Friday, July 30, 1999
Inland sailors find relaxation, success on Cowan Lake
BY JOHN JOHNSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Mike Shayeson and son David use their bodies to counter the wind.
(Saed Hindash photos)
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On a sun-drenched Sunday, about 30 sailboats glide like graceful swans over the warm waters of Cowan Lake.
Viewed from afar, it's the picture of serenity. But up close, it's apparent most of the people piloting these one-, two-, three- and four-person boats are not on a laid-back, la-de-da cruise. They're working hard to win a race.
As the wind kicks up, crew members quickly adjust their sails. Sometimes they're “hiking” — leaning waaaay over the side of their boats, their bodies horizontal with the water — to counterbalance a puff of wind. Everyone works up a sweat in the 96-degree heat. There's no time to relax.
Then again, when sailing is in your blood, this is how you relax.
“There's a lot of physical effort involved. It's a stress reliever for me,” says 49-year-old Mike Shayeson of Indian Hill, who has been sailing on Cowan Lake since 1958. On Sunday, he sailed with his son David, 17.
Members of the Cowan Lake Sailing Association compete last weekend.
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“I still get butterflies before a race,” says 73-year-old Betty Duncan who lives in the Cincinnati suburb of Wyoming and has been sailing for 38 years. “It's still exciting.”
She skippers a 17-foot boat called a Thistle. In the day's first race, she and her crew, 41-year-old Bob Rudy of Carthage, are the first to bring a Thistle across the finish line.
Not bad on a day when the lake produces “almost more wind than we could handle,” Mrs. Duncan says.
For 45 years, members of the Cowan Lake Sailing Association (CLSA) have found wind, competition and camaraderie on this Clinton County body of water about 45 miles northeast of Cincinnati.
And while far removed from sailing hot spots on the coasts and the Great Lakes to the north, Cowan has a reputation for producing some fine sailors.
Steve Bourdow, who sailed to a silver medal in the 1992 Olympics, was a CLSA member. Last year Sean Glazier, 16, of Anderson Township was a junior national champion. And next week in Buffalo, Judy Hearn, 41, the CLSA's vice commodore, and her crew, Becky Young of Anderson Township and Hanna Shingledecker of Dayton, Ohio, both 18, will compete in the semifinals of the Adams Cup, the U.S. Women's Championship.
“We've had some incredible success for being just a little pond here in the Midwest,” says Ms. Hearn of Anderson Township.
The 700-acre lake, part of Cowan Lake State Park, was created when a dam was built across Cowan Creek in 1950. The sailing association formed four years later.
Conditions on the lake are ideal for people learning to sail as well as for those who want to hone their skills, says Dave Rosekrans of Mount Lookout, a CLSA member and vice president of U.S. Sailing, the national governing body for the sport.
For one, the lake has a 10-horsepower limit, so sailboats aren't swamped by big motor boats or jet skis.
Then there's the wind.
“It doesn't progress in nice, even streams down the lake,” Mr. Rosekrans, 68, says. “It shifts from side to side, it moves in puffs, which are miniature circular patterns on the water. So you learn to adjust to the puffs. You learn to handle your sails very, very well. And what you learn on a little boat translates to a big boat as well.”
When the sailing association formed, members deliberately avoided using the word “yacht” in the name. “They wanted to represent all the sailboats on Cowan Lake,” says Mark Schoenberger, who joined the club in 1955.
All sailboat owners are welcome, too. “A lot of people think this is a rich man's professional sport, but we have a lot of blue collar (workers) out here,” says Steve Weeber, a podiatrist from Dayton.
Today, the association harbors a dozen fleets, each representing a different class of sailboat. Thistle, MC Scow, Snipe, Lightning, Highlander, Flying Scot — all compete in Sunday races from April through October.
The 150 member families also participate in a number of other regattas and special events in warm weather months.
Among husband-wife teams, the Flying Scot is a preferred boat because it's easily sailed and rarely capsizes. Sometimes, however, married couples who race choose not to sail together, for reasons that soon become obvious.
“Once you get out on the water in a competitive situation, you tend to say things, and you tend to sometimes treat the crew as a piece of equipment,” Mr. Schoenberger says.
Jenifer Ray is married, but races solo on an MC scow.
“I've wanted to buy a sailboat all my life, so I finally bought one last year,” says the 41-year-old teacher from Fort Thomas. “Absolutely love it.”
Her enthusiasm isn't dampened, even when her boat capsizes this day.
“A real high puff came along and caught me by surprise,” she says later in the clubhouse. “It's a sinking feeling,” she adds, laughing.
Still, she can claim a victory of sorts when she gets the boat upright, then climbs aboard. “That was the first time I ever got the boat up by myself,” she says.
Like other members, she occasionally enjoys a leisurely sail. But there's nothing like a race to improve skills and get the adrenaline pumping.
“I really enjoyed the first race of the season (in April),” she says. “It was pouring down rain, and it was cold.
“That's when I really knew I liked this sport.”
Sailing club open house
The Cowan Lake Sailing Association will hold an open house noon-4 p.m. Aug. 7. Visitors will be paired with experienced sailors for a sail.
Members must own a boat to join the CLSA. Dues are $200 a year; dock rental is $220 a year; there is a one-time initiation fee of $250. A special assessment for building improvements is $150 a year.
The club offers sailing instruction for members age 9 and older..
Directions from downtown: Take Interstate 71 north to the Ohio 123 exit; turn toward Morrow. Immediately turn left onto Ohio 350. Go through Clarksville to Ohio 730 and turn left. Go a half-mile and bear right to the Cowan Lake boat ramp; the next right is the sailing association access road.
Those who plan to attend the open house should call George Leet at 561-8212 or 271-7149.
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