Water Fun + Fishing

Of Sailors + Old Salts

Sailor Tales

by Mary Jane Bogle + photos by Bill Crawford of Harbor Pictures

Welcome to the second story in our two-part series on sailing life in Kosciusko County. In this issue, you’ll meet a few of our region’s sailors and

hear their salty tales. (Special thanks to the Wawasee Yacht Club for sharing these firsthand accounts with us!)

The Misadventure – by sailor Alan Fox

While it is widely known (in the sailing community) that Berkley Duck’s back porch played an important part in the formation of the Wawasee Boating Association (WBA), his pontoon boat nearly negated all that his back porch had contributed.

Berk had a style that was to provide us with numerous adventures in the early days of the WBA, and he promptly introduced me to it during preparations for the first race. As I was attempting to sail along the port side of the committee boat, he quickly turned 90-degrees left, impaling my Y-Flyer onto his left front pontoon. We patched my boat, and Berk and I went on to sail many races and establish a long-term friendship. But it almost ended before it began!

The Initiation – by sailor Sue Sharp

My friend Karen convinced me to go sailing with her, just to see if I would like it. On a tack, the wind direction feather indicator at the front of the boat got tangled in the halyard and was about to break loose. Karen headed into the wind, let out the main, and slowed our progress so I could snake out on the deck to fix it.

Just then, a huge puff of wind caught the sail, yanking the main sheet out of Karen’s hand, and the boom knocked me straight into the water. The boat screamed off on its new tack at break-neck speed while the main sheet grabbed hold of my sunglasses, my cap— and my trailing ponytail, dragging me underwater like a fishing lure.

After what seemed like eternity, I felt Karen’s hand tugging at my head. My cap and a big clump of hair came off in her hand, but I was freed from the tangled mess. My head popped out of the water like a cork. I had heard of club initiations before, but this was the ultimate in ridiculousness!

A Boat Named Sassy – by sailor J.B. VanMeter

Was “Sassy” a sailboat, or a rodeo bull? Rule No.1 of owning a boat: It’s bad luck to change her name. But something had to give. One Sunday morning, using a piece of masking tape and a Sharpie marker, we went to an interim name: “The Boat Formerly Known As Sassy.” Suddenly, she treated us a little better.

Then her permanent name came to us: why not something with a triple meaning? Two of us on board hail from Lake Tippecanoe... you know, Lake “Tippe.” She did capsize often, and she was, of course, a fine E-Scow. So, we named her after our home lake and reflected her past affection to capsize at will. Not forgetting the E, we had it: “TIPP-E.” We seem to have survived the curse of changing her name, and everyone feels right at home. Knock on wood, we are looking for another great season on Lake Wawasee.

Farewell, Crow’s Nest

The Crow’s Nest, built by Nathaniel Crow in the 1860s, has served many purposes on Lake Wawasee— first as a private residence, then as an inn, and finally as a home to several yacht clubs. Contractor Mike DeWitt plans to revive the 17-acre property, albeit without the home that gave it its name. Even so, this home’s unique heritage will live on, as DeWitt plans to incorporate the original porch field stone in the seven new lakefront houses slated for construction at this historic site.

Kosciusko County sailors strut their stuff at the annual Hoosier Lightning Regatta at Lake Wawasee in 2019.