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