The La Trappe Creek Chronicles
A Log of Adventures…..Sailing with Friends
by
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Chapter 1
Begin at the beginning…..and go on till you come to an end: then stop.
Lewis Carroll (1832-1998)
1972
There is not always a cogent reason why someone suddenly decides that they would like to go sailing—not only sailing in a small one-design, and not only sailing in local waters, but to go sailing on an ocean. For me, growing up in the Finger Lakes area of
My father had died early in the spring of 1972 after a massive stroke. In retrospect, I think I was rather sad during that time and getting away for a week of sailing with friends was a tempting option.
I learned to sail at age 8 on Keuka Lake, one of the most attractive of the
Growing up in
Back and forth in front of the cottage I practiced for a week. On the weekend, my father—a family physician and surgeon—arrived and asked for a ride in the new vessel. Off we sailed, only to turn over about 10 minutes later. He was wearing a white Frank Buck jungle hat and smoking a cigar.
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About the Book
The LaTrappe Creek Chronicles is a story of how a week of sailing with four friends became an annual event. Friends invited friends, fathers invited sons and eventually grandfathers invited grandsons—joining to create enduring memories of camaraderie and adventure. Thirty-five years later, the Society still sails for one week each year, but with some ten boats and a roster of over one hundred members. In these pages, we celebrate the sport of sailing—noting the range from racing small one design dinghies to cruising catamarans, from the America’s Cup to the “Tucket Bucket”. Jet travel and charter facilities worldwide afford new sailing grounds and catalyzed our group to sail in exotic venues and add on unique travel with spouses and friends. Unusual highlights include an audience with the Pope and treading the sacred burial grounds of the gods of Polynesia. The combination of sailing and travel brought a keen interest in history and ecology, long before saving the oceans became so critical. This is also a story of the robust education found while in the pursuit of the art and science of sailing: the discipline of proper anchoring; the joys of producing gourmet fare from a tiny galley; the spice of philosophy; the confrontation of political discourse; and examining and embracing the different views on economics and cosmic exploration. Most of these lessons cascading from the confines of a cockpit with brandy and cigars! The Chronicles is not a “how to” book, but there are usable observations for governance of such an organization as the LaTrappe Creek Historical and Ecological Society. There are “By-Laws” indelibly retained in the memory of the Commodore and established “Archives” to secure information that even the CIA or KGB could not access. Above all, these chronicles relate how all who have been a part of this sailing saga have experienced the joy of valued friends and unfortunately the sadness of burying old friends at sea. And Oh Yes! There is a real place called LaTrappe Creek and all the characters in this book are real.
About the Author
Ethan Welch is a retired vascular surgeon. During his forty years of teaching and active practice, he also maintained an interest in sailing and all things pertaining to the sea. He has written numerous magazine articles on safety at sea and founded Medical Sea Pak Company, dedicated to marine first-aid preparation and education. In 1972, with three friends, he embarked on what was to become an annual sailing adventure, later to evolve into the LaTrappe Creek Historical and Ecological Society—the source of this book.
Dr. Welch graduated from