Dear ECSC Members: What an odd year to be the Commodore! Global pandemic and social unrest  were not  listed in the job description that I received.  I'd like to extend my thanks  to former Commodore Geoff Endris, our secretary Rich Fox,  Grounds committee chairman Chuck Goff, and Harbor Master Kenny Chapman for all of their extraordinary efforts this year. I would also like to thank the members who have been out to the club and have been observing our stated guidelines. Our board will be meeting in the coming week to make some decisions about the continuing opening of our club. Hopefully we will begin to see the official start of racing; a few of the diehards have gotten a head start with honors racing on Wednesdays and Sundays. We also hope to start planning social activities now that the social distancing restrictions are being eased. Please stay tuned to our Facebook and email apply for continuing updates. See you on the water! Nan Wishart Commodore

Hello fellow sailors! It finally looks like we will be getting the club open later this month. Decisions are being made about how and what that will look like – and as we move in this direction, please know that our number one priority is the safety and welfare of our members. We will continue to follow the directives of our state and local officials in how we ease back into our social club setting, and we appreciate your patience and cooperation as we move forward. We will continue to communicate to the membership through our website, Facebook page and email, so stay tuned! THANK YOU TO OUR HEALTH CARE WORKERS! The leadership of the club would like to thank our ECSC members who are in the trenches working in the healthcare field during these unprecedented times. We are fortunate to have many nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals among our membership. We thank you for your hard work over the last several months. A special shout-out goes to Scott Douglas, John Koehne and Vicki Greenough for sharing their knowledge with the ECSC board and providing guidance to keep the club safe. Stay safe! Nan (Schulze) Wishart, Commodore

Well, this is the month that we would normally be getting the club open, the marks set on the lake, and launching boats in the water for the beginning of another wonderful sailing season. Instead, we are in the midst of an unprecedented time of uncertainty due to Covid-19 and the club is still not officially open. Boats are slowly getting into the water, but instead of the normal camaraderie and gathering at the race shed to shake off the winter blues, we are asking members to restrict their interactions. Sailing can be a socially distant activity, but it is advised that you only sail with those people who are sharing your quarantine space. The board is continuing to monitor the advisories and at this time have postponed our normal spring social and racing events. We are communicating through this newsletter, email and our Facebook page. If you know someone who does not have access to these electronic communication efforts, please reach out to them and share what we are doing. In the meanwhile, please take care of yourselves and each other. This too shall pass, and as the resilient sailors that I know we are, we will make up for it in no time. Be well and see you on the water – sometime soon! Nan (Schulze) Wishart Commodore

Well, with the weather today, it appears that we should all be at the lake sailing! In fact, I saw a post on the Eagle Creek Sailing Club this past weekend and a few hearty souls were out testing the waters! We also have several members who have been sailing in warmer climates over this past winter and posting their adventures online. If you haven't found that page yet, it is worth venturing onto Facebook to keep up with all of the shenanigans! Our Former Commodore Geoff Endris is continuing to monitor the progress on the boat ramp replacement scheduled before the official opening of the Club. As more information and a start date is determined we will keep you informed. Thank you, Geoff, for all of your efforts on this project. I am also happy to announce that Ron Anderson, our club maintenance person has been rehired for the 2020 season. He did a great job of taking care of the club and assisting our members in a variety of projects last year and I want to welcome him back aboard. The Ladies Sailing Association will be back this year with more of the great events that we enjoyed last year. The Dock-Walks were great fun and I hope we can expand on those events this year. It's a great opportunity to get to know your dock-mates and check out the great boats we have at the lake. Both the Tell-Tales and the Facebook page will be announcing these events, so stay tuned! I have also been informed that the Radio Controlled (RC) boats and skippers will be back again. I understand that Santa delivered a number of these boats over the winter. Rich Fox is working on putting together a racing program for the RC Sailors, so again, stay tuned! If you haven't seen these boats in action please come out and catch some of the fun! Personally, I am waiting for the day that one of the dock fingers submerges because there are too many RC skippers standing on the end. Well, that wraps up my news for the month. Thank you for being a part of this great sailing club and be sure to read below for news from your Board Committee-Persons. See you on the water! Nan Schulze, Commodore

Welcome to 2020 and what should be a great year for our club! First of all, let me express my gratitude to the board for allowing me to serve at the Commodore. After being invited to the club by Janet Hickok in the early 2000’s, I became enamored of sailing and crewed for a number of years with Mike Gray on Absolute. After a brief absence between 2008 and 2010, I decided to return and join the club, first sailing again on Absolute before buying Dutch Mob, and this past summer sailing on Reckoning. As you can see, I have been a J-24 sailor thus far, but there has been some discussion among some members about trying to build up a Flying Scot fleet, so who knows what this year will bring. As has been said many times, our club is the best kept secret in Indianapolis. Besides the beautiful mostly undeveloped shoreline, the lack of high-speed watercraft, and the sometimes 360° clocking winds, it is you, the members, that make it the special experience that we all enjoy. I would like to welcome the returning and new board members who have agreed serve alongside me this year as committee heads. I am especially excited to welcome two new members of the board who are alumni of our Juniors Sailing program, Cody McCoun and EJ Williams. Please check out the 2020 directory for a complete listing of the board. Officers and committee heads for 2020 are: Vice Commodore – Chuck Goff Treasurer – Tom Moore Secretary – Rich Fox Past Commodore – Geoff Endris Social – Vickie Greenough Membership – Jane Schmidt Harbor Master – Kenny Chapman Publicity – EJ Williams Racing – Marcus Rogers Education & Safety – Wayne Meyers The first board meeting of the year will be on January 11 th , where the board will approve the 2020 budget and we will discuss upcoming capital projects. In addition to completing the new boat ramp, we hope to replace the gin pole and purchase a new tractor for the grounds. I will keep you up to date on these projects as we move forward. Again, thank you for the opportunity to be of service to you. Nan Schulze, Commodore

Well, here we are at the end of another great sailing season.  It has been my pleasure to serve as your Commodore this past year.  Nan Schulze will be your Commodore next year and I am confident she will do an excellent job. Most of the boats have been hauled and stored either on site or off site.  Winter storage is always a little tight at the club.  We try our best to take care of everyone.  If you need space, contact the Harbormaster.  The pressure washer is still on, but once we get 3 hard freeze nights in a row, we will turn off the water. Final Bash: Our last event of the year is our Final Bash on November 2, 2019.  Rather than try to cram 60+ people into Rick’s Boatyard Café, we are moving the event to a banquet hall in Carmel.  There will lots more room and parking.  I hope you can come out for some good food, good company and maybe a little dancing. Board Nominations and Voting The Final Bash is also our annual meeting where we elect 8 board members to serve for a 3-year term.  Nominations have been made and approved by the board.  Rich Fox will send out electronic ballots and instructions for voting.  You can also vote in person at the Final Bash. Boat Ramp & Mast Hoist Update: We are still waiting for approval of our plans from the City and other government organizations.  We are still planning to replace the ramp in March 2020.  We may have to move some boats around to clear workspace for the work crew.  We’ll notify boat owners prior to moving boats. The mast hoist ran into a problem.  The vendor decided to double the price over the initial estimate, so we put the project on hold until we find a cheaper alternative. Fall Work Party Our fall work party is on Saturday Nov 2 starting at 9:00.  Please bring your tools, shovels, rakes, leaf blowers, etc.  Meet down at the Race shed.  This is your final chance to get some valuable work credits to apply to next year’s dues. Stay warm, Geoff