WSA-OC The Whistle
January 2018
Chatting With The Commodore
Melanie Green,
WSA-OC Commodore
Happy New Year Everyone and Cheers to 2018!

As we begin afresh this New Year, I wish to wholeheartedly thank our outgoing officers and committee chairs for 2017. Their phenomenal efforts and support the past year have propelled our club in an incredibly positive direction - thank you! The bar has been raised and our new incoming team is inspired, up for the challenge and hard at work planning a variety of enticing land and water activities to share with everyone in the coming months. We are always looking for member's input and assistance so if you hear the calling to lend a hand don't hesitate to contact me at: 

I was chatting with one of our members about what her sailing goals are for the New Year and she passionately exclaimed, "I want to be On the Water Rich!" What a great and complex statement! To be on the water rich can mean so many different things to each of us: The riches of the ocean are endless with the incredible sea life; the bountiful food supply to nourish us; the therapeutic sun, wind and motion of the sea to soothe us; It teaches us to challenge and push ourselves, we learn to respect the ocean and it teaches us to relax and enjoy life to its fullest.

To help get us out on the water, our first social sail of the year kicks off Saturday, February 10th (details below). Another fantastic community event not to be missed is the Gail Hine Sailing Convention for Women on Saturday, February 3rd, which  provides a day of incredible opportunity to learn new skills and network among like-minded sailing enthusiasts.  So we invite you to come aboard and join us as we set sail for some terrific adventures this year, learning, having fun and getting "On the Water Rich" together!!
 
Sails Up!

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Our 1st Social Sail of 2018 is HERE!
Let's Go Sailing & Be On the Water Rich Together

Don't miss out on our first on-the-water event in 2018! Come out and meet your fellow WSA-OC sailing sisters (and brothers) as we sail out of Dana Point Harbor on Saturday, February 10th; 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. After the sailing portion of the event has ended, let's keep the good times rolling with Happy Hour at Harpoon Henry's*.


We call this a 'Social Sail,' but don't be a bit surprised if we see some of California's finest Grey Whales as they migrate along our coast to the warm lagoon waters of Mexico to give birth. Use your camera to capture all of the fun with your boat mates, the scenery or the aforementioned whales, which we are going to see, because we put it out in the universe!  

Through the generosity of our boat owners, we're able to put on some of the finest on-the-water events in SoCal! We are always looking for boat owner participation. If you would like to offer the use of your boat or would like  more information, email our On-the-Water Events Coordinator, Karen Pacella. B etter yet, just SIGN UP!   A pre-registration fee of $25 is required (non-refundable 48-hours prior to event). On-the-water events are limited to active members only.

*If you are unable to come sailing with us, but want to meet up, feel free to join us for HH around 4:30 p.m. 

Cheers to the New Year & New Board
Wow, we never looked so official! Thanks to everyone who chose to wear a blue blazer for our 2018 Board of Directors Officer Installation Ceremony. Happy New Year and welcome back to "real life" after the previous few weeks of Holiday revelry. 

The meeting began with our outgoing Commodore, Risa Scott, calling the meeting to order. She summarized everything we did in 2017 with a brief recap of events. We take enormous pride in our charitable endeavors. In addition to providing over $1,000 in support to Laura's House, we are proud to announce that we raised $2,850 for the non-profit organization Sailors Helping; to fund the sailing community of the Caribbean devastated by the severe hurricanes that blew through the region last fall.

The 2018 BoD with their flags
We then had our annual Installation of Officers with Gail Hine, a WORSA founding member and former SCYA Staff Commodore conducted the swearing in the 2018 WSA-OC Board of Directors: Commodore, Melanie Green; Vice Commodore, Karen Pacella; Rear Commodore, Brenda Highley; Treasurer, Barbara Kelley; Secretary, Vallerie Gonzales; Membership Director, Cheryl Case; Communications Director, Valerie Rhodes and Jr. Staff Commodore, Risa Scott. Immediately following the installation everyone was treated to a celebratory champagne toast and cupcakes. 
Celebrating the 2018 BoD with confetti

However, the meeting wasn't over quite yet. Everyone was  separated into smaller groups, in which they anonymously answered 10 questions about themselves/WSA-OC and then we reviewed as a group. The common themes were "more time on the water" and "WSA is doing a great job".  Stay tuned and see you at our next meeting, which will be March 6th.

Private Facebook Group: Check In For "Insider's Scoop"
CTCT-20180112_153020 One of the perks of WSA-OC membership is accessing the exclusive content that can be found on our private, members-only, Facebook group. If you have not yet renewed your membership for 2018, please do so by Wednesday, January 31st.

Since this Facebook Group was launched about a year ago it has gained a lot of traction and is very dynamic. Any group member can start a post, add photos, comment, etc. It is a forum for both official WSA-OC announcements and informal content. Friends have literally been made, crew spots filled all thanks to the easy, open communication between members. As we've said before, "The more you put into this group [WSA-OC], the more you'll get out of it!"

At the end of the month, we'll be updating member access to our Facebook Group to include current members who have paid their 2018 dues so be sure to join or renew today if you haven't already via link below. 



Mark Your Calendars Now! Upcoming 2017 WSA-OC Events*
WSA-OC and affiliate events* have been tentatively planned for all of 2018. Only the first six months of the year are listed below. More events and details will be added as planning continues and as the events get closer.  For more information, view our  All Events  page on the website. There, you will be able to read more detail about upcoming events, as well as additional events that aren't listed below. As each event gets closer, more details will also be provided via the various WSA-OC online outlets. All of our on-the-water events are for WSA-OC members only, unless noted otherwise.  Questions? Email us at events@wsaoc
    
February 3rd ~ ~ Sailing Convention for Women
February 6th ~ ~ NO GENERAL MEETING
February 10th ~  ~ Social Sail
March 6th ~ ~ General Meeting
March 25th ~ ~ Cal 20 Event 
April 3rd ~ ~ General Meeting
April 22nd ~ ~ Earth Day Event
May 1st ~ ~ General Meeting
May 13th ~ ~ Sea Gals
May 19th & 20th ~ ~  On-the-Water Event
June 5th ~ ~ General Meeting
June 10th ~ ~ Sea Gals
June 23rd ~ ~ Summer Sailstice Day Sail
July 3rd ~ ~ NO GENERAL MEETING
 
*Subject to change 
 Black = meeting | Pink = on-the-water | Green = OSeas | Orange = affiliate event

Affiliate Organization Events & Member Announcements
The following are affiliate events that we have been invited to participate and attend. Please be sure to visit their websites or click on the hyperlinks to view additional information. Remember when attending affiliate events, you are doing so as a representative of WSA-OC. 


Hope to see you all at the Sailing Convention for Women presented by Gail Hine, formerly known as the Women's Sailing Convention - in which several WSA-OC members are featured presenters and coaches. The name may be new, but the format and location remain the same.  


Saturday, February 3, 2018
Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club

WSA-OC and LB WSA have made a reciprocal agreement to welcome members from each group to attend the others monthly meeting. There is no obligation to join the other organization. However, participation in club events is restricted to members only, unless otherwise specified. 

The LB WSA group meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, 7:00 p.m. at Seal Beach Yacht Club, in Long Beach. 

Sea Gals is back for 2018!  Mark your calendar for the following five spring and summer Sunday Sea Gal events:

May 13th
June 10th
July 15th
August 19th
September 9th

Registration is not yet open for 2018. For more information contact Judy Fusco Sea Gals Program Director

Once again Aventura Sailing Association is offering current WSA-OC members generous discounts for their classes and/or membership. Click on image below to expand.
Aventura 2018 Discounts
Aventura 2018 WSA-OC Discounts
Welcome Aboard
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WSA-OC is continuing to grow with new members every month! Thanks to all of you for being  WSA-OC ambassadors. Welcome to our newest members:
 
Catherine Emanuel
Kevin Emanuel
Robbie Smith
 
Happy Sailing!
2018 WSA-OC
Membership
It's Never too Late to 
Renew or Join WSA-OC!

You can join or renew WSA-OC membership anytime throughout the year, but we recommend doing it early. Why? So you can get the most out of your membership. Our 2018 calendar of events will be coming out soon. Stay tuned ...


Racing
 Committee
OSeas: More than LEMWOD Team


The OSeas Racing Team is more than a team assembled for LEMWOD. We have big plans for the OSeas in 2018 beginning with Denise Eldredge & Deborah McDougal. They will be Co- Chairpersons for the Racing Committee. 

We are in the process of streamlining how race information is  disseminated to you. In the meantime watch our private Facebook page or email Denise or Deb.
March Meeting
Mark Your Calendars

We'll be  back at Aventura for our March Meeting. Program details coming soon. They will be posted on our website and Facebook pages.

Meetings are open to all members, their guests and any member of the public interested in learning more about the WSA-OC. Guests may attend up to two meetings as non-members to learn about our group.

⛵️Tuesday, March 6th
⛵️ 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. 
Happy Half Hour
⛵️7:00 - 7:45 p.m.
New Business & Announcements
⛵️7:45 - 9:00 p.m.
Program
⛵️Aventura Sailing Assoc.
24707 Dana Drive
Dana Point, 92629
949.493.9493
We Need You
Community Service Committee
Volunteers Still Needed

Volunteers are needed to   assist the 2018 BoD with the: 
Community Service Committee: Act as a liaison between BoD and our chosen charity(s). Provide    updates to the general membership, spearhead philanthropic activities, etc. 

Don't want to jump into the deep end by yourself? Grab a friend and tackle the task together. And don't worry, we're all new at this and fully support one another, so you'll not be alone! 

Everyone on the BoD and committees are volunteers. The more people that are involved, the greater chance of success for WSA-OC. If you are interested in volunteering or have questions about the position, email Commodore Melanie.
Quick Links
2018 WSA-OC
Board of Directors
WSA-OC 

Commodore
Melanie Green

Vice Commodore
Karen Pacella

Rear Commodore
Brenda Highley

Treasurer
Barbara Kelley

Secretary
Vallerie Gonzales

Membership Director
Cheryl Case

Communications Director
Valerie Rhodes

Jr. Staff Commodore
Risa Scott

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Newsletter Editor
Tracy Gallucci

Photo of the Month
2017 Commodore Gift
Risa Scott, posing with her custom made sailboat photo collage which reads:
"Thank you for hoisting our sails to new heights. Risa Scott, Commodore WSA-OC 2017"

Mission Statement
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 P.O. Box 937 
Dana Point, CA 92629