April 6, 2018
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
April 6, 2018
Although the weather continues to tease us, spring is here and members are already working on preparing for launch! Our opening event is right around the corner and it will be here before we know it!
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Mother’s Day brunch will be hosted again this year by Mike and Katie Smith. This will be a special event as it is also Katie’s birthday! Make sure you mark your calendars for May 13th! We will begin serving at 11:30 am. Knowing Katie, she has something special planned!
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Other events to plan for are as follows:
[highlight background="" color=""]Memorial Day[/highlight] - May 28th at 3:30 pm Host/hostess needed
[highlight background="" color=""]Father's Day Brunch[/highlight] - June 17th at 11:30 am Host/hostess needed
[highlight background="" color=""]July 4th Pig Roast[/highlight] - July 4th at 3:00 pm Hosted by Steve and Sarah McQueen
[highlight background="" color=""]Beach Party[/highlight] - July 7th at 5:00 pm Hosted by Nick Mates and Crew
[highlight background="" color=""]Lobster Fest[/highlight] - date TBD at 6:00 pm - Eric Jones? Waiting confirmation
[highlight background="" color=""]Labor Day[/highlight] - September 3rd at 3:30 pm - Host/hostess needed
[highlight background="" color=""]Chili Cook-Off[/highlight]- October 13th at 5:30 pm - Hosted by Jennifer and Ryan Curtis
[highlight background="" color=""]Final Bash[/highlight] - November 3rd at 6:00 pm - Hosted by Larry Conrad
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If you are interested in volunteering as a Host/Hostess or any for of assistance, please let me know. Call or text 317-eight four seven-7400.
Vickie Greenough - Social Chair
April 6, 2018
It’s time of the year let’s go sailing. The Slip assignments have been completed and are available online. Just CLICK HERE to access the website. Members should feel free to put your boats in your slip anytime you want.
[one_second]I have noticed over the years that many people secure their boats in an improper and potentially dangerous way. The Proper way to secure a boat to the dock is with four lines: a bow line, a stern line, and two spring lines (fore and aft). Also remember, the spring lines should be taut and the Bow and stern lines should have some slack. This will keep your boat from hitting the dock. Also, please make sure that you secure your boat with the bow pulpit NOT sticking out over the dock. This allows members to move freely on the docks. [/one_second]
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With the volume of boats in the club this year we have had several boats that are double parked. If you have parked someone in, please address this early in the season so that we all have access to our boats. The grounds Committee is looking to do some work in the upper trailer farm, so please don't move your trailer up until after May 1st. If they are able to get the lot work done earlier, they will list that the lot is open on the sign. Also, always be sure to check the conditions in the upper lot as you do not want to get your vehicle stuck in mud.
This spring I will be addressing several boats on the property that belong to club members that have not been cleaned or drained of standing water in several years. These boats will be a priority for me this year. If you know someone that owns one of these boats please let them know that I will be contacting them.
Your club stickers should be in your possession as of now so please put them on your boat and trailer as soon as possible.
Dennis Robertson - Harbormaster
317-three three nine -7371
April 6, 2018
How to Start Faster
[divider height="30" style="default" line="default" themecolor="1"]In case you missed the last racing seminar:
It’s make or break time out on the racecourse, how to get a flying start and what to do when things don’t go quite to plan.
When the race officer sounds the starting signal for the Super Sunday races, he can already see which boats are going to compete in the leading pack, which will be fighting with the mid fleet masses, and which crews will consider a recovery to the mid fleet a success. For most racers, the first five minutes set the agenda for the entire race. Yet, unlike sprinters or tennis players, who spend hours and days practicing starting and serving techniques, most of us are content with the 15 minutes or so starting practice we get each weekend in our local club races, compared with the three hours course-racing practice which inevitably follows each start. We all experience elements of a bad start from time to time: no space to leeward so no opportunity to accelerate without being lee-bowed; blanketed by boats to windward; starting at the unfavored end and seeing the fleet crossing boat lengths ahead within minutes of the start; in irons going backwards when the gun goes; or simply being pinned on starboard tack unable to follow any preset strategy. Worse still, sticking out from the crowd in the event of a black flag or individual recall. Consistent good starters avoid these dangers by applying a mix of skills. Many are class specific: the fastest way to learn is by watching your class expert. Sadly, these skills can’t be learned simply from reading. They must be learned just the same way the expert learned them – through time on the water.
[divider height="30" style="default" line="default" themecolor="1"]Strategic Awareness when Sailing
A clear race strategy leads to a definite starting objective. A starting objective enables realistic priorities to be set; rather than trying to win the start outright we might aim for a more conservative approach, which achieves these priorities. For example, in light conditions the top priority for a keelboat is generally speed off the line, while in a dinghy it’s clear wind. If there is a wind bend favoring the right-hand side of the course, the priority will be a clear lane to tack onto port.
[divider height="30" style="default" line="default" themecolor="1"]How to handle the boat
Practicing some specific boat handling skills will enable you to accurately position the boat on the start line:
- Stop quickly by pushing out the boom, keeping the boat’s alignment constant.
- Learn to maneuver at slow speed, using sails and body weight.
- Practice holding the boat on station in semi-stalled mode; (between close hauled and head to wind) using rudder and sails; maintaining control all the time. Try bearing away fast without acceleration, then promptly returning to semi-stalled mode.
- Learn to tack when in semi-stalled mode, using body movement and sails, without gaining forward momentum.
- Accelerate quickly from semi-stalled mode.
Boat Awareness
Things we need to learn about our own class:- What wind and wave conditions allow a stable semi-stall mode? (In big waves or wind, a controlled speed approach may be safer).
- How long does our boat take to accelerate from semi-stall to full speed (through a range of conditions) and what is the minimum space we need to leeward to achieve this?
- What are the techniques for ‘hanging in’ – maintaining a lane after the start when we haven’t created quite enough room to leeward?
- How fast does our boat move sideways through the range of conditions?
- Time on distance – how long does it take to sail five boat lengths in each wind condition? (Sailors who have developed this skill well can judge the distance to the line in time as well as distance.)
Observational Skills
Practice measuring the line bias – judging how far you are from the line, observing the trends in the fleet, spotting the gaps and the hot spots. [divider height="30" style="default" line="default" themecolor="1"]Know your rules
To ensure good starting, we need a clear knowledge of the rules, make sure that our competitors are aware of this, and control close situations before they become incidents. WE HAVE MORE RULES PAMPLETS JUST ASK. [divider height="30" style="default" line="default" themecolor="1"]Sailing Routine
All good starters have their own favorite routine. As with any complicated task, a checklist, breaking the task into manageable portions, makes the whole procedure less daunting. Starting the first race of the club or world championship becomes as straightforward as eating your cornflakes. If it helps, write it down. Here’s an example:- Practice beat
- Practice run
- Wind patterns?
- Is your boat set up for the conditions? Check shrouds, forestay, lowers and jib cars.
- Tide/current?
- Course?
- Beat strategy
- Which spinnaker/which bag?
- Line transit
- Line bias
- Start objective
- Identify the relevant starboard lay line
- Weed check
- Bias check
- I flag? Black flag?
- Where are boats lining up?
- Final decisions
- Final line up
- Check Cunningham, centerboard and vang
April 6, 2018
Welcome to new members Marcus Rogers and Audrey Mills who are from Fishers and sailing a
J 24.
There will be a New Member Orientation session on Sunday, June 24 at 1:00 pm in the upper shelter. Come meet with Christy to learn more about ECSC and encourage any prospective members to attend.
All checks received have been deposited and all decals for boats and trailers have been mailed so if you have not received yours, please contact Jane. Slips have been assigned and there is a wait list this year. Those of you who sent a separate slip check for $385 and were not assigned a slip, I am still holding those in a secure file and will do so for awhile longer in the event that additional slips may become available for subleasing as the season progresses.
Jane Schmidt Christy Merriman
April 6, 2018
Eagle Creek Sailing Clubs Junior Summer Sailing Camp is officially full for 2018! There was a lot of interest in the camp by both former campers, as well as a large influx of new kids coming to the camp and the camp filled very quickly. Camp doesn't happen for about 3 months, so now the staff meetings and planning will be completed leading to another year of introducing about 50 kids to the sport of sailing. The Junior Camp is a great way to build future sailors not only for ECSC, but for the good of the sport in general. Who knows how many of these kids will "get the bug" and become future club members or junior sailors for ECSC.
It is spring time, and HOPEFULLY the cold weather will be gone very very soon! Just a quick reminder to do a safety check on your boat(s) to be sure things are as they should be to first avoid anything going wrong while you are sailing or at the club, and second should something happen are you prepared to act with the proper safety gear, plan, etc.? Safety First!
Junior updates should be coming soon, as regatta season will be upon us soon enough. Until then, the ECSC Junior Team is finishing their winter workout program and will be heading outside to the club in the very near future. They will be doing both weight training at the Junior Sailing Center, as well as sailing on the lake as often as possible. If you happen to see them, please show them our support by saying "Hi!".
Check out ur ECSC Juniors web page here
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Check out our ECSC Junior Facebook Page here
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Check out the upcoming 2018 Junior Racing Schedule here
Here is the NOR for the ECSC Indy Laser and Opti Regatta at ECSC on April 28 and 29, 2018
April 6, 2018
