February 5, 2016
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
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 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.
February 2, 2016
Ahoy! In the January Tell Tales, operational information was shared with you. In this February edition, let’s briefly discuss a little Inventory Control and Pricing.
Inventory Control
Presently, we are in the process of acquiring inventory that the majority of the 200+ members would be interested in purchasing and using or wearing with pride in being a member of our club. Please notice that I said the majority. We must be cognizant to acquiring only items that the majority of the club would want to purchase. We also look for sales from outsiders brought in by the regattas.
At the same time, if we order too much in the interest of keeping the cost per item down, we end up with an excessive amount of inventory that we cannot easily sell. The inventory then becomes stagnant with items that increase inventory costs. We presently have quite a few items in this category. Our objective is to keep the inventory costs on hand down by limiting the number of line items in stock whenever possible. At the same time we are limited on warehousing space.
Pricing
All items in inventory are sold at whatever price we pay in acquiring these items. There is no markup. As you can imagine, the more we order of each type means a lower cost for that item. The ship store also is involved in a bidding process. Holding the quality constant, we seek out more than one supplier for each item and take the lowest bidder.
In Conclusion
My sailing friends, as you chase the horizon catching that perfect wind. Watching the sails snap full as your boat heels and you slice through the water.
YES !!!!
In these exhilarating moments that we are all on a journey to catch.
DO IT WEARING EAGLE CREAK SAILING CLUB APPAREL FROM YOUR SHIP’S STORE!
IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO GO!
Al Wilkins
January 8, 2016
It is a new year and yet it feels as though sailing season never ended. I don't know who this "El Niño" guy is, but he is welcome back any time.
For those of you who may not know me, I am Perry Cameron. I have only been a member since 2008, but several in my family, have been active members of this club in the past. You can usually find me racing a J/24 or Highlander on Wednesday nights. This is my first time as Commodore, but I have recently served as Racing Chairman. I will do my best to serve the club well.
The board met for the first time on December 8th to establish and approve the 2016 operating budget. Due to increased operating costs, the board decided to increase dues by $10 and slip fees by $10 for 2016. It is never popular to increase the cost of membership, but every few years, dues must go up to maintain the quality of the ECSC experience.
Our long time Secretary David Fort was notably absent from this meeting. Shortly before our meeting, David called 911 and was transported to St. Vincent's with a ruptured colon. He had an Emergency surgery and has been in ICU since. The road to recovery will be long and tough for David. As a longstanding member of our Eagle Creek family, please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
This club is a "sublime" place for many due to the countless hours put in by its members. It is a labour of love, and an expression of camaraderie to those who share our love of wind on sail. It is with pleasure that I introduce a few volunteers who make it all possible.
- Larry Conrad is our Vice Commodore. He will be assisting me and "Taking notes" for next year.
- Kenny Chapman has returned after several years to once again be Harbormaster. He will be working to finally replace the lighting on the club grounds as well as looking into what what it will take to replace our aging ramp.
- Rick Graef will continue to run the racing program, and I for one look forward to the many top notch regattas again this year.
- Tom Moore, after taking a long break has decided to return to the position of club bean counter. We are definitely in good hands.
- Jane Schmidt will continue her role as Membership chair. She consistently exceeds expectations in this role, paving the way for new members to join the club without difficulties, and old members to seamlessly transition to the next year. There are not words to describe how professional Jane is at conducting this role for our club. Next time you see Jane please give her thanks, as this club would not be what it is today without her efforts.
- Geoff Endris will remain as Publicity Chair. He dedicates a significant amount of time to keeping us all informed. This is his third year at this position, and I am confident that it will continue to go smoothly.
- Chuck Lessick will be in charge of Safety and Education this year. It will be his first time in this role, but he exudes an enthusiasm and competence that gives me the confidence that our junior program will be headed in the right direction for years to come.
- Our other newcomer Vickie Greenough also exhibits these qualities. She will have big shoes to fill in replacing our long time Social Chair Chauncey Olin, who held the position for so many years that it was easy for the rest of us to take social events for granted. Make no mistake, Chauncey's hard work and patience are what made this several year endeavor look so easy. Please take time to pat him on the back and say thanks.
- Al Wilkins will be returning to run the ships store after a few years hiatus. He did a wonderful job in the past. Come out and get your gear at any social/racing event.
January 6, 2016
Hello Eagle Creek Sailors.
The first work party is going to be scheduled for Saturday March 26th from 9 am to 12 noon. We will be getting the upper shelter unpacked and ready for the season. Any miscellaneous yard work may be accomplished also. The other things I would like to do is move "B" dock out into the lake about 4 feet. "A" dock (the end closest to the ramp) needs to be pivoted toward the ramp. Also board replacement can commence this weekend of March.
The following Sunday April 2nd will be another work party for those specializing in dock board replacement and minor building skills. I will have materials and some needed tools for the reconstruction of the shade roof over the Kayak shed.
Those interested in painting any buildings may sign up for that duty to perform according to your schedule. Many more projects will be in the pipeline as they are approved by the board.
Kenny