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| Commodore |
Hopefully, all members got their dues in on time and even more hopefully, the weather will turn spring-like in March. At this time of year, the Club is running like a well-oiled machine which is the way I like to run our board meetings...Robert's Rules of Order or along those lines. It really makes the meetings efficient and more business like...not to mention under a hour in length.
A side note to all committee heads, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." With all that said and my beautiful wife serving us yet an other cocktail, I believe I see Captiva's lights coming into view....
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| Social |
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Spring IS just around the corner!!!!! I keep telling myself this as more snow is falling - AGAIN……. Just a brief note to everyone to remind you that you can view the social schedule for this year on the Club website. All dates and times are listed there for the upcoming year. Hope to see lots of you at these events and that you will consider volunteering your help and earn work credits for next year as well.
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| Harbormaster |
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Spring is just around the corner. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for warm weather and stiff breezes.
Work Party (AKA – lolly, lolly, lolly get your work credits here)
“Work Parties = Work Credits”
Slips
The first crack at a new slip is by slip-owners with a written-dated slip change request (on a piece of paper (bar napkins are ok) filed with the Harbor Master (E-Mail is OK to). Then the members at the top of the Slip Wait List (who usually always pass) get asked next. When they pass, the next people on the wait list are then offered a permanent slip in the order they appear on that list. At that time, they will be required to come up with the slip fees or pass. After that, the sub-leases will be offered to the next members on the wait list.
Dry Parking and Beach Spots
Sub-leases
Trailers
If you put your boat into the water before May 1st (which you should. . .), please put the trailer in any available space (outside of the car corral if possible) and then remember to move your trailer to the upper field after May 1st. All trailers and boats must be out of the car corral before Mother's Day (Sunday, May 11th). Also, all boats and trailers should be in their assigned spots (slip, dry, or beach) before Sunday June 1st.
....your friendly Harbor Master
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| Racing |
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As I look at the calendar and see the new season approaching with great anticipation, I realize all the little things that I still need to get my boat ready for the new season. The folks at Sailboats Inc. have been helping me find the tune up gear that I need, and it is so convenient to pick it up when I am there for the monthly competitors meeting. Last month, my fellow sailors and I met to receive our new Sailing Instructions and Notice of Race for the Spring Series of Races. If you weren’t there, you can still get the notices off of the internet. Nick Marson has done a wonderful job of updating the racing website at race.ecsail.org.
We also watched a wonderful DVD brought in by Jeff Drake on the rules of Racing. We learned bunches about overlaps and rights when rounding marks. Everyone enjoyed the popcorn supplied by the Boathouse Grill and many brought their own refreshments. Please find time to be at the next meeting on March 19th at 6:50 pm. Eileen and Charlie will be there to help you with what you might need/want for your boat. Your friends who you have not seen all winter will also be there just like an indoor chair party. I am sure that there will be some sailing stories told and a chance for you to input your ideas for the season to come.
Above: Ralph with his Day-After-Thanksgiving Burgee Also, just a reminder for the approaching sailing/racing season that, we the Club, is who makes the program run and makes it fun. There are plenty of opportunities to join your friends and help out your fellow sailors. There will be a racing work party on April 5th to help tune up the committee boats and get the race gear ready for an exciting season. For the new racers and the rusty veterans, there will be an "ON THE WATER" committee boat and safety boat review on Saturday April 19th. And, on April 30th, the highly anticipated opening race of the 2008 Spring Series! Just can't wait....
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| Mayor's Cup Regatta |
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Coming up before you know it will be the Mayor’s Cup Regatta, May 16 – 18, 2008. This is the first “big” regatta of the season...a good time to shake out those sails! The organizing committee has been planning all winter, so you can be sure it will be a great event for everyone! We have some fabulous food and music lined up for everyone to enjoy. Even if you don’t plan to race, helpers are needed, or just come out and be on the water to cheer the racers on! This is an opportunity to show our beautiful facilities here on Eagle Creek to outside racers. We need your support! If you are interested in helping with this event, please send me a message at MayorsCup @ ECSail (.org). The Sailing Instructions, Notice of Race, and Registration forms can be found on our race site (race.ecsail.org).
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| Bailer's Tips & More |
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The Mrs. visited the other day...she brought me some cheese grits and stacked enchiladas (my favorite)! She takes great care of me and always brings me enough food to cover the space between her next visit. I asked her to bring me those little micro-wave sausage breakfast sandwiches next time because I hate to think of her slaving away in the kitchen for me. Besides, I love those little gourmet saucers of pleasure! I asked her if I could come visit or if she would at least tell me where her house was, but she reminded me that she married me out of love...not because she wanted to spend a lot of time with me. Her whereabouts remains a mystery. After 42 years of marriage (heck, my first two lasted no more than 10 years each), 5 children, 18 grandchildren, and 7 great children, we are talking about having another child to keep our toddler company! The more Bailers, the better to keep our big blue marble afloat!
After all these years, I have discovered my behavior determines the amount of rations she brings. If she brings enough for a week, then I know I must have spoken out of turn or created trouble on the docks. Sometimes, she only brings rations enough for a few days and I think, man-o-man Bailer, you are one cool dude. The ladies love Bailer! Then, the next visit I may get two weeks rations. She keeps me fed. She keeps me grounded...so to speak. And in my eyes, we have a perfect relationship...Ok, other than the fact that I do not know where she lives and she refuses to live aboard with me. However, like most great love stories, ours is beautiful and complex...not one of those made-for-TV love stories, but one of those big-screen romances. She is one lucky gal and so am I...except I am a guy, so I guess we are both lucky.
Above: The whole Day-After-Thanksgiving Crew Which brings me to my point, March is upon us and soon we can spend more time working together (club members) continuing to make this a Club to be proud of. I have been told this is one of the reasons I have been given the most obscure slips in the fleet. So let's not lose focus. Let's continue to build a great Club. If we keep the Club attractive and we pay our dues, we can have a good chance of keeping the Club a "home away from home" or in my case, home. Tips and ideas for our Club. 1: Pick up after yourself and put the aluminum cans into the recycle bin. This can generate money for the Club and is a good message to every visitor. 2: Get your kids involved in racing. It is fun and wholesome. Besides, it’s a good way to trick your child into learning how to sail...learning a skill. We have some great teachers. Let's take advantage. 3: When using the portalet, remember to close the door. Yes, it is easier to talk to your friends, but in polite society.... 4: Take your friends sailing...show them the Club. Make them realize how cool this place is. We are a great little secret, so like all secrets, tell a friend! But, make sure they keep it a secret. As the saying goes, three men can keep a secret as long as two of them are dead. We are proud of our Club, so the best way to let the news spread of how nice our Club is, is to rely on the coconut telegraph. 5: Although a great idea, I think the Board should sit on the idea of building a razorwire cage for Saturday night cage fights. Yes, this could generate revenue, but I for one, feel this strays from the idea of this being a sailing club. These are my thoughts, yet I am only one man and will stand by whatever the Board decides. Sail on, Sail on.... The Bailer
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| Members' News |
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Eagle Creek Reservoir lot (4465 McCurdy Road) 2.5 acres (120’ X 856’) of wooded, undulating terrain that slopes to 120’ of water frontage on the west side of the Reservoir. Rough property boundaries are McCurdy Road on the west, Eagle Creek Reservoir on the east, a farm fence on the north, and the shared driveway on the south. Survey available. Lannie at talktotucker dotcom
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| Membership |
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February brought us two new members in spite of the weather. Please welcome our newest members to the Club: George and Roslyn Brandt of Fishers, sailing a Ultimate 20. Steve and Shawna Schaub of Indianapolis who are looking for just the right boat for them. The 2008 Membership Kits are being mailed as dues are received. Please allow 10 to 14 days from the time you mail your dues to receipt of your kit. For Regular/Family members, the Membership Kit includes keys, round decals for boat and trailer, and the label for the back of the membership card. Please check your Kit to make sure you received the keys, decals, and labels that you expected. If something is missing or incorrect, please send me a message at ecsc_membership at yahoo (com) or leave a message at 317-745-7230 advising what you need. I would again like to thank the following members for serving on the Membership Committee - Jane Schmidt, Nancy Combs, and continuing his support Rich Fox. If there ever was an Assistant Chairman for Membership, Rich would personify that position. Their help made it possible to get the Annual Dues/Fees Statement out January 12th, and for Membership Kits to be mailed in a timely manner.
Key Codes Please keep your old Club keys until the Harbormaster has announced that the Club's main gate lock has been changed. Your new keys will not work until the locks are changed. This is usually the first couple of weeks in April. With our current up and down weather, let's hope tradition holds true. The ECSC Membership Directory will be published in April and distributed by mid May. A big thank you to Barb, Bill, and Tyler Andrews for volunteering to help distribute the Directory.
Above: Our beautiful lake view!! I would be remiss if I didn't make special mention of Cassie Brehob's illustrative return dues/fees envelope. You just have to see it, or not, to believe it. Maybe a contest next year? Who knows. Membership Count: 243
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| Safety & Education |
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Preparation It's almost impossible to be your best all the time. Therefore, it is important to choose some important regattas during the year and peak at those times. The most important thing is to keep on having fun...no matter how you finish.
In the long term, it’s very important to feel fit. You can be lucky and it can be light winds all the time. Or, there can be a day with no sailing. You are better off being prepared for the difficult conditions. This will also make you mentally at ease. Most of us have enough power to sail pretty well for one or two days, but when you are going to sail more often, you need to be stronger...first to be able to keep sailing, but even more, to stay free of injuries. If you increase your power, you also have to increase your flexibility, so stretch! Right: Laser Midwinter East Ragatta in Clearwater You need a plan every time you go out to practice. If you just go sailing, without having anything particular in mind, you will spend a lot of time without improving very fast. Also, try to find someone you like to train with and work together. There’s nobody who can get to the top alone, we all need partners to train with. When you’re training with a partner it’s up to the fast one to help the slow one to be as fast as him/her. I know that sounds like giving your secrets away, but if you wanna get help when you’re in trouble, you had better help your partner when they're in trouble – that’s teamwork! Don’t waste your time on jealousy...sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Something to Think About Independence, self-responsibility, confidence, and self experiencing of life. What parent doesn't want their kids to grow with self-assurance and all the other "selfs" needed in later life? "I have seen the change in kids that we have brought through our sailing programs." Your child will only sail if you make the commitment and make it fun. News
170 Lasers On The Line There are three ramps to launch your boat. The channel out to the Gulf is 300 yards wide and about a half-mile long with strong currents and tricky winds under the bridge. The race course was set up two miles off the shore. Their club supports Olympic racers with space and training year-round at no charge. What a great place to sail in the winter, when we are snow and ice bound. With four days of racing, our newest ECSC Junior, Ryan Wood, started his first open water race on a 4.7 Laser rig. His best was a 17th place finish (out of 23)...not bad for his first time out of the box. The second day with very high wind gusts above 25 mph and large waves, was an eye opener for him. The third day was a rain-out and the fourth day with no wind.
We ran into many old friends down there and sat around telling old stories from the past. Ryan's father, Rick, has a rich racing history, also...Kings Point and winning many US championships on small boats. They both will be a great addition to our ECSC junior team this year.
FYI:
Results? Click Here.
Right: The sail out to the Gulf...ECSC junior Ryan Wood in the center
ECSC Junior Sailing Team
As of this date, ECSC junior team members are:
Support Staff:
Note: All Junior team members can sign up for Junior sailing weeks and it's FREE for you guys!
April Team Practices & Events
Saturday’s time: 12 pm
Sunday’s time: 11:30 am
Other News
Note to ECSC Members: Work credits will be offered this year for assistance with this program!!
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| Sailboats, Inc |
Our On Line Boating Store is now open!!!
 We've worked on getting this set up all winter. We know many of you like to shop from the comfort of your home (or at work!) for many boating items. Our on line store is a development of our main marine supplier to assist all their small dealers to compete with the on line giants that remain unnamed. Pricing is competitive. Some sailing-specific items are on the site. Now you can order cleaning, docking and anchoring supplies, and even clothing. Basically, we've added thousands of items that you use...more than we can possibly stock in our store. When you use our new on-line store, you are helping us! Items can be shipped directly to your home or to Sailboats, Inc. for you to pick up. At the shop you will still find a wide assortment of manufacturer specific items (i.e. Hobie, Laser, Harken, Ronstan, etc), stainless steel hardware, and hazardous shipping materials (paint!). Our catalogues are always open for special ordering, too.
The new line of Hobie Cats arrived February 16th and should be unboxed and assembled soon. Stop by to see this new Hobie Cat next time you're in the area. Also just arriving is a brand new Precision 18 and shortly two new boats from Catalina...a 22 Sport and Catalina Capri 22 Wing. Welcome Kevin Buchanan and Kenny Chapman (Capt'n Kenny) who recently joined the Sailboats, Inc. team. This brings our team to five talented sailors helping sailors. By the way, Greg Branham turned 50 this week and is celebrating in Key West. Happy Birthday Greg! See you on the water...very soon!
Above: Our winter sailors
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| Ship's Store |
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Welcome to the Ship's Store. Here are a few things you should know about your store: Shopping The store will be open at the main shelter for all seven major social events and at the Final Bash. Items can also be obtained by shopping our online store (link on our website) and making mutual arrangements for pick up at the Club. Arrangements are made by calling or E-Mailing Al or Burnie Wilkins.
317-417-1653
Product Line Sailors...in the coming months, check us out. Wearing gear with the Club logo is another way of showing pride in your Club.
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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 |
