Jane Eshleman is the newest commodore of the Pontchartrain Yacht Club at Mandeville Harbor and the lake. “Some of the guys call me ‘Mama-dore,’” she laughs.

Jane, or Janie, as most call her, says she got the sailing bug “late” in life. “I was 15 when I first fell in love with the thrill of sailing. That was a few years back, but the thrill is still there.”

Her most exciting sailing experience? “This past September, there were 12 sailboats in the race on Lake Pontchartrain. I was crewing with Julie Bolyard, Susan Danielson, and Leigh Wanless, all Adam’s Cup National Women’s Champions. It was an all-female competition. The race started, and so did some awful weather. A squall came out of nowhere and it blew and rained so hard we couldn’t see our hands in front of our faces.” Janie puts her hands together and squeezes. “Suddenly there was another boat right ahead, and we quickly tacked to avoid a serious collision. I was almost thrown overboard. It was one of those times when your life flashes in front of your eyes - but I wasn’t ready to cash in.”

They not only finished the race - their determination prevailed. And talk about getting back on the horse after being thrown - the same crew ran four more races the very next day, winning first-place honors in the two-day regatta! The lady commodore and her pals are made of strong stuff.

A Loyola graduate, Janie was a stock broker for some twenty years in New Orleans, working for Howard Weil, E.F. Hutton, and others. At the same time, she held both an insurance license and a real estate license. She still maintains the latter!

But the unflappable Janie was a scaredy-cat when it came to flying. When she had to fly on any commercial plane, she white-knuckled from takeoff to touchdown. “I think I left fingernail prints in lots of planes in those days.” To overcome her fear of flying, she enrolled in flight training in 1993 to become a pilot! In another career move, she even became a flight attendant with American Airlines to totally shake her flying phobia. “I currently lack five more hours to finally qualify for my private pilot’s license.” (I’ll lay 100-1 odds this lady makes it.)

Busy, busy, busy. This gal doesn’t have time for boredom to set in. She’s on the board of Friends’ Restaurant, a member of the National Association of Female Executives, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and The Junior League of Covington - and finds time to ride in the Krewe of Eve.

The Pontchartrain Yacht Club started in the late 1960s, when, with the completion of the second span of the causeway, the sleepy little town of Mandeville began a major growth change. Recreational boating, especially sailing, was growing with the town. Formed officially in 1967, the club appears on the landscape in an aerial photo taken at the time. The private home at the harbor location was transformed and expanded, and a swimming pool and boat storage facility were added. Adjacent lands were purchased, and picnic grounds under towering shade trees and a game field accommodated an increasing membership. The club is home to many national racing champions.

Summer sailing classes for children is an important service the club provides, with three or four sessions held each summer. Most members are from Mandeville and Covington, but PYC attracts sailing enthusiasts from Hammond, Baton Rouge, Metairie and New Orleans. “Lake Pontchartrain is the perfect place to sail - especially to learn how to sail,” says Jane. In the ’70s, she got the racing bug herself, at the New Orleans Yacht Club, “and I still enjoy it thoroughly every time - it’s a way of enjoying life that knows few equals.”

A member of the Pontchartrain Yacht Club for 27 years, Jane is actually the third woman to be elected commodore, the highest position on the board of directors. There are only a handful of female commodores in the Gulf Yachting Association, which encompasses 33 clubs from Houston to St. Petersburg, Florida. Janie is making sure the Pontchartrain Yacht Club is properly represented in the GYA to vote on issues affecting the club’s sailing, racing, and club operation requirements.

She’s justifiably proud that the Mandeville club was the recipient of a first-ever award recently, “for exhibiting the essence of the Gulf Yachting Association’s competitive spirit.” The award represents the club’s participation in all 13 GYA Capdevielle events for two years running. “Racing in every event is optional, and to attend all 13 is nothing short of a labor of love - of our club and of sailing - and is a source of pride for our team,” she says.

As recently as this past January, Janie and PYC pals attended the seven-day International Regatta race in Key West. “It was a great event - world class - with sailing boats worth millions,” Janie gasps. “Made the boat back home that my friend Leigh Wanless and I own look like a dinghy.”

Their sailboat is a Cal 25 work-in-progress. “Right now, we call it ‘Coyote Ugly,’ but watch out. When we’re done, and re-name it ‘Eight Bayou Mamas,’ we’ll be ready to race.”

The smart money would be on Janie and her crew to win.

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