I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and the coastal beauty of Orange County. Thank you, Vice Commodore Karen Cooper and all participants, for an extraordinary Catalina Extravaganza.
And I want to thank Linda McCrerey for all her hard work and dedication as Director of Philanthropy, best wishes as you navigate your next chapter. I appreciate your contributions this past year and your commitment to supporting your successor. The Board agrees with your nomination of Greta Boye.
A Special Election will be held at our next Membership Meeting, August 13th at BCYC, to induct a new Director of Philanthropy.
If you are interested in this immediate opening or an upcoming position, would like to nominate another member, or require more information, please contact me at commodore@wsaoc.org.
Other Board of Directors seats available for 2026 are the following:
Rear Commodore, Treasurer, Membership Director, Ship Store. Social Media Chair and Newsletter Chair (reporting to the Director of Communications)
Be safe out there, and I hope to see you on the water!
Commodore@wsaoc.org
I am grateful to report a successful 2025 Catalina Island Extravaganza! Thank you to everyone who participated in making this event extraordinary. Be sure to follow WSA-OC on Facebook (via both our Members-Only Group and Public Page and Instagram) to see all the fun photos our Director of Communications, Elena Yuasa, posted.
This month’s OTW event is a special one: a Full Moon Sail departing from Newport Beach. It should be a beautiful evening, with three sailboats heading out to watch the sun set and the full moon rise over Newport Harbor. I hope you signed up early!
WSA boat owners are also welcome to post sailing opportunities on our Members-Only Facebook Group if you ever need crew. I’m sure you will be able to find some eager sailors! I also encourage you to continue spreading the word about all the fun we have in this club and invite new friends to join. Keep posting on social media and sharing about your experiences with your WSA-OC friends this summer!
I look forward to seeing you all at the August 13th Membership Meeting at BCYC and sharing more details about our Catalina Extravaganza.
Upcoming Events:
Sunday, August 10 - Full Moon Sail (Newport Beach) Sunday, September 21 - Pirate Party Saturday, October 4 - Airshow
Sunday, October 26 - Witchy Women pop-up event Saturday, November 22 - Friendsgiving (Duffy) Saturday, December 13 - End of the Year Sail
Please note that OTW dates and locations are subject to change, based on boat availability and weather conditions.
vicecommodore@wsaoc.org
August 10 - Full Moon Sail
August 13 - GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING at BCYC
August 26 - Women’s Equality Day
August 30 - National Beach Day
Please join us on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, for our WSA-OC August General Meeting, learning about the history of yachting on the West Coast.
We’re excited to welcome Captain Bill McNamara, a member of WSA-OC. Bill’s racing experience includes over one thousand adult keelboat races as Master, Watch Captain, or Crew throughout the US and Mexico, excluding hundreds of “Beercan” weeknight races. He is a US Sailing Race Officer and Protest Judge, and maintains continuing education and US Sailing Certification as a Certified Race Officer. He serves as PRO (Principal Race Officer) for the Southern California Yachting Association (SCYA) member clubs’ races each year.
He currently serves on the SCYA Board as Fleet Captain, and many other organizations in various race committee positions as well as Board positions. His involvement with Newport Ocean Sailing Association (NOSA) spans over 20 years as a winning skipper, participant, and Race Committee positions.
He holds a US Coast Guard Captain’s License (MMC) and a US Sailing Certification as a Sailing Instructor. He enjoys teaching STEM classes and keelboat sailing to youth for Scouting America.
He owns, races, and maintains his 46-foot Jeanneau sloop SV Tempest, is a member of the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (BCYC), Southshore Yacht Club – Long Beach (SYC-LB), and Corsair Yacht Club (CYC)
Prior to and during his years on the SCYA Board of Directors, he undertook a study of non-profit yachting organizations and became an active member of a dozen yacht clubs and associations.
We look forward to hearing from Bill McNamara about “The First Century of West Coast Corinthian Yachting”. Date: August 13, 2025 Time: 6:30 pm Happy Hour, 7:00 pm Meeting Location: Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (BCYC) 1601 Bayside Drive Newport Beach, CA
Dinner Reservations: If you would like to eat dinner at BCYC before the meeting, you must make reservations.
For Dinner Reservations text: KT Reiter @ 1stm8k8@outlook.com by Sunday, August 10, 2025!
*Non-members are welcome and encouraged to attend General Membership Meetings. Guests may attend up to two meetings to evaluate the club and decide if they would like to join. If you’re not a current member and would like to join, you can do so here: http://www.wsa-oc.org/
If you have questions, please get in touch with Debby Platt, Rear Commodore at: Rearcommodore@wsaoc.org
Ahoy!
The summer sailing season is in full swing, and plans for early fall are well underway. Two annual WSA-OC philanthropy events will take place to share our love of the ocean with girls and women experiencing personal and professional hardships.
We are busy putting the final touches on the first event, AdventureSail, to be held on August 9. Our amazing volunteers will host nine girls and their chaperone from the Boys & Girls Club of San Clemente for an afternoon sail departing from Dana Point Harbor. An “advance team” of WSA-OC energetic volunteers visited the Club in July to drum up excitement, teach a few sailors’ knots, and talk about boating etiquette. The girls were curious about sailing and were especially excited about the daypacks that we promised to bring along with lunch.
A special thank you goes to our Skippers and First Mates for their boats, Westwind Sailing for their PFDs, the volunteers for their time and expertise, and to all of YOU for your generous contributions to fill the daypacks with gifts, including sunglasses, beach towels, sunscreen, candy, hats, and more!
Planning is underway for the second event, Women in the Wind, scheduled for September 27 in Newport, where we will partner with Soroptimist International. This, too, is an annual signature event of WSA-OC and, like AdventureSail, is meaningful for all involved. At the end of the day, we hope that Soroptimist participants will feel empowered to continue facing challenges and move forward, wherever the wind takes them, and that our WSA-OC members will feel proud to have contributed to this positive experience.
If you would like to offer your boat or volunteer on the day of the event, please don't hesitate to contact philanthropy@wsaoc.org.
The Women's Sailing Association of OC has some great upcoming on-water events. Let’s all be safe out there.
membership@wsaoc.org
I hope you have enjoyed this month’s edition of The Whistle.
As the year progresses and our Board of Directors plans events and meetings, you can keep up with the events by visiting our website or Facebook account.
Our website includes our calendar of events and meetings, which I update regularly when event/meeting organizers solidify details.
WSA-OC Mission Statement 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. WSA-OC is committed to providing reasonable accommodation in its programs and activities for individuals with disabilities. Those who require a reasonable accommodation should contact commodore@wsaoc.org at least one week in advance, where possible, to make a request
Women's Sailing Association - Orange County, PO Box 11041, Costa Mesa, CA 92627, United States
BCYC August 5, 12, 19 - Taco Tuesday August 23 - Around the Islands #1
DPYC August 1 - Oceanside Sprint August 2 - Elizabeth Hospice Charity Regatta August 7, 14, 21, 28 - Thirsty Thursdays August 16 - San Mateo Point August 30 - Long Beach to Dana Point
NHYC August 7, 14, 21, and 28 - August Twilights August 9 ; 10 - NHHS Alumni Regatta August 22-24 - Long Point Race Week
“On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty.” — Rumi
