• Commodore

    Commodore February 2019

    February 5, 2019 - By 

    With the onset of 2019, ECSC is getting ready to celebrate our 50th Anniversary.  The club has come a long way from its modest beginnings in 1969.  Our club began as a collection of Hobie Catamarans lined up on the beach with no supporting club facilities.  Our first building was the lower shelter.  It is still standing and recently received a much-needed overhaul.  Since these early days we have added the upper shelter, the various maintenance sheds, the floating docks, the gin pole, the power washer, the youth sailing sheds, the playground and many other amenities. 

    We now have 4 gathering areas:

    1. The lower shelter near the playground for smaller family-style gatherings
    2. The upper shelter for larger social or family gatherings
    3. The “Race Pavilion” for nightly and post-race informal gatherings
    4. The Junior area for the Junior team

    What a wonderful club to spend an afternoon or evening!

    Our big capital project for the year will be replacing the boat ramp.  Our current ramp has lasted several decades, but it is cracked and getting worse.  This is a huge project and a huge expense.  This project alone will consume one-third of our cash reserves but will last us for many decades to come. 

    50th Anniversary Gala

    We have big plans for this year to celebrate our 50th anniversary.  Vickie Greenough, Nick Mates and their crew are planning a lot of activities to celebrate.  Current plans are to combine the celebration with the ECSC Beach Party.  There will be more to come in later months.  Vickie and Nick will need a lot of help.  If you would like to volunteer, please contact Vickie (social@ecsail.org).

    Dry-dock Storage

    Once again, we are nearing boat storage capacity.  In order to manage our space better, we are going back to assigned dry slips.  Several years ago, each dry-docked boat was assigned a specific parking lot space.  We went away from that practice several years ago, but it’s time we went back to assigned spaces.  Harbormasters Dennis Robertson and Ki Hickok will be sorting that out, but members will have first dibs on their existing spots.  Open spaces will be awarded based on seniority just like the wet slips.

    2019 Budget Update

    The board approved the 2019 budget at the January board meeting.  In addition to funding our normal activities, we will be funding the 50th Anniversary Celebration.  We are also making some much-needed improvements to the club including:

    • Replace the mast raising gin pole – the current one is nearing its useful life.
    • Replace the dilapidated boat ramp – it is severely cracked.
    • Replace the aging motors for the race committee boats. They are beyond their useful life.
    • Replace the Social Shed refrigerator and the industrial grill in the upper shelter

    The repairs will take about 6 weeks.  Current plans are to begin work one week after the Hornback regatta.  That means all boats must be out of the water by mid-October, or you will have to use the public ramp on the other side of the lake.  There will be several warnings and announcements as we get near to the end of the sailing season.

    The current mast raising pole is made of wood with a fixed lifting arm.  This arm has been hit several times by members driving down the lane next to the water. The new design calls for a metal pole with a movable lifting arm that can be moved out of the way to prevent boats from hitting the lifting arm. 

    Our Race Committee Safety Boats have motors that are 15-20 years old.  One is no longer working, and the other is nearing its useful life.  We are replacing both motors this year.  We replaced a broken motor a couple of years ago, so this gives us all new motors for the main safety boats.

    Remember to get out to your boat to check on your boat covering.  Please inform others if their boat needs attention.

    Geoff Endris

    Commodore

  • Commodore

    Commodore Holiday 2018

    December 21, 2018 - By 

     

    It is my pleasure to serve as your Commodore for 2019.

    This is our 50th anniversary and we are making plans for a great 50th anniversary celebration.  More on that to come in later months.

    Final 2018 Activities

    It is now December and the ECSC sailing season officially ended with the “Black Friday Sail” on November 23rd.  There are still a couple of boats in the water.  Hopefully everyone can get their boats out before they get iced in for the winter.

    With the closing of Sailboats Inc, we have more boats wanting to winter at the club.  Please be patient and work with Harbormaster (Dennis Robertson) to find a place to store your boat.  If you are taking your boat off site for the winter and haven’t done so yet, please let Dennis know so he knows how many other boats he can dry dock.

    The Final Bash was held on November 3rd at Rick’s Boatyard Café and was a great success.  We gave out lots of awards and danced through the night.  Thanks to Larry Conrad for fulfilling his final duty as Past Commodore.  Larry now gets a much deserved 3-year break from club management.

    Board/Officer Changes

    I want to thank Mark Walker for his service as Vice Commodore and Commodore.  Mark is looking forward to taking it easy as the Past Commodore.  We owe Larry and Mark a huge thanks for their work over the past 2 years to improve the club’s facilities.  They paved the way for our “grand projects” this year by taking care of a lot of basic repairs and maintenance.  Please thank them for their service when you see them at the club.

    As is customary, we elected a new group of Board Members at the Final Bash.  We had 15 nominations for 8 board seats.  I am thrilled that we had so many members wanting to take an active role in the club’s management.  I am especially pleased that we have several new members who have shown an interest in serving on the board.  We need new faces and new ideas.

    Our 2019 Club Officers are:

    Commodore Geoff Endris
    Vice Commodore Nan Schulze
    Treasurer Tom Moore
    Secretary Rich Fox
    Past Commodore Mark Walker

     

    Our 2019 Board Members are:

    Term Expires 11/2019 Term Expires 11/2020 Term Expires 11/2021
    Rich Fox Rick Graef Kenny Chapman
    Chuck Goff Bill Harrington Jen Curtis
    Bill Grant Ki Hickok Geoff Endris
    Vickie Greenough Bob Hickok Nancy Goff
    Les Miller Sheela Krout Bob McCoun
    Chauncey Olin Dennis Robertson Tom Moore
    Nan Schulze Jane Schmidt Dan Nicholas
    Mark Walker Wayne Myers Marcus Rogers

     

    The Committee Chair appointments for 2019 are:

    Committee Head Assistant
    Grounds Nan Schulze Tom Moore, Dennis Robertson
    Harbormaster Dennis Robertson Ki Hickok
    Social Vickie Greenough TBD
    Membership Jane Schmidt Christy Merriman
    Safety & Education / Juniors Wayne Myers Dan Nicholas
    Publicity Rick Graef  
    Racing Bob Hickok John George

     

    Keep in mind that the officers and committee chairs all have full time jobs and they volunteer their time to run the club for the benefit of the members.  If you notice something that needs to be addressed, by all means, bring it to someone’s attention.  If you have the time and skills, please also volunteer to address the issue.  If not, don’t be surprised if the request languishes while we try to get a volunteer or contractor to address it.  Our club was built by volunteers and I’d like to rekindle that volunteer spirit.  If we all pitch in, we can keep the club looking great without overtaxing our officers and committee chairs.

    Next Board Meeting

    Our last board meeting of the year was on December 11th.  The main topic for the meeting was the 2019 budget.  Not only do we need to fund our ongoing operations, but we also need to continue updating the club’s facilities.  While we have made a lot of basic repairs over the last 2 years and we have a lot more to do.  With this being our 50th anniversary, I’d like to get the club really spruced up for the “big event.”  There will be lots of work parties and lots of ways for people to get involved in the celebration.

    Looking for a Club Handyman/Maintenance Person

    In the October board meeting, the board authorized the Grounds Committee to hire an outside contractor (non-member) to work as the club’s handyman/maintenance person.  This will be a part-time position working approximately 20 hours per week on daily maintenance tasks to keep the club in good working order.  This is an ideal part-time job for a retired construction or building maintenance person.  If you know of someone who is interested, have him/her contact us at: Grounds@ecsail.org.

    Winter Storage Advice

    Those of you who are storing your boat at the club over the winter, be sure to stop by every 2-3 weeks to check on your boat – especially after a heavy snowfall.  Tarps need adjusting over the winter as wind and snow cause things to shift.  If you are out at the club and notice a boat that needs attention, please take note of the member number on the hull or trailer and contact that member.

    Keep warm.  If you are heading south for the winter, be sure to post pictures on our Facebook page to make the rest of us jealous!

     

    Geoff Endris

    Commodore

  • Publicity

    Publicity – Grounds Committee November 2018

    November 3, 2018 - By 

    Fall Work Party Coming

    The last main activity for the Grounds Committee will be the fall work party where we close up the club for the winter.  We have a lot of tasks to do including:

    • Winterize the bathrooms and the power washer.
    • Stack the picnic tables in the upper shelter.
    • Rake leaves.
    • General club cleanup and maintenance items.
    • Clean up the grills.
    • Clean out the fire pit.
    • Miscellaneous painting
    • Remove the RC boats and boat lift

    We will need several people to bring their hand tools, rakes, shovels, etc.  The work party will be this Saturday November 3 starting at 8:30.  This is your last chance to get work credits to apply to next year’s membership dues.

  • Publicity

    Publicity – Grounds Committee Sept. 2018

    September 1, 2018 - By 

    More Club Changes!

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    The Grounds Committee has been hard at work planning and completing several projects for the club.

    Club Flowerbeds
    Have you noticed the flowers planted around the club? Special thanks to Kate & Andy McMillan and Cody McCoun for planting and watering the plants. If you want to join the Landscape brigade, please contact Kate. We’d like to get volunteers who for the various flower beds around the club (Main entrance, upper shelter, lower shelter, “B-dock”). Volunteers will get club funds to purchase flowers/plants and will get work credits for planning and watering their “garden.” We need about 5 or 6 volunteers.

    [divider height=”30″ style=”default” line=”default” themecolor=”1″]
    Lower Shelter upgrades

    Colin Leatherbury has blocked off a couple of the large Ash logs to make a flower bed boarder at the lower shelter. Kenny Chapman donated some time to help pull out the old railroad ties, so we can fill in the beds and plant flowers. Tony Rice has volunteered to help secure the new logs and block out the flower bed. This will eliminate a safety hazard at the lower shelter and add to the aesthetics of the lower shelter.
    We want to make the lower shelter a place where families can bring their children out to relax, eat and play. Last year, we added a gas grill to the shelter for members to use. We are in the process of installing ceiling fans in the shelter to create a nice breeze. These should be installed in the next week. With the playground nearby, we think this is a perfect place for families to gather and enjoy the club.

    [divider height=”30″ style=”default” line=”default” themecolor=”1″]
    Upper Shelter upgrades
    We have installed new large ceiling fans in the upper shelter. We tested them out yesterday. They move a lot of air and make no noise at all. Hopefully, this will reduce the fan noise in the upper shelter on hot days. All of the fans are on a single switch along with the overhead lights. Note that there is a 7-10 second delay before the fans start moving.
    We are also making plans to fix the water drainage on the north side of the shelter to prevent further damage to the support posts. We will most likely wait until the end of the season as this may be a little more involved.
    You may have noticed that the view from the upper shelter is more open giving a nice view of the harbor. Thanks to Colin Leatherbury for his fine work cutting out the dead trees and trimming the remaining ones.
    We are adding a “family sized” gas grill to the upper shelter. This is so that people won’t have to deal with the large commercial grill when they are cooking for their family/friends. Feel free to use, but please clean up after yourself for the next person.

    [divider height=”30″ style=”default” line=”default” themecolor=”1″]
    Parking Lot Lighting
    Last year, we replaced some of the parking lot lights with lower-cost LED lights. This year, we are replacing the remaining lights with LED lights. This will reduce our electric bill and give the lights longer life before they have to be replaced. The lights will be directional, so we will have good lighting on the parking lots, without lighting up the campground. We also replaced the timer with dusk-to-dawn photo sensors. This eliminates the problem of the timer getting out of sync when the power goes out causing the lights to come on at odd hours.

    Thanks to Mark Walker, Bill Grant and Kenny Chapman for their help.

    Geoff Endris

    Grounds Committee

  • Publicity

    Publicity – Grounds Committee August 2018

    August 8, 2018 - By 

    Let’s talk trash!!

    You may have noticed that we have replaced nearly all of the trash cans on the property.  The exiting cans were open to the elements and filled up with rain water making them hard to empty.  There were other problems with the trash cans that made them difficult to empty without tearing the trash bags.  The new trash cans are a little smaller and have lids.   Special thanks to Bob Hickok and John George for getting and painting the cans.

    We have a trash can set aside at the Race Shed for aluminum cans.  We mounted a can crusher next to the trash can.  Please empty and crush your cans before putting them in the trash.

    Our landscape company has been emptying the trash on Mondays and Thursdays.  This has not been adequate.  We have a lot of members who come out and enjoy the club every night and certain high traffic area trash cans are getting filled every night.  Therefore, we have made arrangements to have the trash cans checked and emptied every day as needed.  We will get additional cans as needed to stay on top of the trash situation.

    I see a lot of people using the club.  This is good.  We all want to come out and enjoy the club.  However, increased use means more trash.  So, please keep the following in mind when disposing of your trash.

    1. Please close and lock the lids after you put your trash in. We have problems with racoons at the club.  This will keep them from getting into the trash and spreading trash all over the club grounds.
    2. Please tear down and/or crush empty boxes. Empty boxes (e.g., beer, soda, etc), take up 25% of the trash can’s volume! Crushing the box will allow the trash cans to hold more trash.
    3. Crush your cans! We have some members who want to recycle aluminum cans.  If you want to participate in our recycling program, please use the can crusher at the Race Shed and put your cans in the special recycling trash can at the Race Shed.
    4. Empty your cans before you throw them away! People are putting half-empty beer cans, soda cans and water bottles in the trash.  This makes the trash heavier to lift and when we empty the trash, all that stale beer flows out onto the person emptying the trash.  No one wants to get covered in stale beer.  So empty your container and crush it before putting it in the trash.

    Other Club Improvements

    We are making other improvements at the club.  You may have noticed the following:

    1. The main driveway was seal coated in July to give is a few more years before we need to resurface it.
    2. We trimmed the bushes along the main driveway and at the main entrance for better visibility.
    3. We are trimming the weeds between the trailers to keep them “at bay.”
    4. Colin Leatherbury has been hard at work trimming the bushes from the edge of the property.  This has opened up the property for a better overall look.

    We have other improvements scheduled for August that we will cover in the next newsletter.

    Contact Geoff Endris at grounds@ecsail.org if you have questions.

    Geoff Endris
    ECSC Grounds
  • Publicity

    Publicity – Grounds Committee July 2018

    August 2, 2018 - By 
     

    The 2018 ECSC Beach Party is a little over a week away.  We need your help getting the club cleaned up and looking good for the event.

    We have some specific cleanup tasks that we need done to get ready for the Beach Party and we need your help.  Volunteer to help clean up the club and you get one free admission ticket to the Beach Party.

    Click HERE for the SignUp Genius page to sign up for the tasks.  Just click on the task you want to help with and click on “submit and sign up.”  We will have a work party on Sunday July 1 to get everything done.  Meet in the upper shelter at 3:00.  Should only take an hour or two.

    Volunteer tasks include:

    1. Help apply water sealer to the new picnic tables (need 8 people).
    2. Weed and rake the sand near the Kayak shed (need 4 people)
    3. General pickup of trash and tree limbs (1-2 people)
    4. Trim the weeds under the main shelter.
    5. Trim the bushes out near the club entrance.
    6. Replace the pit cover next to the upper shelter kitchen.

    Contact Geoff Endris at grounds@ecsail.org if you have questions.

    Geoff Endris
    ECSC Grounds
  • Racing

    Racing July 2018

    July 4, 2018 - By 

    How to Start Faster

    Part #2

    It’s make or break time out on the racecourse, MARK RUSHALL explains how to get a flying start and what to do when things don’t go quite toplan.

    Using a Transit

    Especially in smaller fleets, a transit is a great indicator of where you are relative to the line. Without a transit it is easy to judge a “long line” when close to the pin or the committee boat, but much more difficult in the middle of line. Using a transit in individual practice also helps develop other ways to judge just where the line is. (See fig.1)

    How to Start – Fig 1

    Before the start, sail down an extension of the line. Find a stationery object (in this case the clock tower), which is on the direct line of committee boat and pin end. Wherever you are positioned on the start line, if the clock is directly behind the pin, you are right on the line. If the clock is on the course side of the pin, you are over, and if the clock is on the pre-start side, you are behind. (Note that if you don’t have a bowman standing at the front, you need to allow for the distance to the bow).

    Some like to try to find a ‘safe transit’ by lining up about two boats lengths behind the committee boat. In the example (fig.1) the Eiffel Tower has been handily relocated to our shoreline. Two boats lengths at the committee boat equates to one boat length at the midpoint, less as you start closer to the pin. The transit frequently becomes obscured close to start time.  Lining up alongside nearby boats (the sheep principle) will give an average start, but if there is a line bulge, an OCS. If there is a sag, we are giving away ground to those at the ends of the line.

    Line judging skills come with practice. I recently learned a simple trick from Paul Goodison, ‘Point the boat directly at the pin, holding the tiller dead central. Now sight aft straight along the tiller. If you are sighting behind the committee boat, you are behind the line. If you are sighting in front, you are over.

    On the waterfront, attendance and fun competition on the lake for racing has been great!  Come early on Wednesday if you want a good parking spot!

    Spring Series is complete for the Wednesday Spring Series.  Super Sundays continue on the 4th Sunday of the month.

    Summer Wednesday Series begins on July 4th with patriotic party favors and a raft up after racing for those who want to see different fireworks displays from the water (food and snacks provided).

    The ECSC Regatta in on Saturday July 7th and it FREE for all registered club members!  We will have a light breakfast and sandwiches for on the water.  Dinner at the Beach Party must be reserved by emailing or contacting Nick Mates by July 4th.

     We will hand out awards for the ECSC regatta and Wednesday Spring Series at the Beach Party. See you then. 

    Bob Hickok and John George – Race Committee