Permission to Come Aboard? How to be a Great Boat Guest.
Kathy McGraw, member and owner of Po’oino Roa, kicked off WSA-OC’s 2025 Season as our first Guest Speaker. Kathy provided an extensive list of boat guest etiquette. As we get back out on the water, I want to highlight some of Kathy’s tips.
Start with good manners while following tradition, and ask permission to come aboard.
Don’t be late. Arrive in good health, ideally hydrated and well-rested.
Use the restroom before you board. Bring a small, soft, light duffle with the essentials: a billed hat (with keeper), sunglasses (polarized are best for glare), sensible non-marring, non-skid shoes, layered clothing, SPF, seasickness preparedness, and water.
I recommend that each WSA-OC member bring their own PFD (personal floatation device).
A good guest brings food and drinks to share. A good rule to follow is ‘pack in and pack out.
A PERFECT boat guest would not use water or the head, be self-sufficient, take up little space, and leave no trash. We can’t always be perfect, but we can follow the boat’s rules and try our best! Offer to help and offer to clean up.
Follow the Captain’s orders and be silent while docking.
Have a great time, have a great attitude, and be grateful.
Karen Cooper, your Vice Commodore, is organizing On-the-Water Events and will provide information before each event and is available to answer boat etiquette questions. vicecommodore@wsaoc.org
Have Fun! Be Safe!
Our February Galentine’s Day OTW event was a resounding success with a remarkable turnout of five boats and 29 members who took to the sea from Dana Point Harbor!
Next month, we will embark on a journey up north, departing from Long Beach at the Alamitos Bay Marina. I have contacted the WSA-LB and the Navy. Yacht Club Long Beach to explore the possibility of making this a collaborative event. Plans are underway; ideally, we can arrange an afterparty at the NYCLB. I will provide updates accordingly.
Thus far, we have confirmed the participation of 3 boats in our annual St. Paddy’s Day OTW event. As with all our OTW events, the link to sign up for the St. Paddy’s Day OTW event will be emailed to CURRENT MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDING at the email address we have on file approximately 2 weeks before the event. Once the sign-up link is live, you will receive a text message referring you to your email. Click on the registration link to sign up immediately upon receiving notification, as our last event sold out in less than an hour. If you click the link to register and the event is already sold out, put your name on the waitlist.
A slot may become available if we can secure another boat or if any registered members cancel. Upcoming 2025 OTW Events:
Please note: OTW dates and locations are subject to change based on boat availability and weather.
Sunday, April 6 – Spring Fling (Newport Beach) Sunday, May 18 – Tropical Luau Duffy Event (Newport Beach) Saturday, June 21 – Summer Sailstice Thurs-Sun July 24-27 – Catalina Extravaganza (Two Harbors) Saturday, August 9 - Full Moon Sail Saturday, September 20 – Pirate Party Saturday, October 4 – Air Show Sunday, October 26 – Witchy Women Pop-up event Saturday, November 22 – Friendsgiving Duffy event (Newport Beach) Saturday, December 13 – End of the Year Sail
March = Women’s History Month
March 7-9 – The Dana Point Festival of Whales
March 8 – WSA Booth at Festival of Whales/Dinghy Dash
March 8 – International Women’s Day
March 9 – Stand Up to Trash Beach Cleanup @ Festival of Whales
March 12 – General Membership Meeting Location: Stillwater Spirits & Sounds,
24701 Del Prado, Dana Point
Time: 7:00 pm (HH 6:30)
March 15-16 - Sail GP
March 16 – St. Paddy’s Day OTW event ⛵
(Alamitos Bay Marina)
March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day 💚
March 20 – Spring begins
Please join us on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, for our WSA-OC March General Meeting. EvanWanamaker, of Pacific Marine Surveyors, will be telling us about “What to Look For When Purchasing a Boat”.
Evan has been sailing since he was 5 years old in Newport Harbor. He attended Cal Maritime, graduating in 2011 in Marine Transportation. As a Merchant Mariner, he traveled the world sailing tugboats for the next 10 years and earned his 1600 Ton Master Oceans License.
Back in Newport, he became a Marine Surveyor for Pacific Marine Surveyors, married his wife, with whom he has two young sons. For the past 2 years, he and Monica have owned Finesse, a 52-foot Ron Holland Sailboat, on which he won the 2024 Cruising Spinnaker Class of the Newport to Ensenada Race (with some of our WSA members)!
Date: March 12, 2025 Time: 6:30 pm Happy Hour, 7:00 pm Meeting Location: Stillwater Spirits & Sounds – Meeting Room 24701 Del Prado Dana Point, CA Parking: Free parking is available in a parking lot behind the building, in the alley, or on the surrounding streets. The meeting will be held in a separate meeting room off the outdoor patio. Food & Drink: Please come to the restaurant and bar for dinner and happy hour prior to the meeting to support Stillwater. It’s a wonderful atmosphere and the meeting room is right next door. No reservations are necessary.
*Non-members are welcome and encouraged to attend the March 12 General Membership Meeting. 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 contact Debby Platt, Rear Commodore at: Rearcommodore@wsaoc.org 949-280-3575
Ahoy, mates!
The first WSA-OC Philanthropy event of 2025 will be at the Festival of the Whales, Saturday, March 8 at Dana Point Harbor. Although the Festival runs from March 7 to 9, WSA-OC will have a booth there only on Saturday, March 8, by Westwind Sailing at Baby Beach.
WSA-OC members are encouraged to sign up for a three-hour shift at the booth: 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. (set-up time is 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.); 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The booth will have a game, giveaways, and information on our club. It's an excellent opportunity to hang with fellow club members, meet new people, promote our brand and recruit new members. Our membership team is partnering with Philanthropy for this event.
Come early Saturday for the Festival's headline event: the 8th Annual Cardboard Classic Dinghy Dash, a cardboard boat-building contest and race sponsored by Westwind Sailing. Cheer on our WSA-OC boat, decorated with our logo. There will be voting, food, celebrity emcee, music and awards.
The Cardboard Classic has become a Festival favorite, drawing hundreds of participants and even more spectators to Baby Beach each year. Dinghy Dash teams work through the morning designing and building their crafts from corrugated cardboard and duct tape, and then compete in age-division races.
The Philanthropy connection of our participation in the Festival of the Whales is the $165 fee we paid to Westwind Sailing, to sponsor a boat in the Dinghy Dash and to set up a booth next to their popular and strategically-located office. All proceeds from the Cardboard Classic go directly to Dana Point Aquatic Foundation to support educational boating for at-risk youth in our community.
It’s been a fabulous few months of service to the WSA-OC. It's exciting to see so many new members join us. Thank you to everyone who has referred friends.
In February, I had the wonderful pleasure of being the guest of Alicia Alarcon’s “Galentine's Night Out” at Aventura Sailing Associations. Thank you, Alicia, for the gracious hospitality. All certainly had a good time.
Please don’t forget to come out and support the 54th Annual Festival of Whales event at Dana Point Harbortaking place March 7th, 8th & 9th. WSA-OC will have a promotion booth on Saturday, March 8th. Please reach out if you would like to volunteer or stop by and say hello.
Your membership will now renewautomatically on your anniversary date, sparing you from the hassle of manual renewal.
Two weeks before your membership anniversary, you will receive an email alerting you that the credit or debit card we have on file will be charged for the upcoming year. If you prefer not to renew your membership, you can opt out or cancel it, and you won't incur a renewal charge. To do this, visit our WSA-OC website, select Membership, and click Update Membership Information.
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
