February 8, 2016

Miscellaneous

The Boat, Sport and Travel show is returning to the Indiana State Fairgrounds from February 19 through February 28. Our own Charlie Brehob and Eileen Leonard from Sailboats, Inc. will be there displaying their Hobie products. Tyler and Carrie Andrews will also be there showing off a the Flying Scot sailboat. You an visit the show's web site by clicking here.
February 8, 2016

Old Man Winter is here

Here we are in the middle of old man winter, clinging to our hot cocoa and coffee. Some of us are working on our boats in garages, basements, or pole barns. Some are sitting next to the warm fire reading up on sailing tactics, or perhaps enjoying a novel or two. Still, others are in Florida with a beer in hand, riding that 20 degree heel, posting their triumphant photos on social media for the rest of us to envy. No matter where you are, sailing is probably not far from your thoughts. At the behest of our Harbormaster, I decided to go check my boats to ensure that the poor girls would not feel abandoned. The club is an unbelievably quiet and surreal place this time of year. Still, I could not help but feel the magic. It is only appropriate that I mention here that spring is less than seven weeks away. Soon the baron trees will begin to sprout new leaves, the birds will return to sing their songs, and the rain will pitter patter almost daily. As the ice on the lake quickly recedes, the activity at the club will once again return. There is something special about that early spring feeling, the knowledge that soon there will be fair winds and following seas on Eagle Creek ocean. The feeling that you will soon regularly see all your beloved friends who share your passion for making circles around marks. Indeed, that liars table will soon be open for business! In the meantime, it would be a great idea for everyone to heed the Harbormaster's advice. Give the club a visit. Check out your boat and make sure that tarp hasn't come off. Look around the club and make sure everything looks good. You should have already received your dues statements. Please send them in as soon as possible to ensure you get your new keys in a timely manner. The locks club-wide will be changed in early March. We are also making a valiant effort to remove all abandoned boats from the premises. It would be of great assistance to us if everyone would not delay in affixing their ECSC stickers to their boat and trailers. I hope to see you all soon at our club.
February 7, 2016

2016 Social Calendar set

We are putting together the 2016 Social Calendar. Below are the events and dates. We need volunteers to sign up for host and crew for the events. If you have hosted in the past, please consider signing up again. If you have worked on a crew before and want to step up to host, here is your chance. If you have never worked a social event, please consider signing up to work an event. This is a great way to meet other club members, give back to the club and earn those valuable work credits that can be applied to next year's membership dues. Vickie The 2016 Social Calendar
Event Date Time Host Status
Mother's Day Brunch May 8 11:30 am Need Host & Crew
Mayor's Cup Dinner/Party May 14 5:00 pm Race Crew
Memorial Day Cookout May 30 3:30 pm Need Host & Crew
Father's Day Brunch June 19 11:30 am Need Host & Crew
July 4th Pig Roast July 4 3:30 pm Need Host & Crew
ECSC Beach Party July 9 5:00 pm Race Crew
Lobster Fest Augutst ?? 6:00 pm Need Host & Crew
Labor Day Cookout September 5 3:30 pm Need Host & Crew
Governor's cup Dinner/Party September 17 5:00 pm Race Crew
Hornback Chili Cookoff October 8 5:30 pm Need host and crew
Final Bash November 5 6:00 pm Need Host & Crew
 
February 6, 2016

Don’t neglect your boat

Ahoy all members of ECSC. Please be sure to check on your boat through out the Winter especially after snow or heavy rain. Tarped boats tend to cave in when loaded with snow or water sometimes defeating the purpose of the tarp. With the large number of projects proposed for this year, Dennis and I are going to go old school and split up the jobs as "water-based" or "land-based." Dennis has agreed to become the water-side Harbormaster and I will tend to the land-based projects. The Harbormaster's duties according to the bylaws are basically all water-based, with the exception of maintaining parking for boats that are dry sailed. In the past the caretaker position always added his needed budget into the Harbormaster's budget. This will be changed to separate budgets next year I promise. The work party dates are quite simple: the last Saturday in March and the first Saturday in April. Dock maintenance tools, impact guns and saws will be needed for water-side activities. Land-side work will be some carpentry (rafters for the roof on the Kayak shed) and the usual club set up, clean up requiring rakes and firewood collecting equipment. Further projects will be listed during these days and members will be able to sign up to work these projects on their own timelines. More tidbits in March. Kenny
February 5, 2016

Come out to our Racing Clinics

Hello fellow ECSC sailors! Thanks to all those who attended our first Race gathering at the boathouse of the 2015 Season. Mark your calendars for February 17th for the next Race Meeting. Location is TBD. I plan to go through Starting Tactics and Rules, Upwind and downwind rules and tactics. We will also go through some of the exciting plans for this season. We welcome all sailors regardless of experience level. Hopefully some of you managed to get to the Strictly Sail Chicago Sailboat (and RV) show. I made it up for one afternoon and had a great time. Speaking of ECSC Sailors on the move, Past Commodore Tony Hubbard represented ECSC at Quantum Sails Key West Race week in a chartered Farr 280. His crew included his son Jacob and one of my regular crew members Cameron Borkowski. Hopefully you all have seen the email blast regarding the North U. Racing and Tactics seminar at Indianapolis Sailing Club on March 5th. Registration starts at 8.30 AM at ISC. The tactics class will cover strategy, tactics and rules all the way around the race course. These seminars are great to help you build your strategy, develop a racing plan and follow through with results. The instructor is Andrew Kerr. He is a j24 and Santana 20 National Champion. The cost of the seminar is $99 to US Sailing and club members. Be sure to check the member level pricing, or you will be charged the normal $129 rate. Also Junior sailors and students can attend for only $50. For further information and to register Click here. Our 2016 ECSC Racing calendar is set and can be accessed on our club’s website at www.ecsail.org on the racing page or the calendar. Or you can click here to view the a PDF of the race schedule. Spring is just around the corner. See you on the water, Rick Graef and Janet Hickok
February 4, 2016

Dues are due

All Annual Dues statements have been mailed. If you have not received yours, please contact us at membership@ecsail.org Please remember that your Annual Dues and paperwork must be postmarked no later than February 29, 2016. If your Dues and paperwork are not postmarked by February 29, 2016, you could lose your coveted wet slip and have to go to the end of the wait list. FYI: As in prior years, checks will be deposited and processed within a few days after we receive them. The exception to this is the wet slip payment ($385) for members who did not hold a wet slip in 2015. Those checks and the Wet Slip Agreement will be held by the membership chairman until the Harbormaster has determined whether a wet slip is available, which will be sometime in March. Those checks will be cashed at that time. If a wet slip is not available, your check will be returned to you. If for some reason, you prefer that your check not be cashed right away, please hold and mail your check and paperwork closer to the due date of 2/29/16. The new keys that you receive in your Membership Kit will not be operational until all the cores on the locks are changed, which will occur in mid March. This will give time for all members to receive their new keys. So hold on to both for the time being. We will recycle the prior keys and will have bins in the upper shelter house and at the race shed for you to deposit any keys which are no longer of use. (Good chance to clean out your kitchen and dresser drawers as well as glove boxes).
February 3, 2016

We want your kids!

We are getting closer to sailing season with every passing day, so now is a good time to sign up for this summer’s ECSC Junior sailing camp! The dates of the camp this year will be June 20-24 and June 27- July 1. Participants can sign up for either week individually, or both weeks which earns a $100 discount. Register here! Register here! I’d like to ask everyone to be on the lookout for kids that might be interested in joining ECSC’s Junior Sailing Team. Our current team’s youngest junior sailor will age out of the program in two years. That might seem like a long time, but it will be here before you know it. Last winter Junior Sailing added some brand new Optimists to our fleet of dinghy’s which are perfect for beginning sailors. These boats have their own fleets at I-LYA regattas and are the perfect place to start seeing what junior sailing is all about and you will meet a lot of great people from other area clubs! Remember this time of year is a great time to take a look at the rigging, sails, and hardware on your boat. Take one of these excellent weather days we have been having lately to give your boat a once-over. Looking at your boat without the pressure of wanting to be on the water can help you see if there is anything that needs repair. There is still plenty of time to perform repairs so that this summer you can spend time enjoying your boat safely.