I would like to start by mentioning something that concerns us all as we share the waters at Eagle Creek. As some of you may have heard, there have recently been a few incidences involving a few of the windsurfers during ECSC racing events. Without getting into the particulars, I would like to remind everyone that the Eagle Creek waters are part of our community that everyone has the right to enjoy. Please take some time to reflect on this and try to be as mindful and respectful of others as you would have them be mindful and respectful to you.

Well, it seems as this will be my last Telltales article as Commodore of ECSC. I remember looking at the year from the vantage of last fall thinking that the year would never be over. Now, looking back, I can hardly believe it is now coming to an end. It goes without saying that anything that was accomplished this year cannot possibly be attributed to any one individual but to the many volunteers of the ECSC family.

Look around the Club on any given day and experience the diversity of activities and friendliness that are all part of what you will find. Everything from the great facilities, beautiful grounds, racing events, social events, educational programs, and chair parties are all part of the Eagle Creek Sailing Club. None of this happens without people who take an enormous amount of pride in being part of ECSC. My hat is off to all of you for making my term as Commodore a memorable and enjoyable experience. I thank everyone for the support and advice (most of the time) that I received. I certainly feel privileged to be part of such a great community of sailors.

To mention a couple recent improvements to our facilities, the main shelter has undergone some much-needed care due to the generosity to two people. Thanks go out to Bret Petty with Aqua Systems for the new water softener that was badly needed. Bob Lee also helped us out with getting and installing new plumbing and fixtures in the restroom and shower area.

To both of you, we greatly appreciate your efforts.

As I prepare to wrap things up and pass the baton to the very capable Larry January, I would like to leave you with several thoughts:

As always, happy sailing and may the winds be with you.

Hello everyone,

Kenny has resigned from the board and moved to Connecticut. I am acting Harbormaster. Rick Sprowl has filled the position of Assistant Harbormaster.

I am in the process of going through the records and making sure we are all up to date. A few things I would like to mention for the benefit of new members (and 'old timers' that may have forgotten from year to year):

1. No boat parking in the roped off area until after the Hornback Regatta.

2. Winter Storage will be assessed to any boats on the Club grounds (including in a slip) on December 1st. The charges are made by the length of your boat. The bill will be included with your annual dues bill in the spring. I turn the list in to the membership chair and they bill you!

3. If you pull your boat out 'early' - say late October, and do not intend to store it at the Club, please tear it down and take it then. We are getting very short on parking and if you leave it until the day before the boats are counted for winter storage, it makes it very difficult for Club members trying to get a spot for the winter - and they are paying a fee for that service the Club is providing. I would like to see everyone cooperate so this is not a scramble again.

4. If you leave your boat in the slip and it freezes in, there may be damage to your boat and the docks. If the docks are damaged, you will be billed for the repairs. Let's all be responsible boat owners this year.

The Club has had many improvements this year: new B dock, new slips for the whaler and Safety boats, and so much more (trees trimmed, new lighting on the steps, dinghy racks, etc). And, we are trying to complete the improvements in the sail loft for the catamaran sailors so they have a place to store their sails (mice free), and a new roof on the pump house (it’s leaking).

Jay & Barbara Meulen have taken on the task of cleaning the bathroom facilities next year and I wish to thank them very much. This is a thankless, time consuming job. I would ask that all of the members clean up after themselves as "The Club Is Not Your Mother" (Sorry, could not help it)!

Cleaning up after yourself is as good as volunteering to work on a project, as far as I am concerned. We do not have full time maids and grounds keepers to pick up after everyone. Bob Bodish has a full workload, and cannot do that cleaning. The board members and committee heads have jobs and they already have many tasks to take care of all year. Let's all be good members and take pride in our wonderful Club.

We will have a final work party to close the Club on Saturday, November 10th at 9:00am - weather permitting.

If you have any questions, please call me at 247-1401 or Rick Sprowl at 244-1561

Thanks and happy sailing!

This year’s Governor’s Cup Regatta was a great success both on the water and off the water. The wind was heavy, blowing 25 plus and out of the south. The wind direction allowed the race committee to set windward leeward courses all weekend for some great racing. A special thanks needs to go out to this year’s Race Committee Lee Vandyke and Rich Killen. Helping on safety boat was Marsha and John Schaub who kept busy all weekend with the high winds. Helping John and Marsha was Colin Riseley on the Boston Whaler safety boat. Many Highlanders capsized over the course of the Regatta and had to be rescued and pumped out by the safety boats. The safety crews did a great job covering the lake with multiple emergency calls many times at the same time. Overall the Regatta was safe with only a few bones broken and one or two concussions.

The dinner was catered by "Bubba" and let me tell you, Bubba can cook some Bar-B-Q. The food was great and the appetites were huge after the heavy wind day. Saturday night’s entertainment was Harvey and the Blue Tones. The band sounded great and has added a new vocalist who was absolutely fantastic. You won’t want to miss them at the Final Bash this year. Wayne Myers and his wife Mary did all the scoring for the Regatta and helped with our new scoring program and computer. Last, but not least, was this year’s Regatta Chairman George Alyea. George did a great job of organization and preparation for the Regatta. Putting on a Regatta of this size with sailors from many clubs all over the Midwest is not an easy task. Thanks George!

The next Regatta is the Hornback on October 13 and 14. The Hornback Regatta is a Club members-only regatta and is teamed up with the Social Committee’s Chili Cookoff on Saturday night. The best part about this regatta is that we start all the slow boats first and make the fast boats try to catch up. This gives those with a high PHRF number the chance to sail in clean air for once. This year’s Regatta is hosted by Bruce and Ethel Berner. Yes, I said Ethel Berner, in case you did not hear they got married this year! If you have not had a chance to congratulate the newlyweds, then come on out and join the party. We will be giving regatta shirts to all participants at registration. The schedule is as follows:

9:00-10:00am Registration Saturday Oct. 13

10:15am Skippers Meeting

10:30am Sunday’s First Race

Up to 4 races on Saturday and up to 3 races on Sunday.

The Day-After-Thanksgiving Regatta will be sometime at the end of November. Check with Wayne Myers for the exact date. This will be Wayne’s first Regatta as ECSC Race Chairman so I think you know what I mean about the date thing (Wayne’s World!!!). Wayne told me that the time for the Skippers’ meeting is eleven hundred hours and you don’t want to be late or Wayne will make you do push-ups.

On a serious note, I want to thank Wayne for all his help this year as assistant race Chairman. Thanks Wayne.

Even as the leaves begin to fall, our membership continues to grow. Please join me in welcoming our newest members.

Jim and Lisa Wodock, Currently shopping for a boat.....

Kris Kyler, Sails a Catalina 22, II Relaxin

Enjoy the fall sailing!

Let me start by saying a big thank you to Richard and Angie White and their helpers for a great Labor Day cookout. They did a super job making sure everyone was having a good time.

As we are drawing near to the end of the 2001 ECSC social season, I would encourage all of you to try to attend at least one of our last two events. The Chili Cookoff on Saturday, Oct. 13th at 6:00pm, right after the Hornback regatta. It will be hosted by Roger and Michelle Knapp and is always a great time. Bring your favorite pot of chili...or for those who don’t fix chili, bring a side dish or dessert. Everyone votes for their favorite chili and prizes are awarded. There’ll be a fire going in the fireplace, so bring your chairs, blankets, etc. and join us.

Please mark your calendars for the Final Bash, Saturday Nov 3rd at 6:00pm. We will be at Celebrations again this year due to popular demand. Last year the dress code was set as semi-formal and it will be the same again this year. Due to the number of questions received regarding what was considered semi-formal in the past, I will try to clear things up a little. As a general guideline, semi-formal for ladies would include a nice dress, pantsuit, cocktail dress, or a long dress. As for the gentlemen, they could wear a suit, nice slacks and shirt, with or without a jacket, or even a tuxedo if they are so inclined. Please realize that I am not Emily Post, but I hope these guidelines are helpful.

There are more details for the Final Bash later in this Telltales, so please send in your reservations. This is the one event in which reservations are required and we cannot accept anyone at the door without one. Thanks to Kelly Mallaby for all her efforts going into the planning of the Final Bash. If you would like to help Kelly, please give her or me a call.

The up coming 2001 Hornback/Chili cookoff is being planned and put together to be the best ever...with a few changes to add...like better lighting over the chili tables, bigger number labels, and easier access to the best chilis in Indiana (maybe the nation).

We will have a nice warm fireplace (remember, this is October), special lighting, and really nice prizes for the best chili.

So, bring your pot of best chili and enter it in the Hornback/chili cookoff. Everyone that enters is a winner! And, you can share your recipe, or keep it to yourself. But, do come out and experience the fun and great taste of our Club.

With this being the last social event on Club grounds for the year, have some fun and see what a great Club you have. Bring the kids, Grandkids, or feel free to bring a guest and other family members...they can bring a chili entry also.

Last year we had 23 chilis to tryout. Let’s have more this year. Mark your calendar for October 13th at 6:00pm, and bring your camera, bring your chilis, and bring your family. IT"S CLUB PARTY TIME!

And, for all you racers out there, don't worry, you have plenty of time to come in, put your boat away, bring your dish, and enjoy this special evening.

Crock-pot electrical outlets will be provided...along with hamburgers and hot dogs (for those who don't care for chili). Any other side dishes are also welcome.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Boy am I mad! I mean really really mad! I'm sure that you are too. We should all find a way to deal with this problem...you know what I'm talking about, don't you? Of course you do!

Sailing season will be over in the next couple of months and we won't be seeing many of each other until next year. What could be worse than that? I guess we better get in as much sailing as possible right now.

Speaking of the end of the season, here is something to keep in mind. No boats in the car corral until after the Hornback means after the chili cook-off, too...not just the regatta. Now, I know that there are some gung-ho guys who love to get that nice spot while there is still an event going on in the shelter house after the race. This year, the winter partiers will have the noble duty of filling those offending boats with crushed aluminum cans. You would be surprised how many cans are crushed during the winter by those die-hards!

It's time to talk about Kenny Chapman. I miss him already. Nuff said!

With all of the terrible news lately, I have been feeling kind of uneasy. Our Club is a place that feels so safe. We are very lucky to be in this wonderful garden. The best part of the Club is really us; we are all kind people deep down inside. I see someone helping someone else every time I visit our lake. Let’s make the most of the end of this season. We sure have the water to do it and the winds have been here.

Lets see … some tips:

TIP 1) Now is the time to start thinking about what kind of chili recipe you want to start experimenting with for the chili cook-off.

TIP 2) Have you seen your trailer recently? Does it have a flat tire, or worse? Better check it.

TIP 3) Thank Sue Ross for putting on that great lobster bash for Kenny Chapman.

TIP 4) Keep an eye on the water level. It is up right now but it can drop fairly quickly if they open the gates. If you're spider farmin' or just don't like to actually look at the water, there is a number that you can call. Just dial 293-6121 from the comfort of your own big cushy laid-back over-stuffed chair.

TIP 5) Might be a good time to get a new flag for your boat, just a thought.

TIP 6) I'm sure that we are all putting a little away for the end of next February when it's time to pay the dues. Don't blow it and lose your place on the slip list. It just isn't worth it.

Each year at our Final Bash, eight members are elected by general membership ballot to replace the eight Board members whose 3-year term has expired. At the September Board meeting, nominations were made for these eight positions. They are listed below. Please note the asterisk after some of the names. They indicate that that person is planned to be appointed to a Club Committee or even possibly elected by the Board to an Officer position.

Ballots will be accepted at the Final Bash. If you can’t attend this year, please contact our Club Secretary to arrange for your ballot in absentia (Dave Fort, 244-5093 or fort@butler.edu).

The day broke with the anticipation of a child at Christmas. And in a way, it was like Christmas for me as the adult Santa Claus...Jimmy Buffett, was coming to town that night.

The schedule was short and sweet: take the day off work, enjoy a sunny day sailing with good friends and jump into a limo at 5:30 bound for Margaritaville. But, as none of us will ever forget, the world changed the morning of September 11th. The much-anticipated concert was soon a trivial postponement as we sat around the television in stunned silence. As the horrific events unfolded, we decided to take a break and try to come to terms with the carnage we had witnessed. A voice inside told me sailing would help make our world seem normal again...even if it was for just a few hours.

As we motored out of the cove towards the lake in numbed silence, I couldn't help but wonder how such terrible events could occur on such a beautiful day. The crystal blue sky seemed to never end while the sun was warm, but not overbearing. I have never noticed so many birds and wildlife like I did that day, or maybe I have never taken the time to really appreciate what a wonderful setting we have to enjoy.

The comforting sound of the water lapping on the hull and cool northerly breezes on our faces gradually softened our grief; even if it was only temporarily. I recalled a morning in church when my young son was playing the baptismal font when a priest came by. I quickly apologized for his lack of respect, but the priest assured me he understood. "It is the power of the water," he said. "It draws the young and soothes the soul."

As we ghosted around the lake in intermittent wind, I realized his words had never made more sense as they did now. Get away from the television and papers, go for a sail and thank God for the simple pleasures we can still enjoy at our Club. It helped me make it through a day I will never forget.