Shoreline group celebrates 28 years

CORINTHIAN SAILING CLUB

By Gail Greenaway

Nestled on the shoreline on the east side of White Rock Lake is the Corinthian Sailing Club (CSC). Founded in 1939, the sailing club has provided sailing lessons and hosted sailing races for decades. On many Saturday mornings, visitors at White Rock Lake Park are treated to the sight of colorful sails gliding across the water. The sailors likely include members of the CSC. The club is not just about sailing; it is deeply rooted in the community. 

On the Second Saturday of the month, before grabbing their gear and rigging their boats for a morning sail, members from the club gather to participate in a shoreline spruce-up at their location. Since 1997, the club has been part of For the Love of the Lake’s Adopt-A-Shoreline program. 

Steve Benenson currently coordinates the CSC Adopt-A-Shoreline (AAS) spruce-up for the club. As a youth, Steve took summer sailing lessons at Rush Creek on Lake Ray Hubbard. Under his coach’s tutelage, Steve learned how to race with a Sunfish sailboat. A chance reunion with his childhood coach more than two decades later brought Steve to the CSC. Invited for a trial run on White Rock Lake, Steve was captivated by the experience, leading him to purchase a Flying Scot sailboat and join the club.

Steve joined the CSC Board in 2015 and during the next few years served as treasurer and vice-commodore. In 2020 he became Commodore and took charge of the Adopt-A-Shoreline crew. With a membership of more than 350 people, the CSC is a second home for the sailors. When they drive up, the first thing they see is the shore and it is important not to have it tarnished by trash. Steve said they have about 20 loyal AAS participants, many of whom show up every month for the spruce-up. For Steve and many others, these spruce-ups have become more than just a cleanup effort; they are social gatherings that foster a sense of community and belonging.

The Corinthian Sailing Club is a high-use area with two parking lots. The most common types of trash found in their area include adult beverage containers, glass bottles, cans, bottle caps, toys, balls, pieces of Styrofoam and, often, a single shoe. On a typical spruce-up day, the crew picks up three full 30-gallon bags of trash.

In addition to cleaning up the shoreline, the Corinthian Sailing Club has five motorized boats they use for pulling logs from the lake.  The logs are obstacles for sailors, rowers, paddleboarders and kayakers, and they can damage the vessels and possibly cause the lake-goer to fall in due to an unexpected sudden stop. Steve said that, occasionally, large logs and even full trees float down White Rock Creek that feeds the lake from the north and get caught in the silt 6-10 feet below the surface. Using their motorboats, they pull the logs to shore. FTLOTL applauds the loyal crew that supports the spruce-up events, and to the Corinthian Sailing Club for their 28 years as an Adopt-A-Shoreline group. 

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