2nd Annual Septemberfest to Feature Races, Live Music, Nature Programs – Activities for All
Get the Word Out – Sat 9/24 is Septemberfest 2011
If you are a Friend, please help us get the word out. Download this image or print the pdf and post it at school, work, church … wherever you can. And do come out to enjoy September at the park with us!
Puddle Ducks Launched – July 3rd, 2011 – Yellow Creek Lake
The Launch
On July 3rd, 2011, Yellow Creek Lake was the scene for an happy if unusual launching. Six new, homebuilt sailboats made of wood took to the water. These six Puddle Duck Racers were built by groups fo Indiana families in a project organized by FOYC with the help of Moraine Sailing Club’s John Bridges. We gathered as a group for construcion oft the hulls in February and sail building in March. Now after much sanding, caulking, and painting, we had sailboats.
There were last minute questions about rigging. Is this boom supposed to be 8 or 10 foot? Some of the builders had never sailed, so we held a 20-minute crash course. How do you sail up-wind? What if you capsize? What is the main-sheet for again? But the winds were gentle, and even first-time sailors made it off the shore and back again! Our sails made as cheaply as possible from Tyvek and stuck together with carpet tape held! Not only did the boats float but, thankfully, but they sailed pretty well and only mine leaked!
In the picture below, you can also see a pair of wooden Optimist sailboats and a Weekend Skiff that came along for the ride. In the gallery, you can see that we launched from shore. The soft mud is gentle on boat bottoms, but you sometimes need a push to get “unstuck.” We found ourselves having to launch the boats into deeper water before hanging on the rudders.
Building and sailing a PDR offers a few chances to be create. Our PDRs sport some colorful, custom paint jobs. For our first build, we suited up the six boats with a popular sail style called the “Leg-o-mutton” which is efficient and easy to build. You may see other PDRs with very different sails, since while the boat hulls should conform to the same shape, sail design is totally open to experiment.
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| Puddle ducks, and other wooden boats; Optimist, far right. Yellow Creek Lake 2011 – From PDR |
Cycling: The Yellow Creek 2011
The schedule for the Yellow Creek Monthly cycling races is out. Check out the cool poster.
Visit www.rideyc.com for more details.
Indiana Gazette Covers Puddle Duck Hatch
From the Indiana Gazette: Sunday, Feb 20, 2011.
Post-Poned
This course has been postponed. Please email friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.com if you are interested; we will reschedule it if there is sufficient interest in the future.
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FOYC is sponsoring two certified, US Sailing courses at Yellow Creek State Park, May 2-4, 2014.
Like sailing? Want to work or volunteer on a waterfront? This course is designed to prepare camp counselors and staff from community sailing, boat rental, and scouting programs to supervise small boat recreational sailing activities. The emphasis is on safety and hands-on practice to familiarize candidates with proper terminology and boating techniques. Participants should have some prior exposure to sailing but need not be experts.
Over the course of three days, participants can complete Sailing Counselor, and achieve certification in US Sailing Safety and Rescue.
Course begins Friday, 5/2 at noon. Depending on experience and need, students can sign-up for one or both courses which are effectively taught in tandem.
The minimum age for attending this course is 14 years old.This course will be taught by a certified US Sailing instructor trainer from Pittsburgh. It is co-sponsored by Friends of Yellow Creek and the IUP Sailing Club. There is a US Sailing fee associated with this course.
Contact friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.com for more information.
Online registration is available for the Sailing Counselor Component:
http://training.ussailing.org/Course_Calendars/SailingCounselorCalendar.htm