blog three ECSC J24 crews are preparing their J24s to head north to Put-In-Bay, Ohio to compete in the I-LYA’s Bay Week Regatta. This is often referred to as Senior Bay so as to not confuse it with Junior Bay week. Don’t Panic, Dutch Mob, and Quixotic are all making the trip and will race this Friday through Sunday. This is also the J24 District championships and should be a great regatta.
