We all hope you had a safe and happy holiday season. A special extra welcome goes out to all new members in 2016.
The days are already getting longer, and we can start thinking about the 2017 sailing season. Maybe it will be a new sail, bottom paint, or even a new boat. Some will attend a sailing seminar, or go to the boat show in Chicago. Even better is to go south to keep our sailing skills sharp in warmer waters. My bucket list includes winch maintenance and other needs. It is never too soon to dream about the next sailing season.
Our Board approved a good 2017 operating budget at our December meeting. Our January meeting will start detailed planning for our 2017 season. It will also start updating the long term plan for capital replacment or improvement needs. Please feel free to contace me or another board member with suggestions.
ECSC – Our slice of paradise – Photo Credit Kate McMillan
“Starboard” – Commodore Larry Conrad tacking to avoid Dr. Bob on Starboard during the 2016 Governors Cup. Photo Credit – Terry Holland
Larry, Bob and Rick doing some fly fishing….or preparing to remove the RIB hoist. You make the call.
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Sadly, the colder weather is upon us. Most boats are out of the water. Some members will be continuing their sailing adventures in warmer climates. The rest of us are a bit envious, but we wish you safe and happy sailing.
This is a good time to reflect on the season behind us and start planning for next year. All will agree 2016 was a very good year for ECSC. We had the benefit of a great leadership team and generous volunteer support. Social events were great. The racing and education programs enjoyed high levels of participation with many new sailors and racers. Boat trailer parking improved with the removal of several derelict boats. The web site is better organized with a new look and feel. There are many more. Please give a big “thank you” to the 2016 team and volunteers for the many benefits we enjoyed as members of ECSC.
The 2017 team will work hard to make next year a success next year. We are already working to complete 2017 budgets in December. We will work to preserve and improve on the 2016 successes. We want to continue making ECSC a fun and safe place for sailors of all ages.
We will also work to have an adequate cash reserve for major capital replacement projects. Past Commodores have projected the timing of major capital replacements. Some of those replacements may be drawing near. We have heard concerns about the condition of the boat ramp. Dock board replacement may be accelerating soon due to general age. Lighting maintenance and lighting improvements can further enhance security. The Board and our new Grounds Committee will be carefully reviewing the capital plan.
Recent Bylaw changes will have their first impacts next year. The most significant change clarifies responsibility for buildings and grounds that are not part of the Harbormaster responsibilities. ECSC had an on site caretaker for many years. We do not have a caretaker now, and there are significant challenges associated with having another. A review of the Bylaws revealed a need to more clearly establish responsibilities for buildings and grounds. Your Board added an new Grounds Committee, chaired by the Vice Commodore. The detailed responsibilities are available in the Bylaws on our improved web site.
We hope to improve online access and items to our Ships Store in 2017. Many sailing clubs are starting to use online services that will put our logo on many more items than we can keep in our inventory. Les Miller has agreed to lead this worthy initiative.
[one]Best wishes for the holiday season. I am already dreaming of sailing next year. Larry Conrad[/one]
We have finally arrived at the dusk of another sailing season. The Hornback Regatta (this weekend) has traditionally marked the beginning of the end of the season. The leaves fall,; the coats come out; some days are nice and some days not so much. Activity around the club begins to increase as it did in the spring. Boats begin to fill up the parking lot and the blue tarps appear.
This will be the first year that Sailboats Inc. will no longer be around to assist people in removing and storing boats. I have received several emails from folks wanting help in this matter. My only recourse is to forward their email in hopes someone is willing to help. I am confident that some of the many wonderful people at our club will be happy to assist.
It is a good thing our Harbormaster increased the parking space around the club. It appears we will need it to store all the extra boats.
Perry Cameron
Commodore
Imagine that you are cruising along as smooth as a Cadillac on a newly paved road. You can hear the ice softly rattle against the side of your cup as the puff subsides and the smooth ride shifts gears.
The sun feels wonderful on your face this cool day. The coat you are wearing is light but easily keeps you warm. As you feel the heel of the boat subside, relaxation courses through your body, you know that every one of your muscles can just let go and unwind completely.
Puff on! You take a sip and feel the pressure increase as you realize intuitively that this girl wants to rise higher to the wind. The more the wind blows, the more she rises until you are in the grove. You love that feeling, the same one you get when a singer leads up and finally hits the high note. The boat heels, the wind whistling by your ears is deafening. The ride is a thrill!
Sooner or later the puff relaxes and you take another sip of your drink. It is a sad feeling knowing that sailing season is nearing it’s end, but the last vestige is a good one. It is a windy one, a cool one, a time when hot chocolate sounds better then beer. It is football season, a time for chili and fall leaves.
Welcome to September. This sailor’s favorite month of the year!
If you like September you may like joining the ECSC board! Let me know your interest. commodore@ecsail.org
It is hard to believe that August has arrived. This is probably the slowest month of the sailing season due to hot temperatures and light winds. For many, it may be a welcome break as July ushered in most North American Championships for one-design fleets. I was fortunate enough to participate in the Flying Scot NACs in Newport Rhode Island this year. It was a humbling experience with the large waves, strong current, and sea breeze between 15-30 mph all week long. While I had the time of my life, I could not help but appreciate that our little lake offers some pretty nice racing as well. My favorite conditions are on a cooler day with 7-10 mph winds. Generally in Indiana, these kind of days fall in the late spring and early fall.
It is amazing how the dynamic of the sailing experience changes so drastically in different locations. These differences also propagate different cultures. For instance, I was recently on a lake that had roughly 200 sailboats. While this may not seem so strange, the fact that 199 of the boats were of the same kind seemed strange. Can you even picture everyone having the same kind boat on Eagle Creek? Perhaps it was the secluded Appalachian Mountain environment which caused everyone to get the same boat. Perhaps it was the fact that these boats were manufactured just a few miles from that particular lake. Maybe no one wanted to “rock the boat” and get something different. At any rate, it has created a sailing culture that is very unique to that lake.
Speaking of unique; Our club, located in a quiet and unassuming spot, has developed an inclusive and easy going cruiser boat culture. I am not sure if it is more about sailing or socializing. I suspect the latter. Sure, we have some of the finest Beer Can racing around, but mostly it is about the camaraderie found at the “liars” table afterwards. I have been to many clubs around the country and never found one quite like ours. We don’t have the greatest body of water to sail on, nor the finest facilities. What we do have is some of the coolest people you will ever meet, and a pretty decent oasis of fun that does not ruin our appreciation of other venues. Most importantly, we have spunk. That is all you need.
If you like spunk, you may enjoy helping to keep it going. We are looking for people interested in joining the board of directors. Please contact me at commodore@ecsail.org if you are interested in a position next year.
It’s summer and ECSC is full of activity. Head out to the club on any weekend and you will see:
Kids playing on the playground.
Families grilling out on one of the club grills.
People leaving or heading back to the dock.
People washing their boats.
People doing a few minor repairs to keep their boats shipshape.
People gathered around the “Liar’s Table” at the Race Shed sharing drinks, food and memories.
Kenny moving something around to make room for something else.
All this means we have a very vibrant and active club. So, please come on out and enjoy all that our club has to offer.
Our ECSC Regatta is coming up on July 9-10 with our world famous ECSC Beach Party on Saturday July 9. This is a great event. We had almost 200 people RSVP for a night of dancing on the beach. Hats off to Kenny for moving boats around to make room for the partiers. Be sure to thank him for all of his hard work to make everyone’s weekend enjoyable.
By now you have probably encountered our new web site. It is truly an upgrade from our old site with lots of content and room for us to grow. Check it out next time you are online.
Welcome to our new members. Thanks for joining. Please introduce yourselves to just about everyone you meet. We would love to get to know you better and get you involved in our club.
What a strange spring it has been! The weather in the beginning of May felt like the end of October, and the weather at the end of May feels like July. The only thing that did seem normal was the ridiculously wonderful wind. This was the first Mayor’s Cup since 2008 to have a substantial amount of wind, and I for one had a great time.
The new website is online and appears to be fully functional. Geoff Endris has spent a great deal of time putting it in order. It is unbelievable the amount of time and energy it takes to put something like this together. If you see Geoff, please thank him for his efforts. If you hate the new site then the complaint forms are located in the sharks mouth on the wall of the John Storer pavilion. Most of the relevant content to the site has been added. We do plan on adding additional members only content such as the old Telltales and Board minutes for historical purposes.
I am personally working on digitizing old copies of the Minutes. I have only had time to finish up until 1973, but have already found several interesting things that I didn’t know. For instance, the ECSC symbol you see accompanying this article was the original symbol of our club. During the board meeting of March 22, 1973, four insignias were presented before the board so that we could adopt an emblem that “would be easier to reproduce”. Our current emblem offered by Lee Boschen was the one adopted.
Another interesting tidbit is that it was decided in April of 1972 that the new ECSC newsletter would be titled “Telltales”. John Halstead took the lead on discussing the format and low cost advertising contained within. In the spirit of the 100th Indy 500, I will share one last token of interest. (ECSC Minutes, April 27, 1972) “May 28-29 is the first major regatta of the season, the “500 Regatta.” Two races will be held each day, and a $7.00 entry fee will be charged for non-members”.
