March 8, 2016

Spring is around the corner

Spring is officially around the corner with only three weeks to go! There is something exhilarating about the prospect of a new sailing season. No matter how many years go by, that excitement never seems to wane. If you have great fondness for big wind, then spring is for you! Of course, with big wind comes increased adversity. This is what makes it so exciting. It always pays to sail with caution this time of year; however, almost all of us have stories in which we did nothing of the sort! These stories tend to climax with the broach of a spinnaker, an out of control boom, broken shackle, torn sail or even an unplanned swimming lesson. For those of us with an insatiable appetite for adventure, it is these moments that remind us we are alive! There is of course the down side to Spring as well. I can remember just a couple of years ago, paddling a Pram through the front door of our new racing shed. The designer and builder of the shed raised it upon pillars higher than Eagle Creek had ever been known to flood. Ironically, the flood waters reached a record height that year, christening the new shed. Besides submerging many of our structures during a flood, the next two weeks are generally spent picking up driftwood, trash and other miscellaneous debris around the club. Sometimes our smaller beach boats end up adrift, causing us to hunt them down around the lake. In the end, spring floods generally take a club wide effort to clean up. If this happens to become a flood year, please take time to assist in the clean up. Otherwise, come out and enjoy the big wind! Perry   Perry  
March 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
 
March 6, 2016

Harbormaster duties & Abandoned Boats

Ahoy Eagle Creek sailors. May your Winter be short and your love of sailing be long. Okay, with all the happy stuff spewed out we have to get real. As our club grows we must maintain enough space on shore to store the boats of avid sailors. In recent times it seems that some of us deem this club as a storage yard for hobbies of the past. This is not what our club was designed for. My basic message for this entire article is that, if you no longer want or can sail your boat it should and must be removed from the club to make room for others. Dennis Robertson (water side Harbormaster) and yours truly (Kenny Chapman) will be relacating any perceived abandoned boats to the Northeast side of the boat storage area along the edge of the woods. The first sign of an abandoned boat will be that of outdated stickers on boat and trailer. Other signs of discontinued use will be water in your boat, mold inside or outside, flat trailer tires, and obvious lack of use. You must understand this is not an attack on you personally, but an incentive for you to either use your boat or remove it from the club grounds to allow others to use the proper amount of space this club has to offer. If for some reason you find your boat relocated in the Northeast wood line area of the club it means:
  • That your stickers are not current (meaning you don't care).
  • You will be receiving a letter from the club asking you to remove your boat from the premises.
  • In the event that you do not respond to the letter (again, the not caring thing), proceedings will be taken to declare your boat as "abandoned" and have it removed from our property.
  • Make sure your stickers are current. Boat and trailer. If you need any help at the club removing your unused boat please call me.
Kenny
March 5, 2016

Racing Tactics Seminar

Hello fellow ECSC sailors! There is still time to sign up for 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 is listed below; it can also 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. Rick Graef and Janet Hickok  
March 4, 2016

Membership dues should have been sent by now

Welcome to three new members since the last Tell Tales was published:
  • Doug and Fiona Becker of Indianapolis sailing an Ultimate 20. We understand this is a very special boat and many of our racers are anxious to see it.
  • Bryan and Rachel Ferry from Carmel. They have a Lightning and are in the process of buying another boat.
  • Welcome back to former members Michael and Debbie Tolley of Indianapolis sailing a Scaffie.
Membership will host several New Member Orientation sessions during the summer of 2016. The first will be Sunday April 17th at 1:00 when we will gather in the upper shelter. Come and meet with Christy to learn everything you need to know about being a member at ECSC. These sessions are open to all new members and any prospective members who are wanting to know about the club before joining or to anyone who may have any questions pertaining to the club The deadline for mailing 2016 dues was Monday, 2/29/16 and we have heard from most of you. If you have not yet sent in your dues, please do so ASAP. If you find that you have not received your decals and keys by 3/15/16, please call 575-9837 or email membership@ecsail.org. Everyone is receiving a new ‘16’ key and this will effective around March 15th. We will have recycling boxes available in the upper shelter house and down by the race shed if you wish to recycle your former ECSC keys and/or any other keys you may wish to bring. Before we know it, we will be at the club getting our boats ready to go in the water. YEAH! YEAH!  
March 3, 2016

Summer Camp is filling up!

Camp registrations are starting to roll in, and it sounds like we are going to have a lot of first time participants. This is great for the club, since it introduces new families to our sport who may get the sailing bug and become new members in the future. If you know any kids that might be interested in the camp, be sure to make them aware that registration is now open. Register here! Register here! Junior sailing dates are starting to take shape, with the first regatta our juniors will be competing in at ISC on April 2-3...only a month away! Two Junior Olympic dates are also on the calendar June 10-12 at Menton Harbor and July 29-31 at Grosse Point. ILYA Travelers Series dates are June 4 Buckeye, June 18 Sandusky, June 25 Hoover, July 15 Vermillian Boat Club, and Junior Bay Week is July 17-21. Put a date on the calendar and come out and support the ECSC Juniors!  
March 2, 2016

Re-evaluating Ship’s Store Merchandise

Ship Stores is busy recalibrating and replenishing inventories for the 2016 sailing season. Plans are to open with the following sales incentive. During the week of May 8th Burgees and Caps will be offered at 50% off the list price. This sale will start at the Mother’s Day brunch on May 8th and end at the Mayors Cup Regatta dinner/party on May 14th. You can also purchase between these events by contacting Al Wilkins. The list price for a Burgee is $25.00 The list price for a cap is $8.00 So, these items will go for ½ the list price. Your Ship Stores Committee chair, Al Wilkins