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| Commodore |
Such events cause me to think about the sky; the stars, the Sun, and the Moon, but in a way only sailors do. I was taught celestial navigation once. I still have a sextant around somewhere. The Naval Academy quit teaching the manual method ten years ago...boy, does that make me feel old. I still have some bits and pieces of the knowledge stuck in the brain next to the library of Jimmy Buffet song lyrics.
One of the reasons I remember some of this stuff is because it was taught with memory devices. They sure work. We probably all know “red right returning” and it pops instantly into my mind each time I enter a harbor. For the few who don’t know, that little saying reminds you to keep the red buoy to your right when coming into port. I also have “true virgins make dull companions after weddings” available if I ever need to convert a true bearing to a compass bearing for the helmsperson. Also known as TVMDC-AW, it means that when the true bearing is adjusted by variation to magnetic north - which is then adjusted by deviation to get the compass reading, you add west adjustments (and subtract east). If you are dying to know, “can dead men vote twice after elections” will take you the other way and convert a compass reading to true. Yeap, you add east. You get the variation from the chart you are using since it has to do with where you are on the planet and the deviation from the compass card that was calibrated to take into account the small differences in compass readings caused by - oh, I don’t know - a bow full of ammunition? Of course, you could search the Club high and low and not find even one chart or compass card. On a given day, you might find enough cans of beer stored below in some boat to knock the compass off a bit. The inaccuracy of the compass would not be the biggest risk to navigation on that vessel however.
I also have “HOMOTO” and I remember that it means if the height observed (HO) of a body is more (MO) than the height you got at the assumed position you used, then you go toward (TO) the place on the earth directly below the body and you go the amount of the difference. On the other hand, I can guarantee you that even if I had the Almanac and the forms, I could not even begin the 22 some calculations you have to make to get HO. Right: Cooks for the Father's Day Brunch When we sail up and down our little lake, we exercise a skill a remarkably few people have and we sail in the wake of a line of predecessors who had even more remarkable skills. Give them a clear night and a star and in the middle of any ocean they could figure out pretty much exactly where they were. They could do this because their predecessors had spent years watching the movement of the stars, the Sun, and the Moon across the sky. When we sail, we stand on the shoulders of the Phoenicians. As I write this, Wayne and his crew are passing along the basic sailing skills to a new group - another generation. Maybe one or two of them will be sufficiently intrigued with the sailing arts to go on to learn other nautical skills including finding your way by the stars. It won’t make you any money, but each year when spring becomes summer, you will know a lot about what is actually going on with the earth and the Sun. By the way, if I really have to take the boat across the Gulfstream to Bimini, I grab the GPS. If you have any interest in celestial navigation, Bowditch, The American Practical Navigator, is on-line and free at www.irbs.com/bowditch. Start with Chapter 18 – “Time” Believe me, time is not what you think it is.
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| Social |
 4th of July already?? Hard to believe, but here we are ready to celebrate our birthday USA! On this Friday, we will be having our 4th of July Pig Roast at ECSC. The pig will be roasting at the Club and Fran & Ed Rice and committee will be setting up for our eating enjoyment to begin at 5pm. Right: Roger surrounded by his family at the Father's Day Brunch There will be some hamburgers and dogs for those who don't like the pork and corn on the cob...drinks will also be provided. Everyone is asked to bring your favorite summer cookout side dish. Remember, please bring enough so everyone can enjoy a taste... Come on out and enjoy your Club. There is something for everyone! Check out the ECSC website for other upcoming social and racing events.
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| Harbormaster |
 Summer is here and Eagle Creek Sailing Club is the place to be. Water levels are great and we've had warm breezes and great sailing all spring. You may also have noticed that we have also had our share of spring rains over the previous couple months. Seems that every year we have at least one good flood onto our grounds. This year was no exception. As a result of this rain we had several gravel erosion issues around our parking and driving areas. Thanks to Ralph Merriman, Mike Gray, and Bob Bodish for their work to keep these areas as level as possible. We also had a major hill slide on the hill between the upper shelter and Bob Bodish's place. The slide dropped a few trees into the water behind C-Dock and also trapped one unsuspecting boat on C-Dock. Most of the trees have been cut back and the boat has been freed.
Above: Past Commodore Bob & Harbormaster Rick in the Club Safety Boat June 8th our fellow Club members turned out in mass to clean up the latest flood debris from our grounds. Thanks to: Paul Wycoff, Les Eigenbrod, Mike Gray, Jay Beery, Samantha Berry, Rich Fox, Sean O'Brien, Diana O'Brien, Rick Sprowl, Mike Bocock, Harold Thompson, Tony Rice, Ron Swinford, Bob Menchhofer, John Gilmor, Bill Freihofer, Parrish Conner, Chuck Dunn, Loe Lehr, Bill Harrington, Jack Hale, and Bob Bodish for all their hard work. There are still a few members who have slips assigned and their boats are still on trailers. If this is you, get it in the water. It's way past the date set by the Club to make sure you are in your assigned parking space. And, I say again, you can be fined for being so late. Please be courteous to your fellow Club members. Ralph and I will soon be busy checking boat and trailer stickers. If yours isn't current, please make sure you attach it soon. The sticker on your boat is your pass to be on the Lake. If it isn't current, you may be asked to pay the lake launching fee (it's included with our current membership). We have also been trying to get rid of the ever-present derelict boats. If the Club sticker on your boat isn't current, it may be mistaken for abandoned.
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| Racing |
 Incredibly enough, the Spring Racing Series is coming to a close! We only have two more Wednesday races and two more Saturday races to go! The competition is getting fierce… In addition, we have the upcoming ECSC REGATTA—JULY 19-20!! This is our “fun” regatta in which we host the Comet Territorials and our annual BEACH PARTY. The ECSC Registration, NOR, and SI are available on the Racing website to preview and download for your convenience. The dinner and fun activities are open to all Club members and their guests for a mere $12!! We will be hosting a Friday nite burger/dog Welcome Party, Saturday morning bagel/coffee bar, afternoon margarita/cervasa tiki hut, and catered evening buffet (by Sahm’s) a’la mer. Following will be drinks and dancing by the moonlight on our own private beach, with sounds from “EJ the DJ” and his assistant Ki Hickok. Please plan to attend!
Above & Below: Race Chair Janet at the Ladies' Sail In other news, the Skipperinas and their Lady Crew took to the seas June 29th for the first of their two outings. In spite of the efforts of certain pirates and buccaneers (who shall remain nameless lest they rest in infamy), the ladies were able to complete their naval mission and enjoy a bounty of food and drink at day’s end… Thanks again, to the gals and guys who contributed so much to make this outing a success.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
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| Atta Boy Wayne |
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I was ready to crack open my first celebration drink for the evening! It was a Friday evening and seven of our junior sailors were all packed and heading off to Sandusky for a junior I-LYA Traveler Series regatta.
Seven juniors!!!! And, in a mix of some really good sailors to beginners. My program is hitting its peak. Over the past few years, I managed to put together six good Lasers for racing or advanced training purposes. Add a couple more that the parents bought, and we can accommodate up to eight juniors with good competitive boats. And, we have the older triple trailer to pull three Lasers...and built two smaller double trailers along with three more single trailers. Add the car-top capability, and we can usually get the Lasers there for the kids to sail.
Right: The Triple Trailer being prep'd by Phil Yes....I can relax...with only tomorrow's sailing school to worry about. Uh...should I answer my cell? What? Your car broke down pulling the triple?? Where?? Oh well...there goes my quiet evening!
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| Junior Sailing Program |
 I'd like to thank Wayne Myers for his strong commitment to our junior sailing program. He has actively recruited young sailors, built up our junior sailing equipment, and patiently repaired boats as they take a beating while new sailors hone their sailing skills. Right: Setup at the North Cape Junior Regatta But a couple of weekends ago he went above and beyond the call of duty when he dropped everything on a Friday night to help two of our newest junior sailors get to the Sandusky Sailing Club for one of the I-LYA Traveler Series regattas. After receiving a call from one of the dads that his engine blew up on the way, Wayne jumped into his van and made the 5-hour drive up to Sandusky (picking up the stranded sailors/boats on the way) so they could get to one of the two required open-water regatta requirements for Junior Bay Week. He got the kids on the water, hung out until the regatta was finished, then drove the 5 hours back to Indy. And they're not even his kids! So, Wayne, my hat's off to you for all you do for the junior sailors of our Club.
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| Members' News |
 A Pirate looks at 50!
WHO: Rick Sprowl RSVP: Edna Sprowl 244-1561h, 481-0916w, 374-7773c Please join us in celebrating Rick’s 50th birthday. All Club members are invited to a raft-up on our own Eagle Ocean on Saturday, July 12th. Arrive anytime after 2:30 p.m. and tie up for an afternoon/evening of fun and frivolity. Above: At the Ladies' Sail Bring the usual, including any funny or embarrassing “Rick” stories you would like to share. ===================================== Keep up with the adventures of our own Mike Huffer: http://www.sailblogs.com/member/chicabonita/ ===================================== An Ode to John E. Storer, Jr Sense of humor: Delight in words, especially puns Affectionate teasing Inquiring, retentive mind, adventuresome, zest Bolo tie with Petoskey stone
Engineer:
Love of music:
Post retirement:
Travel: John is still remembered for his persona at our Club...my most memorable was his Hobie sailboat racing clear into his 80s.
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| Bailer's Tips & More |
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I try to answer all E-Mail messages, letters, even notes scrawled on my PVC dodger window, with what I suspect could be a 7/8” roofing nail (the lab results are not back yet, but this is my theory anyway). However, I am so busy fixing things that went wrong over the long wet winter, that my fix-it cup is full to the brim and running over. So, if your question or suggestion is not posted below, it is nothing personal. I am just overworked and, to tell you the truth, I may not have a wise or witty answer handy. However, each question is handled with the care and compassion normally associated with taking care of a newborn puppy. So, keep the cards and letters coming. Bailer cares! Maybe he cares too much for his own good. But you know, that’s just fine and dandy with me. A Sailor in need always has an open slip in Bailer's heart.
1: Via Dodger scrawl
Dodger Scrawler:
2: Via E-Mail
Above: At the Ladies' Sail Dear Anonymous: Ok, I know you are mad at me. But for crying out loud, we are married and you have not brought me food for nearly three weeks! Yes, I’m a little hard to get along with. But for crying out loud (repeating "for crying out loud" is a quality, not an irritant), I’m hungry. You have put me on a hunger strike without my consent. I promise I will behave next visit. Visit soon and please bring food. Remember the Bailer you fell in love with and married and try to forget the rest… XOXOXOXO Bailer
3: Via E-Mail
Curious Georgette:
4: Via E-Mail
Right: Father's Day Brunch Cook
Sir Devlin Yorkshire Jones:Sir Devlin, you can trust me with a secret and that is for sure. You know the saying “Three men can keep a secret as long as two of them are dead.” Well, I always seem to survive secrets and to answer your question, I prefer rounding the Horn old school. The Drakes Passage is perilous as well, but between two gifted sailors, the Horn, she must be rounded! My best to you, Sir Devlin. You are as fine of a sailor as I ever did see. Your Best Friend For Life - Bailer Well, that’s it for now. I need to dry off my laptop so I can read more messages...not to mention replacing my Dodger window look-through thing. So, keep the cards, letters, and scrawls coming…. Sail on, Sail on.... The Bailer
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| Membership |
 Please welcome our new members to the Club: Steve Wolszczak & Julia Hoffman of Greenwood, sailing a Precision P-21. Mark & Susan Westermeier, and their daughters Emilly and Olivia, of Carmel, have returned to our Club sailing a Hunter 23. Our Club has a variety of membership classes. As of June 2008, those classes are as follows:
Membership Count: 236
Right: Rick with his bottle-opener sandal
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| Safety & Education |
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Junior Sailing Camp Over 50 boys & girls signed up to learn how to sail the past month. This year’s camp ran for three weeks with many young sailors signing up for multiple weeks. We wish to say “Job Well Done” to all of our ECSC sailing instructors, Ki Hickok, Erika Williams, Hannah Fisher, EJ Williams, and Cody McCoun. And, I wish to say, “thank you” to all who helped out.
Junior Bay Week “Good luck guys and keep the pointed side down”
I-LYA Traveler Series Regatta at Sandusky Sailing Club In the Radial Class, John Fisher, with only a few hours experience sailing a Radial, picked up his 2nd win taking this 13-boat division. Erika Williams finished 4th in the Radials and showed that she can sail in heavy air and hold her own. Right: John & Hannah Fisher (center) and family at Sandusky
Kaitlynn Petrucci and Becca Hallstead showed the ECSC colors in their 1st open water event. Although they finished 10th & 11th out of 13 boats, we all know their best racing is yet to come as they get older.
Something to Think About For all the educational books, courses, and videos, you can’t duplicate time before the mast.
Calendar *U.S. Jr. Championships If you or your junior would like to travel to one of these regattas, please call or talk to us. The Club will supply the boats and some funding is there.
Above: Evan "not swimming" at the Ladies Sail Raftup
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2008 Social Calendar, Click Here.
2008 Racing Calendar, Click Here.
2008 Overall Club Calendar, Click Here.
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| Eagle Creek Sail Club ECSC Home Page |
