Mark Walker

My year as ECSC’s Commodore has come to an end!  At times it seemed it would last forever but, now that it is done, it seemed like time just flew by.  I was very fortunate to have the support of a great Board of Directors, dedicated committees, and wonderful officers this year.  Many thanks to all of you! I believe we accomplished many great projects for our club. The Grounds Committee had another productive year maintaining the grounds and implementing improvement projects.  Those could not have been completed without the great volunteer efforts we receive from our valued members. The Race Committee did a super job putting on a first-class race program at ECSC and representing us at several away regattas.  Once again, Safety and Education did a tremendous job with our juniors’ program.  Thanks to their efforts and the fantastic junior sailors we have, we continue to boast one of the best juniors’ programs in the “ILYA.”  Social Committee put on one superb event after the other! Those events don’t happen without huge volunteer efforts for hosting, planning, and executing each event, not to mention the time cleaning up afterwards!  Membership did a marvelous job as always with organizing our dues process and informing new members all about our beloved ECSC club.  This year the Ship’s Store sailed into the digital era by moving the store “offshore” and online. Our Harbormaster has done a fantastic job with our docks and in cleaning up and organizing the boat parking areas!  The docks require non-stop upkeep (another huge ongoing volunteer effort), and I thank everyone who has participated in helping out! Our beautiful club needs our support by each and every one of us doing our very best to keep our boats clean and the areas around them free of debris and clutter.  Publicity has had their hands full this year, too! Aside from maintaining our website and putting out the monthly newsletter, they have had their hands full battling the hacking attempts that tried to scam our membership! Great job on that! They also did a fantastic job getting notifications out to our members for key messages and updates.  I would like to thank everyone on my amazing team for their hard work and support this year! I am grateful for each and every one of you for all your selfless efforts and valuable time and talent!  It was a pleasure to work with all of you as Commodore this past season, and I hope to see you all at the Final Bash!   P.S.   For those of you that still have your boats in the water, I highly recommend everyone keep an eye on how much water they have at their respective dock so they don’t get left high and dry. The water levels can be monitored at this link: Eagle Creek Water Level  . Thanks Mark Walker Soon-to-be Past Commodore  

    The ECSC 2018 sailing season is winding down and, while we still have great weather, the lake water level is getting low! I highly recommend everyone keep an eye on how much water they have at their respective dock so they don’t get left high and dry. The water levels can be monitored at this link: Eagle Creek Water Level  . A great time was had by all at the Governor’s Cup Regatta and ECSC Lobsterfest. We had a terrific turnout of traveling racers and a full house for the Lobsterfest.  Our last regatta (the Hornback) is coming up this month, and the parking lot will be filling up with trailers and boats afterward. Please remember to park your trailers and boats such that we can get as many on the grounds as possible! We have been pressed for space to get them all in during the last several years. Happy sailing to all this fall, and enjoy the gorgeous weather!   Mark Walker Commodore  

    Fall is almost here, and summer’s end is closing in on us fast!  The time to get projects done at the club for this year is winding down, but we still have projects on SignUpGenius™ that can be done before the end of the year. There is the installation of the two parking posts by the Race Shed that still needs to be done, installation of rope along the parking posts, and several other projects. These can be found on SignUpGenius™ at the following link: CLICK HERE FOR WORK PROJECTS The Grounds Committee is continuing to work on their list of projects this month, including having ceiling fans installed at the shelters to cool things off.  They will also be installing new LED lights in the boat parking area next to the playground to complete our LED light upgrade.  IPL has had their contractors putting a new main electric feed into the club to fix the issues we have had with losing power this summer.  Please be careful around the areas IPL has excavated.  Have a wonderful and restful Labor Day weekend, and I hope to see you all at the Governor’s Cup/Lobster Fest events!  Thanks to all of our club volunteers for all their kind assistance with recent events and work around the club.  We appreciate all you do to keep ECSC a wonderful place to be! Mark Walker ECSC Commodore 2018  

July was another busy month at the club!  Even with all of the social and racing events happening, our wonderful Grounds Committee still managed to have the ECSC drive patched and seal coated. The Grounds crew also cut back the encroaching foliage along our drive in and at the entrance at 46th Street.  Hopefully these improvements will make it much easier to see traffic on 46th Street when exiting the club and give more room for cars passing each other on the club driveway. There is also an ongoing project at the lower shelter to build steps up to the shelter floor and create flower beds at the front. We hope to have another productive month working on the club grounds, and we sincerely appreciate all of our volunteers who are helping us in our endeavor to maintain and improve the club for the benefit of all our valued members!   Mark Walker ECSC Commodore 2018  

July is looking like it will be a very busy month at the club!  We will be starting out with the Flying Scot- J22 Regatta the 30th of June and 1st of July.  July Fourth will feature our annual Pig Roast and pitch-in, so please bring your favorite side dish to share and a healthy appetite and join in the fun and camaraderie!  Wednesday Summer series and Super Sunday Summer series racing start this month as well. The ECSC Regatta and Beach Party is scheduled for July 7th, so get your crew together and come out to race or just join in the fun at the Beach Party!  As you can see, there are plenty of activities for everyone to enjoy at the club this month.  Please enjoy yourselves, remember to stay hydrated during the hot temperatures, and above all, please be safe!   8 Bells for Dave Dyer ECSC mourns the loss of longtime member Dave Dyer   David Peter Dyer, also known to his wife Nancy, as the “Red Headed Scotsman” passed away on June 10, 2018 at the age of 72 years. Dave and his twin brother were born on October 27, 1945 to David and Margaret Fletcher Dyer in Glasgow, Scotland. The Dyer family travelled to the United States aboard the RMS Mauretania in 1947 and lived in Stillwater, Oklahoma until moving to Lafayette in 1949. Dave attended elementary school in the Lafayette School district and graduated from Lafayette Jefferson High in 1963. While attending Purdue University, he enlisted in the Army National Guard and he faithfully served his country in many different capacities, retiring as Major Dyer. He married Nancy Ferdinand in 1969. Dave and his family moved from Lafayette to Indianapolis in 1975. Dave enjoyed many outdoor activities, passing the days away as captain of his sailboat, Caledonia, at Eagle Creek, riding throughout the Unites States on his Harley Davidson motorcycle, and last but certainly first on his list of favorites his 1999 Jaguar XK8. He was preceded in death by his Father, David, Mother Margaret, and sister Gwendiline. He will be missed by Nancy, his wife of 50 years. Daughter, Darcy Britt of Whiteland, and Jamie Holland of Indianapolis. Four Grandchildren and twin brother Alistair Dyer of West Lafayette. Look for further postings on the ECSC Facebook page.   Mark Walker ECSC Commodore 2108  

Spring has sprung, and the sailing season has begun!  Safety and Education hosted a laser regatta, Spring club racing has started; and on Mother’s Day we will have our first social event of the season! Please be courteous to those still getting their boats ready, and don’t park them in while you go out sailing.  Before Mother’s Day, all boats should be removed from the parking corral, freeing up more parking for everybody.  Hope to see you all at the Mayor’s Cup whether you are racing or just coming out for the Saturday night dinner and music. Geoff Endris would like to extend an invitation to ECSC Club members to the 2018 Great Lakes  Cruise.  Information is provided below. Mark Walker Commodore    2018 Great Lakes Cruise The Great Lakes Region of the Catalina 22 fleet holds an annual cruise on one of the Great Lakes.  The 2018 Great Lakes Cruise for Catalina 22s is planned for August 12-18 on Grand Traverse Bay. Our trip is not limited to C-22’s.  If you have a trailer-able boat and want to come along, contact Geoff Endris.  The more the merrier.  We could turn this into an annual ECSC trip! We will be launching at Elk Rapids MI.  They have a very nice marina and plenty of parking for our trucks and trailers.  They also have a nice beach right at the marina!! Our itinerary for the week looks like this: 12 August – Launch at Elk Rapids on “East Bay”, Welcome picnic. 13 August – Sail around the tip of the Old Mission peninsula to Northport. 14 August – Sail to Suttons Bay with a stop at Omena Bay at the Leelanau Cellars Wine Tasting room.  Nice beach at the marina.  Best ice cream shop only 2 blocks away!!  Christmas in August Gift exchange. 15 August – sail to Traverse City and see the “Cherry Capital”.  Great shops and restaurants, beautiful views and a very nice marina.  May have evening race with the Grand Traverse Yacht Club.  Details TBD. 16 August – Sailors Choice:  sail to Marian Island and anchor out overnight or stay in Traverse for another day.  17 August – sail around the tip of Old Mission Peninsula back to Elk Rapids.  Dinner as a group. 18 August – Haul out and head for home. The agenda is subject to change as we get closer and find out more about local events in the towns along the way.  We will have a skipper’s meeting every evening to go over the next day’s activities and answer any questions.  This will give all the participants the opportunity to sail in some “big water”.  Grand Traverse Bay is over 400’ deep.  There are plenty of wineries scattered around for off-boat activities.  We will try to sail up and dock at the Leelanau Cellars Tasting Room at Omena Bay if the water level will allow.   Don’t be concerned about taking your boat on such a “grand excursion”.  The distances are short – maybe a few hours.  We all sail together and stay at a marina most nights so it can really be a fun vacation.  And you may be surprised at how easy it is and how much you will learn about your boat and sailing. Let me know if you are interested.  There is still plenty of time to get that trailer checked out and ready for the trip.  If you have any questions, drop me a note.  Geoff Endris

Spring is almost here and the club will be getting busy!  People will be unwrapping their boats, cleaning them and getting them ready for the upcoming sailing season.  Services at the club will be starting back up next month, but in the meantime please place your trash in the dumpster, and help keep our club clean. Have a great St. Patrick’s Day, Mark Walker Commodore