| Chatting With The Commodore |
In just a week or so, I'm going to have the pleasure of welcoming in our new
2020 Board of Directors and Flag Officers.
We have another fabulous year ahead with some wonderful women and men at the Helm! With that said, I've spent some time reflecting on this past year, and must say, it has been both a pleasure and honor to be the Commodore of this fabulous group - especially during our 40th year anniversary. It still baffles me to think our group has been empowering women to be on the water for all these years.
We have the distinct pleasure of having so many of our Founding
'Mothers'
still as active members!
So many milestones this year - 40 new members in our 40th year; a new educational series - Dock Side Clinics; TWO teams competing in LEMWOD - the Cat 37s and the Cal 20s; a new Annual Event - Adventure Sail for Girls; an extra day spent in Catalina on our annual trip..... whew - what a fun packed year! I'm thrilled to have been able to experience it all!
At the end of it all, I've been blessed. Blessed to be able to strategize and be a part of enhancing our club, Blessed to participate in all the fun times and events. And most of all, Blessed to have spent it all with wonderful women and men - I will cherish each and every moment.
As this year comes to an end, I find this transition to be bittersweet. Thank you to each and everyone of you for being a part of this year - you have enriched my life. I'll see you all on the water.
Fair Winds and Following Seas!
Karen
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January General Meeting: Tuesday, January 7th
Newport Beach Yacht Club |
Our Guest Speaker Is Our Own Susie Campbell!
Don't miss this first general meeting of the new year! Our guest speaker is someone whom our long term members all know-- SUSIE CAMPBELL. She will be detailing her year long adventure in Mexico showing the Humpback Whale Movie to coastal communities in Mexico.
In her presentation, you will come away with knowledge about whales as well as long-term, off-shore sailing. We are so happy to have Susie back to share her experiences with us!
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| Captain Susie Campbell navigating S/V Campbell's Sloop in Sea of Cortez |
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Tuesday, January 7th
⛵️ 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. Social/Happy HALF Hour
⛵️ 7:00 - 7:20 p.m. New Business & Announcements
⛵️ 7:20 -7:45 p.m. New Board Installation Ceremony
⛵️ 7:45 to 8:00 BREAK Introduce yourself to someone you have not met yet!
⛵️ Newport Beach Yacht Club 1099 Bayside Dr Newport Beach, CA
⛵️ A full bar is available in our meeting room at the NBYC member price!
⛵️ Come at 5:30 or 6 pm to have dinner in the dining room at the Taco Bar $23
⛵️ Free valet parking but please tip!
⛵️ Meetings are open to all members, their guests and any member of the public interested in learning more about WSA-OC.
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Membership Milestones by Vallerie Gonzales
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As we close out a very busy year and plan for 2020, our association celebrates reaching an all time record and milestone of 205 members. A huge "thank you" to all who referred their friends to WSA-OC and helped to create such a strong membership!
Adjusting our sails to manage a larger membership means that for 2020 we will be focusing on
MEMBER RETENTION AND VALUE!
Speaking of value, have you taken advantage of our discounted the 2020 membership renewal pricing structure? We did not increase our annual membership fees from 2019. If you renew your membership now through 12/31/19, the price is only $70. Beginning 1/1/20, member renewal pricing will increase to $85 for an annual membership. It's the season for saving, so don't miss out. You can renew by going to our website and using your credit card or you can mail us a check.
In addition, for 2020 we are rolling out a new annual
Associate Membership for our youth (ages 12 - 21) for only $55. Have you wanted to introduce your kids or grand kids to the love we share of sailing? Now is a perfect time to take advantage of this new membership offering. Please note that Associate members under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all on the water events and any other WSA-OC sponsored event, unless otherwise noted. Parent/guardians are responsible for the conduct and safety of the Associate Member when present. Associate Membership applications can be found on our website.
On a final note, I want to thank Nikki Shultz for assisting with the hospitality for 2019. She was a delight to work with, but due to her recent move, will not be able to participate in WSA-OC for 2020. We will miss you, Nikki! Due to our expanded membership focus for the new year, our membership team will expand to include Lori Johnson and Deborah Townes. Others are welcome to assist, as we could use a few more committee members.
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TAMMY RONES TAKES A NEW ROLE
AS WSA-OC EDUCATION CHAIR
I am very excited to take the reins of the Education Committee this year, and I appreciate each one of you who took our survey and made suggestions on which topics you'd like to cover. Our members' interests range from basic sailing knowledge for newcomers through bare-boat chartering, racing, and boat ownership - providing an opportunity to touch on a wide range of subjects this year! We will be working on hitting all of these topics in 2020.
It is my goal this year to increase attendance at our dockside clinics and to expand our education program to include on-the-water and seminar-type lessons. In order to do that I need your help! If you are a boat owner and are willing to host sessions on the dock and/or on the water please reach out to me so that we can discuss your availability. Likewise, if you have access to a classroom, meeting room, clubhouse etc. that we can use to hold land based clinics please let me know! Finally, if you are willing to teach one or more clinics I need to know which topic(s) you'd like to cover.
I'd also like to let you know of a wonderful learning opportunity that is open to the public. Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club in Newport Beach is holding an
Introduction to Racing Seminar
on January 18th at 1 pm, geared towards beginners or those interested in learning more about racing. There is no cost to attend but seating is limited and you must pre-register on the BCYC website at
https://bcycracing.org/intro-to-sailboat-racing/
Let me know if you have an interest as a few of us from WSA-OC may attend.
I look forward to working with all of you!
Tammy
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WSA-OC Racing Forum
Karen Pacella, Racing Committee Chair
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New Racing Opportunities Are Here in 2020
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Calling all Racers - and
'wanna be'
racers! We have heard loud and clear -
our members want more racing (and learn to racing) opportunities!
That just delights us to no end..... so...... wait for it.........
Our 2020 Calendar will be loaded with opportunities to learn, practice and even compete on a race boat! All you need to do is...... Sign up and Show up! Over the next several weeks, you'll begin seeing resources and information to begin learning or skippering your own boat in some local and not-so-local events.
In the meantime:
The Dana Point Harbor Series would like to create an All Women Class! That means, they need a total of 5 all women boats to compete in the series - the first race is January 12, 2020. Boats may compete in Spin, Non Spin and Cruising Class. We would love to see this class come to fruition - so let's get your boat out of the slip and into the race! We have members eager to crew! Even if you don't consider yourself a racer, put women on your boat who DO know and get swept up in the learning!
January 18 - FREE SEMINAR at BCYC! (also mentioned above)
On January 18, Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club will host a free public seminar entitled "Introduction to Sailboat Racing". This seminar provides a "simple" explanation of the mechanics of sailboat racing. Novice sailors or those interested in becoming crew on a sailboat should attend.
Please visit https://bcycracing.org/intro-to-sailboat-racing/ for more details or to register.
For more information, please email
info@wsaoc.com
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We Definitely Had Some Tiki-Fun at the Annual Holiday Party!
Our full calendar of events will be published at the end of January so you can plan all of your WSA-OC events in advance.
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NEW YEAR SAIL
Saturday, January 25th
10:30 TO 3:00 PM
Meet at Marina Park Community Ctr-1600 W Balboa Blvd, Newport Beach
Cost: $25
Sail into the New Year with WSA-OC. If you are new to WSA-OC, looking for new adventures, or just want to start the New Year off right, this is the sail for you! Bring your post holiday spirits and join the fun on the great Pacific Ocean. Make it your New Year's Resolution to come out and have fun with us. Make new friends, or enjoy the old ....either way
WSA-OC is the place to be!
For more
information,
contact Katie Reiter, Vice Commodore Elect and On-The-Water Events Specialist. To sign up, see the link on our Members Only FB Page or visit our website at www.wsaoc.org
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Welcome New Member
Naomi Emmerson
from Las Vegas
AKA: the Desert Sailor |
We are starting a
Burgee Exchange Program!
We have collected a few burgees from yacht clubs we have visited this past year. So we need to show them off at our meetings and other functions. KT Reiter, our Vice Commodore, is working on the details of this new program.
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SHIP STORE
Special Sales Event!!
New to Ship Store in 2020 is Chanee Pangen. If you have not met Chanee yet, stop by before the meeting or at the break. Tell her what you would like to see in ship Store this year.
We have many new sale items available in January and will have many new items in February!
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⚓️
We Want Your Text - We will be sending members text messages from the number 474747. To ensure that you receive these messages, make sure your phone doesn't have a 'Short Code Block', which will preclude you from receiving text messages from us. Also, make sure we have your current mobile number.
Email us if you have any questions or if you did not receive a text message from us reminding you of our previous General Meeting.
Text the keyword wsaoc to 474747, if you'd like to be added to our text list to receive updates.
⚓️ WSA-OC
Scholarship
& Grant Opportunities are still available. You can apply or recommend a participant any time. There are
applications on our website. If you have questions, ask Laura McCaleb, our Philanthropy Chair.
⚓️ Holiday Follow-Up-
Everyone is asking about whether we won any awards for our 2019 Christmas Parade Entry. The answer is...
We don't know! The awards ceremony is Thursday, January 9th at 6:30 at DPYC. Special thanks to all of the members who helped decorate and show holiday cheer the 4 nights of the parade. All those who worked on the parade are invited to attend prior to the awards for a bit of happy hour @ 5 pm at DPYC. David Veeneman is hosting us so we can come in early. Lisa is buying drinks!
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Members Only
Facebook Group
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One of the perks of WSA-OC membership is accessing the exclusive
content that can be found on our private, members-only Facebook group page. The page is very dynamic with a lot of member interaction.
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| Click on photo to link to group. |
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 and crew spots filled, all thanks to the easy, open communication between M
embers. As we've said before, "The more you put into this group [WSA-OC], the more you'll get out of it!"
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Welcome our new 2020
WSA-OC
Board of Directors
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WSA-OC
Commodore
Lisa Cullinane
Vice Commodore
Katie Reiter
1stm8k8@outlook.com
Rear Commodore
Shelley Furse
shelleywsaoc@gmail.com
Treasurer
Barbara Kelley
Kelleyirish@cox.net
Secretary
Sandy White
sandy@vesselldocumentation.com
Director at Large: Communications
Maureen Vild
maureenvild@gmail.com
Director at Large: Membership
Vallerie Gonzales
Director at Large: Philanthropy
Laura McCaleb
herizen@msn.com
Committee Chair: Education
Tammy Rones
tammy.rones@gmail.com
Jr. Staff Commodore
Karen Pacella
karenpacella@gmail.com
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Newsletter Editor
Darrell Park
darrellpark01@gmail.com
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Chatting With The Incoming Commodore
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Happy Holidays to all! I am thrilled to be your commodore this upcoming year! I aspire to have 20-20 vision to steer this club in the right direction in 2020!
Anyone who knows me will know how much this means to me. And, if you don't know me that well, let's DO get to know each other this year!
I am very proud to represent this organization! I have met some of my favorite people in the whole world through this club. I have made friends that will be around the rest of my life. We have some of the most interesting and talented women in any group I have ever been a part of!
I highly encourage all of you to get to know your fellow members. You will be shocked to know more about them and what they have done in their lifetime. You will hear me all year asking you to find members who you don't know, walk up to them and introduce yourself. Sit at a table where you know no one during our general meetings. Ask them to tell you about one thing about them that is extraordinary, irreverent, or unique about them. And prepare to have an answer when someone asks you! Start a conversation about anything!
Most importantly-- Make friends with people you can go sail with!
We have Ph.D.'s, shipwrecked sailors, CEO's, VP's, world class racers, and serious off-shore cruisers, amongst
seemingly ordinary women with extraordinary talents. Find them and learn from them!
If you are new to our group, all the more reason to reach out. Do not be shy. Find a sailing mentor and get on as many boats as you can. Find out what you like and what you don't like. Are you a cruiser or racer? Are you a natural helms-woman or trimmer? Do you like boats with or without a dodger? The list of things you need to figure out goes on and on........
I knew next to nothing when I joined WSA-OC, had never been on a sailboat until I was 58 years old. I only learned to sail late in life and now I own my second boat and have been welcomed to a great sailing community. Could this be your story, too?
As your new commodore, it is my job is to inspire you and help you get on the water as much as possible. We have a larger leadership group this year for us to have greater band-width to give you more opportunities to participate. But this club will only be as powerful as what you are willing to invest of yourself.
Get involved, get motivated, get to know each other and
get out on the water!
Your Inspired Incoming Commodore,
Lisa Cullinane
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Women's Sailing Association-Orange County is dedicated to enriching the lives of women through expanded access to sailing-related activities and educational opportunities. WSA-OC is committed to preserving and protecting our oceans and contributing to our local community through on-the-water philanthropic activities.
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P.O. Box 937
Dana Point, CA 92629
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Copyright © WSA-OC 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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