Mansfield sailors have been catching wind in their sails through the Mansfield Sailing Club (MSC) for 60 years. In 1953, a group of eight local doctors and lawyers founded the club, after leaving the more prestigious club at Charles Mill Lake.
“The club at Charles Mill Lake was too established, they (the founders) wanted something a little more simple. They wanted the bare bones- they just wanted to sail, and to make it available to anyone who wanted to try,” said Commodore Chris Clarke. As the years progressed, so did membership.
“The club was quite large at one point,” remembers Clarke. He was not living in Mansfield at the time of the club’s growth, but he knows people used to get out more. He has lived in Mansfield for 25 years, after living in England for the majority of his life.
Currently, the club has five members. Membership has been small for some time. When boat materials went missing, the police recommended they fence off the club’s designated areas. Now, they only open the vicinity to the public during special events and Sundays.
Every Sunday, Clarke and his crew member Don Bacharowski, open their sails and go for a ride. If others from the club join them, they race each other. The gates open and sails fly at 11 a.m. They stay out on the water for as long as they please. Sometimes they even take people out with them and show them a thing or two about the sport.
Clarke knows the age-old stereotype that depicts the sport as one that only “white, rich, old men” enjoy. But he explained, “MSC is not like that. Most of us are working men. We allocate our resources so we can sail. The boats are old, but we’re just a group of guys who like sailing.”
Clarke also recognized that sailing is “a dying sport.” He said, “To keep any sport growing and alive you need to engage the youth, ages seven and up. It’s a family sport, but most parents are working these days and there is a big attraction to the little screen. It’s quite a complex group of issues, really.”
Because of the decline in interest for this sport, MSC rarely turns down someone who is interested in sailing. Every Sunday the gates to the club are open to the public, which means anyone can come and watch the sailors If someone wants to go out with them, they will happily take them out on the lake for a ride.
Bacharowski, Clarke’s crew member said, “I love sailing. It took me a while to learn the ropes,” which in this context served as a play-on-words because of the complex group of cords used in sailing, “but I finally got it because I stuck with it. I practice on a one-man boat in Columbus, where I live.”
“Don is extremely thorough,” said Clarke. Sailing is a sport of precision, so this quality in his crew member is appreciated. Precision demands consistent communication and a knowledge of the different terms used. Bacharowski has been sailing for three years, and Clarke much longer.
Every year a race is held between the Mansfield Sailing Club and the Mohican sailing club. They do well in these races because of their camaraderie.
For more information on MSC, visit their website. Or you can meet Clarke and Bacharowski on a Sunday afternoon by the docks. The entrance to the club can be found on the eastern-most lot off of State Route 97, just before Gass Road. The club is marked by a sign reading “Mansfield Sailing Club.” A map of Clear Fork Reservoir can be found here.
