Hello Eagle Creekers,
We have a few big jobs ahead of us this Spring and hopefully they can get started at the club opening work-party. Below are three of the majors projects ahead of us.
- Re-decking of L dock (which is the 5' wide section leading to D dock).
- Expansion of the trailer parking at the top of the hill to the West and South.
- A Grounds Committee project concerning dead Ash tree removal.
Any and all help with these projects will be greatly appreciated and make the club more user friendly.
Anyone with an unmarked dinghy or kayak at the club must remember to put current stickers on your boat. As I mentioned in last months article those unidentifiable boats will be going away this Spring.
Don't forget, during Winter you need to come out to the club on a regular basis to check on your boat. Many tarps get filled with snow/water or get blown off entirely. It is up to you to protect your property.
One last thing, when coming out to the club in the Winter I would suggest locking the gate back up as you enter. This will keep unwanted guests from entering the club and shorten your time checking on your boat. Always lock the gate when leaving.
Kenny Chapman
Harbormaster
January Race Meeting a Huge Success!
My thanks to all who attended the first Race Ready meeting on January 25. We had about 30 members attend. We covered some of the changes we are making to the racing program this year. It was great to see such a huge turnout and we had a lot of great discussions.New Permanent Racing Mark
The biggest change for 2017 will be the addition of a new permanent racing mark. We are going to move permanent mark #2 to a new location due west
of mark #5 and will be adding a new permanent mark #Y directly north of mark #X and slightly northeast of where mark #2 used to be. Click HERE to see a diagram of the new mark locations.
This will let us set up more race courses using just the permanent marks in just about any wind. It will also allow us to set up both windward-leeward courses (for red and green fleets) and triangle courses (for blue and white fleets) from the same RC boat position. Hopefully, this will make Race Committee duty easier.
RC Duty Signup
Speaking of Race Committee duty, ECSC members who participate in the Wednesday and Sunday racing series are expected to sign up for one of the two RC duty slots for each series they are participating in. If you typically only race in the Wed series, then you will need to sign up for RC duty 3 times – once for spring, summer and twilight series. Likewise, for the two Sunday Series. If you don’t sign up, then you will be assigned a day for RC duty. So, if you want to choose your RC week instead of having it chosen for you, please go to the signup site and register – CLICK HERE.
We need Volunteers – You need work credits. Can we work something out?
Note: you do not get work credits for this RC duty – it is just expected as part of competing in the racing series. Club regattas are a different matter. Because of the time commitment, we do give club work credits for serving on Race Committee in any of our 6 regattas. We have several positions to fill for each regatta including:- Principal Race Officer – in charge of on-the-water activities, watches the start/finish lines
- Recorder – records the positions of boats at the start and finish
- Timer – announces the time remaining to start and the times of boats as they finish
- Signals/Flags – raises/lower flags & sounds horn to signal starts, finishes and penalties
- Safety Boat/Mark Set – Sets temporary marks, monitors pin-end of start line, monitors mark roundings, assists boats in distress
- Safety Boat / Mark Set #2 – Assists on Safety Boat
- Regatta coordinator – in charge of overall regatta, coordinates shore-side activities (event check-in, trailer storage, food & entertainment)
| Dates | Regatta | Comments |
| 5/20-5/21 | Mayor’s Cup | Regatta, catering, band or DJ |
| 6/10-6/11 | Flying Scot | Regatta, catering, no band |
| 7/8-7/9 | ECSC regatta | Regatta, beach party |
| 9/16-9/17 | Governor’s Cup | Regatta, catering, band/DJ |
| 9/30/17 | ECSC Championship | Regatta only |
| 10/14-10/15 | Hornback regatta | Regatta only |
- RC food pickup: Make a weekly run to Gordon Food Service to make sure there is enough food for Wednesday and Sunday post-race cookouts.
One-Day Race Management Seminar March 11, 2017
On March 11, 2017, ECSC and ISC will host a one day seminar on Race Management. Our instructor will be Steve Harris. Steve is the US Sailing Area Race Officer for our area. Students will receive expert instructions and best practice tips for running a club-level race. The cost is $45. This includes course materials and lunch. If you are in the racing program and are unsure how to run a race, or if you are not in the racing program and want to get some work credits working the Race Committee crew, or if you are a little rusty in running races, you should sign up. As an added incentive, I will reimburse up to 10 people who sign up and attend the seminar. Please click HERE to see a brochure for the event. Click HERE to go to the US Sailing web site to register. Just scroll down to the March 11 event at ISC and register.Come out for the Social Side of Racing
Over the past couple of years, we have been trying to merge the racing program with our social program and have our racing events double as social events. Non-racers are invited to come out for the dinner and party. The cost is $10 per person to cover the cost of the meal. It's a great way to enjoy your club even more.Next Race Ready Meeting
Our next Race Ready meeting will be held on February 22, 2017. During that meeting we will cover:- Rules changes for 2017
- Rules at the start
- Rules for windward legs
- Rules at the windward mark
Membership
All ECSC Annual Dues statements were mailed on January 18th. You should have yours by now. Please notify us at membership@ecsail.org if you have not received yours.
17 member have sent in their information along with their checks and those checks will be deposited on 1/28/17. Please respond as early as possible so that your forms don’t get lost in the shuffle and so that you receive your 2017 boat & trailer decals as well as your keys in a timely manner. The main gate key - 16 - will remain the same for the next year so only request that key in the event that you need some extras.
Our Harbormasters have included an additional form in the mailing this year which is to be used if you wish to change your slip for the 2017 season. This form should help to make that process go more smoothly. To those of you who did not have a permanent slip, please indicate your desire to have one in 2017 and we will make every effort to make that possible this season. If you are requesting a slip for the first time, please complete a separate check for the slip fee. This check will be held until we are certain that you have been assigned a slip (usually by mid to late March). If by chance you are not assigned a slip, this check will be returned to you uncashed.
Jane and Christy
The 2017 Junior Sailing Calendar is up on the club website. Click here to link to it.
The season starts with the Geist Spring Laser Regatta, where valuable experience is gained through racing against some of the best Laser sailors in the Midwest. This is typically a great season starter and the first time on the water in competition. This April regatta provides our team with great early season training while they wait for the first I-LYA Junior Regatta in June at Berlin Sailing Club. The season quickly gets busy in June with six regattas in the month! Mentor Harbor, Sandusky, Edgewater, and North Cape. Many miles are going to get put on the tow vehicles that month! July consists of three regattas with one of them being I-LYA Junior bay week. The I-LYA Junior season ends with two regattas in August at Hoover and Erie. In September, we will go to Lake Lemon for the Lake Lemon Regatta. This has become traditionally the last outing for the Juniors, and is always loads of fun.
The summer sailing camp plans are nearly finalized. The camps are scheduled for the week of June 19-23 and June 26-30th. The registration forms should be on-line shortly. Stay Tuned to the Sail Camp Page for more information. I was hoping to have them up by now, but ran into a little snag.
Chuck Lessick
Safety and Education
- Eliminating the Club as a middleman. We will just provide the service linked from our website.
- Providing an expanded range of goods, sizes and styles.
- Creating the opportunity for custom embroidery (sail # or boat name) in addition to our beloved ECSC logos.
- Preventing the accumulation of out-dated old inventory sold at a loss to the club.
ECSC Trivia fact #1- Our newsletter was originally published in 1972 under the name Telltails. The following year it was changed to Telltales. Prior to 1972 it was a sporadic mailing entitled ECSC News.
Our membership and all communications (excepting dues statements and payments) have become electronic. We are looking at the possibility of moving or dues and payments to electronic format also. We maintain both an ECSC Facebook page, and a website.
ECSC Trivia fact #2 our inlet off of the Reservoir was known as "Shoal Creek Inlet" on early maps. Click here to see Full blog article for Picture
What makes our club tick?
The following is a reprinted answer from the May 1972, Volume 1, issue no.1 of The ECSC Telltails, Tom Heirmonimus - Editor
NEW PRIORITIES ESTABLISHED
MEMBERS URGED TO GET INVOLVED
Anytime there is a large organization there are complaints. Why are they doing that? They should be doing more! Can't we get better ------. Well, the answer doesn't lie in the above statements; it lies in your involvement.
The club is run by a relatively small segment of the membership. It is not run that way by choice. It is because all of the committees depend on volunteers. In order to have a better club YOU must participate. This is not the time to be bashful. Ask yourself, "what can I do to help". You don't have to be a professional. Just be willing to pitch in. Call any of the committee chairman listed on page two and volunteer your service. We can make this a very exciting and fun filled club if we all do what we can.
Very true words that were written 45 years ago! Seems to this current Telltales editor that these words apply not only to our lovely Sailing Club, but to many aspects of life... So, the only change I would make to the previous text is to bring it into the 21st century and suggest that you email your committee chairs if you can find the time to volunteer. Visit the Racing Page and sign up for Race committee duty. Come to the Race Meetings and Learn how to help the racing program. Email Kenny and volunteer for our many work projects and work parties planned for 2017. Contact our Social Chair and take on chairing a social event. These activities are not only fun, but you earn valuable work credits to apply to next years dues.
While we are a private sailing club, we have always accepted all comers regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or even sailing ability. Follow a few of our basic rules, help out when you are able and you are welcome to enjoy the hidden gem that we call our oasis - Eagle Creek Sailing Club. Rick Graef Publicity
Happy new year to all ECSC members!
We all hope you had a safe and happy holiday season. A special extra welcome goes out to all new members in 2016.
The days are already getting longer, and we can start thinking about the 2017 sailing season. Maybe it will be a new sail, bottom paint, or even a new boat. Some will attend a sailing seminar, or go to the boat show in Chicago. Even better is to go south to keep our sailing skills sharp in warmer waters. My bucket list includes winch maintenance and other needs. It is never too soon to dream about the next sailing season.
Our Board approved a good 2017 operating budget at our December meeting. Our January meeting will start detailed planning for our 2017 season. It will also start updating the long term plan for capital replacment or improvement needs. Please feel free to contace me or another board member with suggestions.
Larry Conrad
Commodore