I have always had the feeling that, to its members, the Eagle Creek Sailing Club has been a place where you could come and enjoy the friendship of other fellow sailors as well as relax on or off your boat in a quaint and peaceful setting. This was certainly the feeling of Joe Hatmaker, one of our newest members who, in August, passed away while at the Club with his son. Joe’s wife Debbie said that Joe loved the Club because of the people that created a warm and friendly atmosphere. We offer our prayers and deep sympathy to Debbie and the family. I know that I speak for every Club member when I offer any assistance that we can give. In regard to Joe’s passing, I would like to recognize three individuals who unselfishly offered their assistance at the time. They are Wilma Long, Bob Bodish, and Bob Hickok.

All ECSC board members please take note of this change in the next board meeting that was originally scheduled for September 11th. Due to the upcoming Jimmy Buffet concert on September 11th, the next board meeting date will slide a week and be held on Tuesday, September 18th.

I would like to thank everyone who came out and braved the ugly dark skies and rain to attend the Commodore’s Rock and Roll party. The caterers did a wonderful job with the food. We still had a few beers and margaritas left over so I have to assume everyone got their fill.

A long time member, and a person who has had a tremendous impact on the Club by offering his time and talent, will be departing for other parts of the country in the middle of September. That person being Kenny Chapman. Kenny will be sorely missed and tough to replace. Christy Merriman, who will probably beat the socks off of what Kenny has done, will step up to the plate and assume the Harbormaster responsibilities just a little early. We wish you luck, Kenny, and we know you will be back 'cause you just can’t stay away (and I was only kidding about that crack about the socks stuff so don’t get bent out of shape).

At the September board meeting (that will be held on the 18th), we will nominate our Board of Directors for the November elections. If anyone is interested in serving on the Board or assisting with a committee, please let me or any board member know. Getting involved on the Board is a great way to contribute to the Club and we are always looking for good folks.

Greg Johnson, Commodore

Hello ECSC Sailors!! What a great year we are having and the water stayed up much longer than I can remember. The people that run the damn must have done some historical homework. It seems to me that the lake is supposed to stay up to normal pool until the end of August. At this time of year, there are several migratory bird species that rely on the water level being lowered about 2 feet. I’m not sure why the birds need that, but the Sierra Club of Indianapolis has had much welcomed input over the years.

I’m very proud of the Parks Department for keeping the ecosystem we call the Eagle Ocean such a beautiful and diverse place to visit. And, I don’t mean just for us at the Club. I mean for the fishermen, the people who visit the Park, the people who drive across the causeway, the people who fly out of Weir Cook, the bird watchers, and yes, even the people at Rick’s. Thanks again to the great company that runs the damn and keeps the reservoir almost like a natural lake. Maybe our friend Chuck Beard can slip them a copy or two of this Telltales.

Okay, on to the soup of the month. We are looking good so far, but we still have several months of sailing to do this year. I have contracted with Floating Docks to build some docks for me to replace the Race Committee docks and for some floats for the fingers on the 48-hour dock. Some of you new members don’t know it, but we used to have three fingers just for dry sailors last year. Well, they finally fell apart...which was probably a good thing due to the fact that they were kind of shaky anyway. The new ones will be just as sound as the docks that Ralph Merriman had built (by himself and members) a year ago. We will be in need of a little help to whack some boards in place...as we should have the floats in place and the hinge plates welded by the time you read this article.

If you are interested in some helping, slip out to the Club with some tools in tow and we will work your butt off. Call Christy Merriman or me and we can set you up.

Kenny Chapman, Harbormaster

Our next two regattas are the 5 for 5 and the Governor’s Cup Regatta.

The 5 for 5 regatta is a one day regatta that is a blast to participate in. We run five short races all in one day and then give out awards that are funded with your five dollars per boat entry fee. Get it...5 for 5. This year’s 5 for 5 Regatta is September 1st and is being run once again by Wayne Myers. Skipper’s meeting at 10am. First race around 11:30am.

Saturday, August 18th, we had our Treasure Hunt Challenge and the Aqua Poker Game. I think this was our best turn out ever! Patty Kaschak and Kelly Mallaby each captained their boats most successfully for the first time. Sue Ross, Janet Hickok, and Annie Cameron also helmed their own boats as well. Each boat was complemented with three or four able bodied female sailors. We had great wind, good friends, and a great time.

Thanks to the guys who ran the Aqua Poker game and helped out. You guys made it a lot of fun and a learning experience. Each boat had to do (wo-)man overboard drills, practice penalty turns, on-the-spot knot tying, and questions concerning port/starboard, windward/leeward, and jibe/tack.

I think we all won.......

After several inquires from the preceding month, we now welcome three new members to our Club:

William & Cynthia Schaefer and they sail a Catalina 16.5

James & Theresa Jacobs with a Catalina 22.

Josh Williams with his Clipper 26.

New Club record of 255 members!

As I write this article, I am forced to realize that the 2001 social season is about over. We only have three social events left; the Labor Day Cookout, the Chili Cookoff, and the Final Bash. If you haven’t been able to attend any of the previous events, please mark your calendars for these last ones.

Our baseball night at Victory field had a nice turnout. The weather was perfect for an evening with our Indians. Even though they lost, it wasn’t due to lack of excitement from the crowd. Thanks to all of you who attended.

The Commodore’s Dinner was a huge success. Thanks to Greg and Linda Johnson for all of their hard work in making the evening so much fun despite the weather. Who knew that our commodore could play the sax like that?! Those of you who walked away with chairs at the Chinese auction, I expect to see you sitting in them at our chair parties.

If you are interested in helping with any of the remaining social events, please give me a call or email me at esprowl@home.com. I look forward to seeing you all at the upcoming parties.

Edna Sprowl, Social

TAILER’S TIPS & TALES

Greetings Eagle Creek sailors of Eagle Ocean. We are now deep into summer and that will soon bring on Fall and those darn pumpkins, Halloween, and more clothes on everyone. Well, I suppose that will be balanced out by the ECSC men putting most of their clothes back on, a very good idea I think. Still, we will all miss this summer. We have had the water, haven't we? ...Fall parties with light jackets on and no humidity or lack of wind. Tailer just might be ready for that. Sue Ross, will you please cook a turkey or two?

Sherman, set the wayback machine for July 2000. Let’s take a trip back to that amazing time when there were 32 Colts cheerleaders on "D" dock. Do you know what this confused staff writer wants to know? Sam, where are they this year?!! Really, it's been a great summer even though the weather has been kind of muggy lately...Colts cheerleaders could only help. I guess it's kind of unlikely that will happen again … or is it? Sam? Bruce?

You are racing your boat, right!? Well, let’s see, do you have Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoons free now and then? If you answered "No" and then "Yes," perhaps you should consider taking a chance on broadening your horizons. Find that new treat that your Club has to offer, you might not regret it. Well, then again … you might, but so what! The hot dog cookout after a Wednesday night race is always better if Terry Killen brings the Coney sauce, chopped onions, and shredded cheese. How about next week … Terry?

Well, enough prodding of those who obviously do love our Club. Tailer's Tips and Tales are water; the stories of great authors are wine. It's a good thing for me that everybody drinks water. Sailing soon is what I see in my crystal ball, I think I'll go sailing now. You should too. The sun will be setting in the west end of the channel when we bring our boats home. You've seen that before, haven't you?

OK, so who wants some tips?

TIP 1) Try not to hit the bridge to "A" Dock with your trailer fender while you are launching your boat (our little, yellow boat). Especially when all of your friends are watching including the Harbormaster.

TIP 2) Read your Telltales; this magnificent publication is packed full of great info that you might need. You'll never have to be surprised again about a cool party that is happening soon.

TIP 3) Be polite to other people on the lake. Remember that we all do represent our Club; we have our reputation to protect. We do not own the lake, we only pay our fair share to be in the nicest place on the planet. It is a real bargain, we are all very lucky. Just don't start inviting the fishermen to use the portolet whenever they like, OK?

TIP 4) Actually come out and do the work that you know your boat has been needing. Then join the chair party! What could be better than that?

TIP 5) I'll share this with you again; spring lines snug, bow and stern lines slightly loose. Do your boat and your dock a favor.

Tip 6) The less a person knows and the bigger noise he makes, the higher the salary that he commands.

Stand by for more …

In case you didn’t notice, this issue of the Telltales was oriented differently relative to its fold. There is now a fold at the lead edge going into the Post Office "Shredder" ,,,as suggested by Bob Hickok. So, lemme know if you have delivery problems. If so, we’ll have Bruce sit on Bob while we cut his hair short!

Evan, Da Editor

September 18 November 3

November 13 December 11

But, NEVER AGAIN!

Where has this Telltales editor been for the last few weeks? Missing at the chair parties?? ...yeah yeah yeah.

Well, amongst other things, I took one of those "adventures of a lifetime" that my friend Jack said I couldn’t miss. His neighbor, Kevin, who has a 38’ Cigarette boat, was participating in a Poker Run from Cleveland, to Lorain, to Cedar Point, to Put-In-Bay, and back to Cleveland ...collecting a sealed playing card at each stop...hence "not really" a race.

Somehow, Kevin just had to be the first boat to pickup a card...he knows only two speeds on his boat (equipped with twin 750HP engines), Full Throttle and Idle.

With four people on his boat, that meant two people had to be in the back seat (bench type) and two in the front. The back seat people just got to hang on to a hand rail on the back of the front seat...a hand rail which, by the way, was covered with a nice looking decorative blue canvas sheath which didn’t make for a very good grip at all.

Let’s see, 90 mph on Lake Erie with others of the 37 boats participating (in this non-race) to the side of you within 20 feet or so. That day, it was rather choppy. I estimated 2 to 3 foot swells. Kevin said 4 to 6. Either way, that boat becomes airborne when it bounces off a wave...which leads to my main problem with Off-Shore Powerboat Racing.

The boat has to land.

When it does, depending on how it hits the wave, it can be rather devastating...and while in the back seat, all I have to hold onto is that covered hand bar. Well, of the many techniques I tried, I honed in the following to stay alive:

1) I had to listen to the engines. If they were silent (Kevin would cut back the throttle to avoid over revving), when we landed, I would be thrown into the seat (and hand bar) in front of me. I have several cuts and bruises on my face to show for this.

2) If the engines were still powered, when we landed, the boat would accelerate. I had to hang on tightly to keep on the boat. So, when landing, I had to know whether to push or pull before hand. Goofups weren’t fun.

3) While airborne, there’s a tendency to float away from the seat. One of the lessons I learned was that this isn’t good. The farther you are from the seat when you land, the worse the jolt to your lower spine. So, I had to curl my legs under the seat to keep my butt flush...minimizing the stress to my gluttonous maxims and backbone.

4) When landing, it’s jaw crushing. I bit my own tongue several times. I had to remember to clench my teeth to save my tongue.

5) There was a nice convenient cup holder on the side of the bench seat. That’s great for rafting in the Cleveland Harbor, but not so great to land on if I forgot to curl my legs under the seat and became airborne. I had to keep my right leg pushed sideways to keep me away from this cup holder. I have several deep bruises on my right cheek to show for my forgetfulness.

Now, I had to constantly consciously address all these concerns for the entire time Kevin was Yip-Yahooing away from his nice cushioned wraparound front seat position. If I let up for even a second and strayed my thoughts to something like trying to remember to pull my life-vest ripcord if I went over (or seeing my wife and kids ever again), I paid the price.

And, I paid that price many times over.

Jack and I got off at the Cedar Point card stop (and lunch stop)...never to return to that boat again.

I don’t know what logistical concerns were immediate in Jack’s mind, but he did mention that he lost his grip one time and ended up bouncing around on that bench seat in the back of the boat for awhile...realizing that it would have taken only one good (or bad) bounce and he would have been waving Bye Bye while trying to find his ripcord.

We drove back to Cleveland.

Now, for those of you who know me, I’m living a fairly lucky life. I’ve found that if there’s something I really really really want (or don’t want), somehow I get lucky and I get what I want. Well, while hanging on for dear life, windowing in-between my five immediate concerns previously listed, I was praying to every god I ever knew (even Kenny), that this boat would break so I could continue with my lucky life.

Well, the boat broke.

When back in the Cleveland Harbor (which was quite beautiful...front and center in downtown Cleveland next to their Brown’s Stadium who were playing the Packers that evening), Jack found several cracks in the fiberglass. As it happened, the president of the company who made the boat, Cigarette, was attending that race. She came over, took a look at the boat, announced that this boat was not being run again, and she was taking it back to the factory in Miami!

Well, scratch Off-Shore Power Boat Racing off the list...never to be done again...although, the participants were great people and knew how to party!

Evan Williams, Still Alive