• Commodore

    Commodore May 2018

    May 7, 2018 - By 
    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.
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    Geoff Endris would like to extend an invitation to ECSC Club members to the 2018 Great Lakes  Cruise.  Information is provided below.
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    Mark Walker
    Commodore
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    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

  • Commodore

    Commodore April 2018

    April 6, 2018 - By 

    Spring is finally here!!! and because it is Indiana, we got a 10″ snowfall to usher it in!  In true Hoosier spirit, we are opening the sailing season anyway!  Many services will be coming back on at the club!  Restrooms at the upper shelter will be reopened, trash removal resumed, grounds mowing resumed (once it is warm enough for the grass to start growing) and Club Racing starts back up soon.  I want to welcome everybody to the 2018 Sailing Season at Eagle Creek Sailing Club, and I hope to see you all at the club this month!

     

    Mark Walker – Commodore

  • Commodore

    Commodore – March 2018

    March 5, 2018 - By 
    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
  • Commodore

    Commodore – February 2018

    February 3, 2018 - By 

    Spring will be here before we know it!  In the meantime, many members have been going down to the club to check on their boats and enjoy some winter activities.  I would like to ask everyone who is at ECSC over the winter that while they are there to please be careful, and keep a watchful eye out for fellow club members so everyone stays safe.  The lake still has a lot of ice in it, and the docks are iced over in places, making them tricky to navigate.  Even a short time in cold water can be very dangerous.  Also, kindly remember if you are the last one to leave the club, please lock the gate behind you. I want to wish everybody a Happy Valentine’s Day, and I look forward to seeing you all when the weather warms up and the lake is thawed enough to go sailing again!

    Mark A. Walker

    Commodore

  • Commodore - Uncategorized

    Commodore January 2018

    January 1, 2018 - By 

     

    It’s that time of year again!  Racing is done for the season, and most of our boats are on their trailers for the winter. It was a productive and fun year at ECSC!  Our Board, committees, and members accomplished a LOT this year.  Most notably, the lower shelter was nicely refitted with new support columns, and a concrete pad was poured under it to make it sturdy and safe for many more years. Cleanup continues around the lower shelter, and we hope it will be an inviting place for our members to utilize next year.  We also installed new LED lighting in our parking corral and at the boat ramp to provide a safer environment overall.    Additional rip-rap was added at the waterline between docks which will help prevent erosion.  These are just a few of the items completed alongside the many jobs that require the time and effort of all of our members every year to keep our club going strong. I would like to thank everyone who assisted for their service contributions this past year and encourage all members to keep it going next year.

    Many of our services at the club are seasonally funded and have been discontinued until April of 2018. This includes ice machines, lawn service, and trash removal.  Please keep this in mind if you are at the club this winter, and please place your trash in the big dumpster or take it with you to dispose of at home.  The water has also been turned off for the winter, and the upper bathrooms are locked for the winter season.

    Recently E.C.S.C. joined Yachting Club of America.  This gives us reciprocity benefits with over 700 clubs throughout America which club members can take advantage of while traveling next year. Information on this association can be found at www.ycaol.com.  We also still maintain our membership in I.L.Y.A.

    Have a safe and happy holiday season with family and friends!
    Mark Walker

    Commodore – ECSC

  • Commodore

    Commodore – October 2017

    October 6, 2017 - By 
    As our season nears the end, all of our Board members hope you had an enjoyable, safe year of fast sailing and many fun social events. We still have a few more to come with the ECSC Championship, Hornback Regatta and the the Final Bash. 
    Personally, I want to thank ECSC for helping me improve my sailing skills – especially in light air. More importantly, please join with me in thanking all of the ECSC Board of Directors, the Committee Chairs and all of our wonderful volunteers for making the 2017 sailing season a great success. Hope to see you on the water in October and again next year.
    Larry Conrad
  • Commodore

    Commodore September 2017

    September 6, 2017 - By 
    Recently, an editor from Sail Magazine asked questions about our club. They are planning to publish one of our pictures in the reader pictures section of an upcoming issue. Answering those questions reminded me how fortunate we are. We sail on a lake dedicated to sailing and small craft under 10 horsepower. Speedboats and personal water craft are not a problem for us. The shorelines are generally wooded and will soon be just as pretty as the picture we submitted. We have a fine restaurant on the lake. We have very active social, education and racing programs. We are fortunate indeed.
    The grounds improvements planned for this year are nearly complete. We had a long list of small to large projects, so this will summarize only the larger items. Decayed supports for the upper shelter deck and stairway have been reinforced. The lower shelter has new supports, a concrete floor, and new tables. The L dock structure and decking was completely rebuilt last spring. There are new LED lights in the parking lot. New rip-rap lines the shoreline near race shelter. Finally, the A dock has been moved closer to the ramp. Now members should be able to launch and retrieve boats much closer to the dock without concerns for the trailer wheel running off the ramp. There is a long list of members to thank for getting all of this done.
    The mountain bike issue has been relatively quiet in the last month. However, Geoff Endris is leading a team of members who will follow this closely. Please reach out to him as appropriate for information or to share ideas. This will help achieve a good outcome in this important issue.
    Our season is winding down but we still have excellent social and sailing opportunities. Come out often and enjoy everything ECSC has to offer. As always, be safe, have fun, and sail fast.
    Larry Conrad