Wow! It’s already the end of March – which means our sailing season is upon us! Soon the trees will sprout leaves, the sun will warm up our faces, and the wind will be in our favors. I am so excited to see everyone around the club…getting the boats prepared, cleaned, and in the water.

As most of you know, a couple weeks ago there was a horrible fire at the Walmart Distribution Center…sending hazardous debris all over ECSC. I immediately contacted club member, Dr. Karen Bumb Lauer, who is a past President of the Eagle Creek Park Foundation. She put me right through to the Regional Manager of Eagle Creek Park, Brittany Davis. Brittany was in contact with city officials and they sent out Heritage Environmental (paid for by Walmart) to clean up the debris to protect our drinking water supply, natural habitats, and sensitive bird sanctuaries at Eagle Creek Park – including Eagle Creek Sailing Club. They ended up getting dozens of bags full of debris and cleaned up our land, beach, and waters. The majority of the hazardous debris is gone, but there is still plenty of work to be done around the club. Please contact Bill Harrington to volunteer for work credits during the Spring Work Party which is April 16th (or really work anytime this year).

I am thrilled to get somewhat “back to normal” this year and we can celebrate together with fun regattas, events, and the beach party! I am truly looking forward to seeing you around the club and hanging out at the new cozy Captain’s Corner…as well as the upcoming new Pirate ship playground for the kiddos! Also in 2022, Eagle Creek Park is celebrating its 50th Anniversary! The picture on the park pass is a throwback of sailboats on Eagle Ocean from the 1980’s with our very own Tom Newgent along with others being in the photo! I want to take this opportunity to encourage ECSC members to get your Eagle Creek Park passes directly from the Eagle Creek Park Foundation…as the proceeds stay at Eagle Creek Park (https://eaglecreekpark.org).

With the days growing longer and the weather becoming favorable, I look forward to seeing all you sailors around the club and on the reservoir.

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than those you did. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Ki Hickok,
Commodore

Happy New Year sailors! My name is Ki Hickok, your new Commodore. Thank you for giving me the chance to serve the members of this wonderful club.

I first got into sailing thanks to my dad, Bob Hickok. My first memory of sailing was at Hobie Beach along with traveling to different Hobie regattas. I was both enamored and terrified of sailing at the same time. I guess being so little and being on a Hobie could do that to you. I remember always being terrified of flying a hull on the Hobie or heeling on any sailboat. Now, that’s all I want to do. I was introduced to this beautiful sailing club in 2000 thanks to Janet Hickok. A new world was opened to me. I always thought the only sailboat out there was a catamaran. Ha ha! Thanks to my dad’s and Wayne Myers’ guidance and teachings, I really got into sailing and racing…it was mesmerizing. I learned a lot about how to have fun, work hard, and have perseverance. I wanted to keep that going for other kids from ECSC and the Indy area, so I was graciously given the opportunity to chair the Safety & Education program from 2010-2012. I then went on to be assistant harbormaster in 2019 and 2020 – and, of course, vice Commodore in 2021. Again thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve and I look forward to working diligently and hopefully effectively in making Eagle Creek Sailing Club a better place for all of our members and guests.

We have a great cast of Officers, Committee Heads, and board members who are looking forward to this coming year with excitement, dedication, and enthusiasm!

This year for the first time ever, Eagle Creek Sailing Club’s entire membership registration is online, as well as different payment options. Thank you Perry Cameron, our membership chair, for all the hard work in getting this club into the 21st century. If you have not completed your 2022 registration yet, please make sure you do so ASAP – as the deadline is quickly approaching (Feb 28th).

Also this year, we have a new Officer position, the Facilities Manager! ECSC’s own Bill Harrington has graciously agreed to head the grounds committee as Facilities Manager. For all the new members who may not know, Bill is our current longest-standing member at ECSC (Membership #1). Thank you, Bill, for being the first Facilities Manager ever.

Currently, we have had two board meetings to get things prepared for a wonderful 2022 at ECSC. One on December 14th, at which the 2022 budget was approved. The other was on February 8th, when we discussed changes to the bylaws, general rules, and other needed capital expenses. A list of just a few of the much-needed improvements for the year include:

– The deck around the main shelter will be repaired and repainted.
– The steps to the main shelter will be repaired and repainted.
– A new playground will be installed behind the upper shelter.

Along with much much more…

Feel free to contact me for help and or any questions. I’m looking forward to seeing some new and familiar faces around the club this year.

Happy Sailing,

Ki Hickok
Commodore

I can’t believe it?s already nearly the end of another sailing season.

We entered this year with much trepidation about Covid, wondering how to interact safely.  Fortunately, things continually improved throughout the year allowing us to have very successful social and racing events.  If you are like me, the last year and a half has been a bit foggy somehow seeming slow and incredibly fast simultaneously.

It has been my true pleasure to serve as your Commodore this past year.  I would like to thank each member of our club who has served on the board or volunteered their time and talents to make things run smoothly.  I am very encouraged that multiple younger members volunteered in various capacities.  That bodes well for the future well-being of ECSC.  Everyone has talents that can be used to improve our culture and facilities, please look for ways to volunteer next season.

Ki Hickok will be your Commodore next year and I am confident he will do an excellent job based upon his outstanding accomplishments as Vice Commodore.

Cheers
Chuck Goff

Dear Members,

The kids are back to school, the leaves are beginning to change, and the days are getting shorter.  But, with the changing seasons, the wind is back and we have a lot of great sailing ahead for the remainder of the sailing season.

I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Vice Commodore Ki Hickok for all the projects he has gotten done this year.  I won’t list them all but our grounds look better than they have in years. The Captain’s Corner is quite popular.  The new kayak rack looks fantastic and is right on the water’s edge for easy access.  We have new gravel in our parking area and rip rap at the water’s edge. Most of our buildings have been painted and the restrooms have been updated and repainted.  The race shed has new gutters to help redirect rainwater.  And, not all the additions are aesthetic.  For example, the water cooler under the race shed  has helped many of us stay hydrated on hot summer days.

Please let Ki know if you appreciate all of his efforts.

Chuck Goff

Commodore

Greetings fellow Sailors.

As we reach the midway point of the season, I wanted to pause and reflect on the great year ECSC has experienced. It’s truly a pleasure to be part of such an active organization that has developed so many social and racing activities that encompass all skills, age levels, and interests. Currently, we are blessed to have a thriving healthy club, but we must look to the future to maintain our club’s health.

Last weekend as I listened to Peyton Manning give his Hall of Fame acceptance speech, he spoke of everything football had given him as well his responsibility to the future of football. It made me wonder, just what is our responsibility to ensure the future of sailing? Sailing has given us much joy and has taught us all many lessons. I have had discussions at several other sailing clubs around the country and know that although we are healthier than most, the trend is sharply declining in participation. There are several reasons, but most clubs have aging members with very few young people showing any interest in the activity we love.

Our Junior Sailing program team and its camps are extremely successful, but that won’t fill the void alone. All types of volunteer organizations are struggling to meet their needs. That means we need to continually ask and collaborate on the following questions: How do we save sailing? Are we attracting new people to sailing? Are we serving as good ambassadors to sailing? I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but hopefully I piqued your interest to volunteer in some capacity. This is a volunteer club and change begins here-and-now with you. Please step forward with suggestions followed by actions to help us improve our club and to ensure the future of sailing.

Chuck Goff
Commodore

Wow, I can’t believe we are already halfway through our sailing season. It’s great to enjoy those beautiful sunsets from the water and count all the other sails when we are out.  One  day on the water, Nancy and I counted 24 sails!  That’s fantastic!

Racing and social are off and running strong.  Don’t forget to register for the ECSC pursuit regatta this next weekend and if you RSVP’d in time for the Beach Party, don’t forget to put on those party duds and bring your favorite chair.  Watch for details for the upcoming Ladies Sail on August 14th.

It has come to my attention that some of our new members are not fully aware of how we do things and might need a little help and encouragement, i.e., how much does ice cost?  If you’re not sure about anything, grab someone or just give me a call and I’ll help you (or connect you) with someone who will.

We are glad you are here.

Chuck Goff
Commodore
317-938-1019

The 2021 season is off to a fast start with a lot more to come. We have already had a successful Mayor’s Cup regatta, Wednesday racing, Sunday honors racing, two social events and Junior Sailing Camp. It’s good to see old friends and meet new members both on land and on the water. Personally, I am thrilled to be more socially involved, last year did not work well for my personality type. I know many of us may have fallen into socially withdrawn habits and may not be as outgoing as we used to be due to COVID-19. So please share a smile, a wave and a warm greeting to our fellow sailors. Our club has long been known as a friendly haven for our members so let’s continue that tradition. Also, if you haven’t seen someone this year please grab the directory and give them a call.

Additionally, remember that your volunteer board members and those working on their behalf are doing their very best. If you have suggestions, please volunteer to help make things better. If the food at an event doesn’t come as quickly as you would like, remember that we always have lines, and we don’t always have exactly what you want to eat. We are all ready to have our events back the way they used to be. One last request is to put large items in the dumpster and not in the trash cans as just a few boxes will fill the entire can and makes a huge mess that attracts raccoons.

Cheers,
Chuck Goff
Commodore