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| Commodore |
With the “Final Bash” still fresh in our minds, I’d like to thank Linda Johnson and her helpers for a fine evening of great food and entertainment. It felt familiar to me to be back at Celebrations Banquet Facility for the annual meeting and awards presentation. The centerpieces and pictures that were given away were fantastic, and I think someone was always on the dance floor moving to the beat of the Jayne Bond Band. Don’t miss it next year!
I, Bob Hickok, am a proud Navy veteran, and US Postal employee who has been sailing since I was a teenager. I was given a 12 foot wooden daysailor, and reconditioned it one winter with a friend. The next summer my mother had to ferry me and my boat around since I did not yet have my driver's license. With a cooler of pop and some good buddies, I was off onto the waters of Eagle Creek to terrorize the fishermen, and probably some Sailing Club members, as well. I soon purchased my first Hobie Cat and I was hooked for life. I became involved with Division 10 Fleet 26 based at Hobie Beach. The traveling, racing, and shrimp-filled socials were a great time. The friendships I made still remain, along with the many fond memories. My desire to “spread my webbed feet,” however, led me to Lake Wawasee to race E-Scows, where I met the love of my life, Janet. Incredibly, she was also a sailor at Eagle Creek...from the “other” side of the lake.
Left: Bob awarding the Sportsmanship Plaque to Bruce Berner I am honored to be your Commodore for the 2007 season. With the fine staff of committee heads and directors (who are listed at the end of the Telltales), I’m confident we’ll rise to the many tasks ahead. ECSC is a family club, and by paying attention to its families’ needs and facility improvements, we, as volunteers, can keep ECSC the best sailing club in the Midwest. The board has been working on a budget for next year which includes appropriating a replacement safety and race committee boats, more Club lasers, and a new social grill for the upper shelter to replace the one that has been there longer than most can remember. One item of concern involves the upper field trailer parking area. For future years that we’re gratefully able to use this land, we each need to be responsible for moving our own trailers in and out by the designated dates. Please don’t leave that burden with the Harbormaster, he might charge you for it. Also, do not forget that all fees and dues are expected to be paid by you on or before February 28th, 2007. Failure to make timely payment will cause you to relinquish your current slip assignment and will position your name at the end of the current slip waiting list. Don’t forget to winterize your outboards. And, don't forget our winter Club ice-skate gatherings and our annual ski trip. Happy Holidays and have great New Year!
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| Social |
Hello everyone…. The social season has come to an end for '06. It’s very hard to believe that the season is over already.I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who in any way helped me with all of the plans and events that we put on this year. None of these would happen without your help and hard work. Just a hats off to all of you who worked as crew & hosts. Those hosting this year were: Cheryl Roberts, Bill Harrington, Larry & Pauline January, George Alyea, Fran & Ed Rice, Angie & Rich White, Evan & Katie Williams, and Pat & Rich Killen. Also, a Big “Thanks” to Bob Bodish for always being there with a helping hand!
Above: Our race leaders, the Irwins and Cunninghams at the Bash The Chili Cook Off was a great success. Rich & Pat Killen did a wonderful job with their crew in throwing a fun party. Jen Fisher painted pumpkin faces for the younger & older crowd. The cook off winners were:
Left: Edna Sprowl surrounded by the Brehob "twins" Carly and Cassie (you figure out which one is which, I can't) Congratulations to all of our new officers for '07! They will be working hard to plan a great year for the Club. Remember, the planning just gets started now for next year's events. Please contact me for working events for '07. It’s not too early to E-Mail me with your interest in hosting an event or just working as crew to earn work credits. My E-Mail: lindajohnson@indy.rr.com or call me at 566-0353. Thanks! Have a great winter season!
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| Harbormaster |
The Club closing work party went smoothly, THANKS to all who helped. It only took about three hours to move everything...and then some. Good work all! Work credits will be E-Mailed out soon. If you don’t get them, call me at 852-7464 or E-Mail at bill@ecsail.org.Winter storage is still $60 per boat for the whole season. The cutoff date is whenever I get there the first part of December. If your boat is there then, you will be charged. Used boat batteries or hazardous material should not be disposed of in the dumpster!! We found three there last week. We wouldn’t want to lose our trash contract because of carelessness.
Above: Our IUPUI kids doing their fund raising thing Seriously, the best place on the Northwest Side, for Marion County residents (give them your zipcode), is run by the City at Trader’s Point Tox Drop...located at 7400 N. Lafayette Road between the DOT salt barn and Farm Bureau Co-Op. They’re open the first and third Saturday of each month between 9am and 2pm. They accept all Hazardous Waste. Any questions call them at 327-4869. And, you can plan on the Club-opening spring work party probably being Saturday, April 21st or 28th at 9am, but don’t quote me on that. The wait list is 64, so DON’T FORGET FEB 28th!!!!!
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| Racing |
Article by Mike Irwin this month2006 Racing is almost over. Only one more race remains...the Day After Thanksgiving Race. Meet at the ramp about noon. See Chris or Mike for details. Congratulations to Janet Hickok (pictured right) on her well-deserved award of Sailor of the Year for the 2006 sailing season. All available racing results have been posted on the website. Thanks for racing in 2006. If you won an award and were not at the Final Bash to pick it up, it's in the race shed with your name on it. A Special Thanks to all who have helped this year by volunteering to help run a race, doing safety, working a regatta, or doing something special during the year to help out with the racing program. We are all lucky to have such a great group of people that share their time for the benefit of all. With that said, we are already planning another great year and as always, we are looking for volunteers. If you are interested in running a regatta next year, give either Chris or me a call. After two years of running the racing program at ECSC, it's so far so good! No major complaints thus far as we end this 2nd year. Well, we have learned a lot and looking forward to making next year even better. Also, don't forget to attend the winter race meetings. They will be informative and FUN! Look for times and details in the January Telltales.
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| ISC's Keelover Regatta |
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A Blast On and Off the Water! I have to tell you what a great time Denise and I had participating in the Indianapolis Sailing Club 2nd annual Keelover Regatta on Saturday, October 14th, on Geist Reservoir. A few weeks prior to the Regatta, ISC had contacted Commodore Evan Williams to encourage Eagle Creek Sailing Club participation. It sounded like a great idea and the travel time was minimal. We arrived Friday afternoon and checked out the ISC facilities – what a terrific clubhouse. My Catalina 22 was rigged and ready to go within 30 minutes. That evening we returned to find the ISC sailors gathering in the large sail loft barn. We joined them for drinks and burgers as the cool westerly wind blew off the lake and past the barn doors. Everybody was most outgoing to introduce themselves and they all made us feel like honored guests all weekend.
The ISC Race Committee did a super job educating the participants about the details of the race course. They made sure everybody’s questions were answered. The Race Committee set and maintained a triangle course, quickly made adjustments in-between races, and kept the waiting between races to a very acceptable minimum. A total of three races were held...two laps each. Racing began at 12:00 Noon and wrapped up by 4:00pm. Approximately 18 keel boats participated in the regatta with four classes. There were three Capri 22s, three Hunter 260s, four Catalina 25s, a couple of Compac 19s and 23s, an O’Day 240 and 26, a Colgate 26, a Pearson 26, and a few other boats. ISC recently expanded their big-boat docks to attract new keel boat owners to their club. As a result, keelboat racing is relatively new at ISC, and the program is off to a strong start!
Above: Rich & Denise in our Hornback regatta After racing, happy hour began at 6:00pm and a delicious catered chicken dinner was served at 7:00pm. The ISC hospitality got better and better as ISC members continued to introduce themselves and thanked us for supporting their regatta. Throughout the evening, ideas were exchanged about promoting more inter-club competition between ISC and ECSC. Many ISC sailors also expressed an interest in attending our Governor’s Cup Regatta. There was even discussion about setting up an Indianapolis Championship Challenge that included clubs from Muncie, Lafayette, Monroe, and Brookville. What do you think? I am pleased to tell my fellow ECSC members that we won the “Bragging Rights” trophy for ECSC as the Overall Winner of the Keelover Regatta. Next year we plan to return to the ISC Keelboat Regatta to defend the “Bragging Rights” trophy.” We sure hope more ECSC members will join in the fun!
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| 2006 Chili Cookoff |
We had a beautiful fall night with a harvest moon for the Chili Cookoff. Pumpkins, cornstalks, a roaring fire, and bales of hay added to the atmosphere. EJ the DJ and his music entertained the crowd. We had fifteen delicious and varied chili entrants in the contest. The winners were: 1st place, Caroline Stevens, 2nd place, Vicki Drake, 3rd place, Ricky Roehling, Most Unusual, Diana Lehr, and Best Presentation, Margaret Banning.We would like to thank Michelle & Roger Knapp, Linda & Greg Johnson, and Karen & Terry Killen for their help at this event. Also thank you to Jennifer Fisher for her artistic talent in painting pumpkins for the children. We hope you consider entering your chili at this event next year. It’s a bowl of fun!
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| Member Testimonials |
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It's that time of year when people are pulling out and winterizing their motors. I located a Marine and Automotive shop at 5337 Winthrop Avenue - Hughey Automotive & Marine (507- 7559) that I was very happy with. Under routine fall maintenance, they discovered a water pump issue that would have probably stopped me next season. The owner is David Hughey. David is ASE certified and has over 16 years experience. Who knows, maybe Charlie and Eileen could contract them if need be. Larry January
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| Ship's Store |
Christmas shopping—one stop!Order a brand new blue ECSC golf shirt for only $33. Who could use a new grey sweatshirt, available in all sizes for only $26. What about an ECSC chair complete with logo for $20? Does your family room sport a burgee? Only 7 left at $24 — better hurry. These are some of the hottest gifts available. Get ready for Spring with a new khaki cap with logo for only $12. Free clear ECSC decal with order! Other items available in limited supply. Call Rick Ahrbecker at 753-5369 for more info and delivery.
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| Isla Mujeres & My Holder 12 |
What does one do if everyday all you can look at is one beautiful sunrise
after another - and then one beautiful sunset after another over huge bodies
of water with a strong breeze blowing? Look for a sailboat??? That's exactly what I did when we finished building our island dream house on Isla Mujeres, Mexico...a 20-minute boat ride from Cancun. After scouring this 4.5 mile long island, I was lucky enough to find a boat on a Mexican friend's property that was up for grabs - a Hobie 12 with a 3-foot mast stub broken off just below the boom connection. No lines, holes in the bottom and sides, parts of a rudder assembly minus the tiller, missing center board, a boom without a working outhaul or boom vang and no way to connect to the mast, and some missing hardware like the mainsheet clamp and a few pulleys. Since the price was right and it seemed possible to make sailable, I was optimistic. It would be a start of something to sail the Bay of Mujeres between Isla Mujeres and Cancun without worrying about it when I wasn't there. I could also visit with all the cruisers that stop off in the harbor for various periods of time.
During that stay, I could see all the pieces going together to make it a doable project. I sanded the hull and fixed all the suspect holes and cracks with cloth and resin - nothing fancy mind you. This is Mexico! The main thing is that it works! I made the sail out of a heavy duty tarp from Menard's which we brought down in the suitcase. A local upholsterer sewed the seams. Two eye bolts hooked together made the union between the boom and the mast. Above is a picture of the final product that I got to sail for 15 minutes before we had to get ready to come back to the States. It sailed like a charm in the great winds down there! You can see all the way to the bottom in 20 feet of water. I can't wait 'till my next trip to spend days sailing and exploring! Check out http://www.islamujeres.info for the best resource on Isla Mujeres and www.casaflamboyan.com for more information about our dream house.
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| Membership |
In January, your 2007 Annual Dues and Fees Statement will be mailed to you. Your dues and fees are due no later than February 28, 2007. If you do not receive a Statement by February 1, 2007, please call me at 317-815-8599 or send your e-mail request to me at ecsc_membership@yahoo.com. In addition to the Statement, you will receive a Winter Storage Contract/Invoice if your boat was on club properly on December 1, 2006. And you will receive a Wet Slip Rental Agreement only if you are eligible for a wet slip assignment in 2007. Any member who may be interested in earning some work credits, to apply to your 2007 dues, while working out of your home during the winter, please contact me. Activities involve membership mailings – stuffing, labeling and sorting. Our membership count is 263. This year a total of 13 new members joined our Club.
Above: Hornback Regatta winner, Hezekiah Hickok
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| Lake Norman Ultimate 20 Regatta |
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The article and picture below made the front page of Sailing Anarchy's website www.sailinganarchy.com. Apparently, our recently unemployed former owner of Sailboats, Inc took his Ultimate 20 to North Carolina to meet up with 26 other U20s for a regatta. Tom Moore's U20 is right in the center of the picture below.
Brad Boston, from Sarnia, took top honors, followed by Jeff Bond, Idaho, BJ Jones, Lake Norman, and Van Sheppard, Ottawa. Significant changes in standings took place throughout the fleet on Sunday, which saw conditions with 20-knot winds and shifting gusts to above thirty knots. Saturday's races showed more normal conditions with winds building from 7-10 knots during the first race, to mid-teens by the end of the day. Following this record showing, the east coast U20 fleet expects a significant turnout for the St Pete NOODs in February, and a return to Lake Norman in March, for the Mid-winters. The fleet is expecting more than 30 boats at the U20 North American Championships, scheduled for August in Sarnia, Canada. Click here for a bunch of photos.
-Charley Smart
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| Tag Article |
After deciding to move to Indianapolis a few years back, I thought my sailing days were effectively over. It was a very pleasant surprise to find ECSC and the Wednesday night race series on Eagle Creek following my move. Growing up in southeastern Michigan afforded me the opportunity to get into sailing at a young age. My parents are both avid sailors and regularly raced out of Monroe Boat Club in the 70’s and later Ford Yacht Club in the 90’s. My father, John Loomer, recently finished out his stint as Commodore of Ford Yacht Club, located on Grosse Ile, Michigan. In addition to annual summer trips to Put-in-Bay and Sandusky, we also raced the family boat every Wednesday night in the local beer-can series. Our first boat was a C&C 34 which was used as both a vacation cruiser and a racer. As our family grew older however, summer vacations were increasingly more difficult to pull off...we traded in the C&C 34 for a J29. Personally, some of my favorite sailing memories include screaming around Hubbard Lake in northern Michigan on my old laser. I purchased the laser with money earned over the course of a summer spent mowing lawns and fishing between the couch cushions for spare change. I loved that boat and I was none to happy sell it when I left for college. While attending college at Michigan State University, I was able to enroll in a sailing 101 course taught on Lake Lansing. The class itself wasn’t very interesting, but students did have access to the club’s fleet on weekends. This was a great perk and a cheap date for a broke college student.
It didn’t take long before I really began to miss sailing. I found ECSC after Googling “Indianapolis, sailing.” As it so happened, “Quiet Chaos” had a listing in the crew wanted section of the website. I called the number listed and shortly thereafter had a ride every Wednesday night. Sailing on Eagle Creek has been a great experience over the last two years. You can’t ask for a better way to blow off steam following a day in the office. I look forward to my continued involvement with ECSC.
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Right: Cody McCoun sailing a Club Laser
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2006 Social Calendar, Click Here.
2006 Racing Calendar, Click Here.
2006 Overall Club Calendar, Click Here.
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Our Club in late 2006
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| Eagle Creek Sail Club ECSC Home Page |
We married the next year and as our relationship developed, so did my relationship with Eagle Creek Sailing Club and its members. I knew the Club was a special place. The people, the programs, and the facility are the best. I wanted to give back right away. I volunteered for the Board of Directors and was made the Safety and Education Chair. After a couple of years at Safety, I volunteered for and was offered the job of Harbormaster. Following that, I volunteered for and then became Vice Commodore. See where this is going…
The Final Bash was lots of fun with good wining (unlimited bar), dining (three entree buffet line including dessert), and dancing (Jayne Bond Band) for the evening. Actually, “The Commodores” also made a “surprise” appearance!!!!!
On Saturday morning, the wind was building from West and topped out in the afternoon at 14-17 mph. We launched the C22 and decided to use a 135% genoa and full main. The 135% genoa proved to be the right choice as it drove the Catalina 22 very well on all points of sail.
I went searching for what I could find to make my new-found treasure
workable. I searched the Web for information and found all the specs for
lines, layout, tiller, centerboard, sail configurations, and a Yahoo blog for
Hobie 12 owners. Also, I found an article about making a sail out of a
plastic tarp. One will do anything when they are desperate! Captain Filipe,
another native, said he had an old fiberglass 19-foot radio antenna to use
for the missing part of the mast. I found a derelict Sunfish that had a workable
mainsheet cleat. A Canadian friend, who is also sea captain, quite handy,
and has some power tools, helped me laminate a new centerboard. I went home
with a list of requirements and on my next trip to Isla Mujeres, I brought
the remaining missing supplies from my parts collection. 
A record showing of 27 Ultimate 20's gathered at Lake Norman Yacht Club in North Carolina for the 2006 Ultimate 20 East Coast Championships. The largest international gathering of the 20 foot sportboat comprised skippers from 12 states across the U.S. and the growing fleets in Sarnia and Ottawa, Canada. Lake Norman Yacht Club's home fleet showed 8 entries.
Following graduation, I accepted a job offer in Indianapolis and found myself moving to the Hoosier state. Certain things come to mind when you decide to move to Indiana, and making sure you pack your sail bag is not one of them. To be honest, I was more concerned with finding my basketball shoes than my foul weather gear.