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Happy New Year Ladies & Gentlemen Members!
You will be happy to know that your new board of directors and program leaders have been busy working to provide you with terrific events and trainings for the new year. Our calendaring meeting is this upcoming week and I am sure that it will be chock full of amazing things for you to participate in regardless of your sailing skill level.
I invite you to talk to any of the BoD members to let them know what you would like to see in your club activities. Here is my cell phone number so you can always feel comfortable communicating with me directly. 949.842.8838 - You all know that I am in sales (as well as sails!) so I pick up my calls pretty readily. Don't hesitate to call me with your thoughts. If I don't pick up, I am with a customer or maybe in the middle of a sail! Regardless, I am very approachable and will return your call as soon as I can.
We are still looking for volunteers for many of our committees. If you can only volunteer for one event, that is fine, it doesn't have to be a year-long commitment. Contact the head of the discipline that you may want to contribute to and have a conversation on what you are able to contribute. If you don't know what area would be good for you, call me and we can see where you might fit in!
IMPORTANT Reminder:
We are dark in the month of February because of the
Sailing Convention for Women event on Saturday, February 1; that means NO GENERAL MEETING.
If you have never been to this day long event, it is just amazing (awesome, astonishing, astounding, remarkable, incredible....) I remember my first one six years ago and it was so much more than I had expected. If you think it is pricey - let me tell you that for what you get, it is clearly not.
You get three meals and the dinner event is chock full of information via keynote speaker and bonus give-a-ways/raffle prizes. I think they had around 40 prizes last year and I have won one 3 out of the last 6 times I have been there! And you get a goodie bag with a nice gift and freebies from sponsors. And that is on top of the great education and camaraderie in the classes. It is a full day (13 hours) of non-stop value of $235. Don't let the price stop you from coming. Most of us get there even earlier than that in order to have time to chat. If you get there early, sign in at the registration desk then come over to
Sails Lady where we will undoubtedly be having coffee prior to the breakfast room opening up. Getting there early also means you will get a good parking space! Last year, we had 25 WSA-OC members attend. I hope we top that number in 2020 and see you all there.
Your Inspired Commodore,
Lisa Cullinane
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2020 WSA-OC Board of Directors
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Again, we invite you to talk and meet with any of our Board of Directors. If you have any ideas or questions, please feel free to reach out to them.
*Email listing; bottom, right of newsletter
We are looking forward to a great year of learning and growth & fun times; on and off the water! Thank you for your continued support and being a part of Women's Sailing - Orange County.
- Make it the Best Life!
If you hear of an activity, event, or have a story/photo you'd like to share via "The Whistle," contact
Maureen Vild
(Communications Director) or
Darrell Park
(Editor).
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WSA-OC Membership
Have you renewed your membership for 2020 yet? Remember, you can write a check and mail it in or go to our website and pay with a credit card. Beginning 1/1/2020, all renewals and new members pay $85 for membership through 12/31/2020. As a member NOW, you can participate in our first "on the water" event scheduled for 1/25/2020, sailing out of Newport Beach. We also are forming a racing team to participate in the Dana Point Yacht Club series by entering an all female boat. Our first race was on 1/11/2020. These member only events are always a great way to really get to know other members. You can see how much really goes on with our association, so don't miss out.
We are off to a strong start in membership with 6 new members signing up for 2020. I'd like to welcome Mary Ann Osman, Cindy Wynne, Naomi Emmerson, Laura Cherkas, Katie Greenwood, and
Peter Kiesecker.
Naomi joins us from Las Vegas, and was just announced as member of the month with the National Women's Sailing Foundation! Congratulations Naomi!!
One important housekeeping item to share; please be sure to sign in both you and your guests when attending a general meeting. We are interested in capturing headcounts to measure interests in topics coupled with our locations. We believe we had over 70 in attendance at our last meeting, while many less actually signed in. Thank you!
**As a friendly reminder, guests are invited to attend 2 of our general meetings in total (not annually) before being asked to join the organization. You may receive a call or email from me if your guest has exceeded this amount; we appreciate you encouraging them to join!
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In the December newsletter, we mentioned that WSA-OC was going to have plenty of opportunities to learn, practice and even compete in races AND last weekend, "We did just that!"
On Jan 11th, WSA-OC not only participated but officially registered for the entire five race, 2020 Dana Point Spring Mini-Series. Our VC, KT Reiter was at the helm of Sails Lady, our Commadore's boat. Crewing for KT was the tag team duo of Barbara Kelley (Treasurer), and Tammy Rones (Education Chairperson).
**Due to technical challenges; "Sails Lady" received a DNC.
Congratulations to KT, Barbara, and Tammy for getting out on the water and competing in WSA-OC's first official race of the new year, with several more to go to complete the series. Great introduction of the WSA-OC team and Sails Lady to the racing community!
So, do you want to race?... Here's you chance! We are currently looking for members to crew for the remaining four races:
- Jan 25th
- March 7th
- March 21st
- June 13th
At the moment, there are only two, all female boats competing in the 2020 Dana Point Spring Mini-Series. However, with interest and participation; our goal is to build three more racing teams for a total of five all female boats. Members have asked for racing opportunities and here it is! Let's get out there and represent WSA-OC and have a blast doing it! Did I mention there's a trophy?...
"It was an honor to represent WSA-OC when the organization was invited to participate in the
Dana Point Spring Mini-Series; not to mention being trusted and given the opportunity to skipper "Sails Lady." Thank you, Lisa! This is a great next level step in fine tuning our sailing skills. I'm glad we did it!"
- VC, KT Reiter
Even if you don't consider yourself a racer; put a crew on your boat and join us on the water! The best teacher is experience and this is a great way to learn while having fun! As mentioned before; all you need to do is, "Sign up and Show up!"
There is also a Fall Mini Series:
July 25 * August 08 * October 03 * October 04 * October 17
** -
DNC
: Did not start; did not come to the starting area (Ref: RRS Appendix A)
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WSA-OC Members Only Facebook Page
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.
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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Board of Directors Induction Meeting: Jan 7th
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Ahoy sailors! Did you remember to mark your calendars for our
New Year Sail?
Join us for a fun sail next Saturday! 10:30am - 3:00pm
Date:
Saturday, January 25th
Time:
10:30am TO 3:00pm
Meet at Marina Park Community Ctr-1600 W Balboa Blvd, Newport Beach
Cost:
$25
Sail into the New Year with WSA-OC. If you're new to WSA-OC or looking for new adventures, join us on the water and start the New Year off right! 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, reunite with others; either way
WSA-OC is THE place to be! All are welcome!
For more information, contact KT Reiter, Vice Commodore & On-The-Water Events Chairperson. To sign up, please see the link on our Members Only FB Page or visit: www.wsaoc.org
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* Mary Ann Osman
* Cindy Wynne
* Naomi Emmerson
* Laura Cherkas
* Katie Greenwood
* Peter Kiesecker
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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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Stop by the Ship Store at our next General Meeting and say hi to Chanee Pangen. She will be commandeering the shop in the new year!
How's yee WSA-OC swag, mateys? Need some new gear? Have an idea for WSA-OC merchandise; we would love to hear about it.
We have several new WSA-OC sale items available this month and planning for more new items in February as well!
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WSA-OC Scholarship & Grants
We currently have Scholarship
& Grant Funds available. Apply or recommend a participant
today! The mission fo WSA-OC allows
women of all stripes and at-risk youth expanded access to sailing related activities; including educational opportunities to help protect our marine environment.
If you have any questions, please contact
Laura McCaleb, Philanthropy Director.
For more information, click the weblink below:
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A great way to stay in the loop in today's on-the-go pace is via text messaging. Many of us use texting to connect with friends, colleagues, and family. There are times when WSA-OC may have an unplanned event that members may want to participate in; social sail, guest speaker, learning opportunity, etc. A text message is the quickest way to get the word out to all our members. We don't want you to miss out! Members will be receiving text messages from the number 474747. To ensure that you receive these messages, please verify that your phone does not have a 'Short Code Block'; which will preclude you from receiving our text messages. Also, please check that WSA-OC has your current mobile number & contact information.
Email us if you have any questions or did not receive a text message reminding you of our previous General Meeting.
Text keyword: WSAOC to 474747, to be added to our text list to receive the latest updates.
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Dana Point
Boat Parade: Update
WSA-OC Wins Third Place x2 in Christmas Parade!
We were definitely not disappointed at the recent Awards Reception held by Dana Point Harbor Partners earlier this month. WSA-OC's, Sails Lady, took home two prizes:
* 3rd Place - Best Use Of Lighting
and
* 3rd Place - Coffee Importers Parade Favorite
To see more photos; click below:
Of all the boat entries, Sails Lady, was one of only a couple of boats awarded two prizes out of all 91 participants! There were 40 judges stationed all around the marina. We were thrilled to win anything; no less 2 awards! There certainly was plenty of stiff competition!
Close to a total of 20 WSA-OC members stepped up; spending 22 hours decorating, 12 hours of parading around the harbor, and 5 hours dismantling the boat decorations. (Not including the 7 hours enjoying snacks & libations.) Thanks to all who participated. It was a lot of fun. So, should we do it again next year?
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WSA-OC
Commodore
Lisa Cullinane
Vice Commodore
KT Reiter
Rear Commodore
Shelley Furse
Treasurer
Barbara Kelley
Secretary
Sandy White
Director at Large: Communications
Maureen Vild
Director at Large: Membership
Vallerie Gonzales
Director at Large: Philanthropy
Laura McCaleb
LauraMcCalebWSAOC@gmail.com
Committee Chair: Education
Tammy Rones
Jr. Staff Commodore
Karen Pacella
* * *
"The Whistle" Editor
Darrell J Park
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