It’s fall ya’ll! While mornings and evenings have cooled and the daylight is getting shorter, the sun is warm, and the sailing/boating is still fantastic! As someone who grew up in the Midwest where we pull boats out of the water from September to May, I feel fortunate to live here in Sunny So Cal where we can be on the water all year round!
I know several WSA-OC members spent time recently volunteering at the American Legion Yacht Club for the Bonnie Lou Gibson Memorial Sail for the Blind and Visually Impaired (SVI). This annual event is named after one of our very own founding members of Women’s Ocean Racing Sailing Association (WORSA) who sadly passed away at the start of last year. I believe Bonnie would be pleased with the level of our participation. I hope more of you will join in volunteering at the event next year!
As you should all know by now, our annual election for WSA-OC Board of Directors will take place at the next General Membership Meeting on November 13th. We provided all members with the candidates’ statements of interest via email on October 30th, and you can access that information here. Please read to learn more about the candidates so you are prepared to vote. We will be voting electronically so that even if you cannot attend the meeting, you will have the opportunity to cast your ballot that evening, between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Be on the lookout for the voting link, which will be sent to you via email that day.
Wishing you fair winds and following seas.
November 3 - Daylight Savings Ends
November 4 - Diwali (last day)
November 5 - US Election Day
November 11 - Veterans Day
November 13 - General Membership Meeting – NBYC
Time: 7:00 pm
November 14 - International Girls Day
November 23 - OTW Friendsgiving on a Duffy - Newport Beach
November 26 - Giving Tuesday
November 28 - Thanksgiving
November 29 - Black Friday
The Women’s Sailing Association of Orange County is one of the luckiest Clubs in the country! The reason? We live in Southern California where we have the opportunity to be on the water ALL year round.
October was a busy month. WSA-OC had boats in the water for an OTW event during the Huntington Beach Airshow, which was a foggy day but great nevertheless. Thank you to Lisa Cullinane, Sandy White, Lori Romano and Jenn Burns for volunteering your time and boats. Also during October, we had several members get hands-on experience in 14’ Capris during a Fundamentals of Sailing Clinic in partnership with Westwind Sailing. This was a great opportunity to learn and refresh sailing skills. In October we also saw a number of witches floating off Baby Beach in Dana Point during the annual Witchy Women community event.
Looking ahead to this month: don’t miss out, mark your calendar and prepare to register for this year’s Duffy event. We will celebrate Friendsgiving with a two-hour Duffy Harbor Cruise for WSA-OC Members only. Three Duffy have been reserved, allowing openings for 28 members. If more members sign-up, additional Duffys may be rented. Brunch items will be served. To participate in Friendsgiving, we ask that you bring one of your favorite items for $10 - $20, to show, tell and share. Perhaps this is your favorite bottle of $10 wine, a sailing tool or kitchen gadget, your best make-up item, or hostess gift.
*Everyone who participants and brings an item will take home a new gift* Happy Friendsgiving Women’s Sailing Association.
This is the FINAL OTW Event of 2024. It has been my great pleasure organizing this year’s events and raising money for our beloved association. I can’t wait to see you out on the water November 23rd.
What a joy it was last month to have Ann Morrison from the Maritime Museum San Diego teach us all about "Tall Ships" during our monthly General Membership Meeting! If you’ve never been to the Maritime Museum, you should spend a day down in San Diego and go aboard them. My daughters had the pleasure of staying overnight on the Star of India, and it was the highlight of their 4th grade year!
This month, Dee Ann Davis will talk to us about something I know some of us have thought about: living on a boat. For over five years, Dee Ann has called her vintage Hatteras yacht home, embracing a life of adventure and freedom on the water. As a member of the Classic Yacht Association, she takes great joy in exploring the Southern California coast, taking her boat on memorable journeys. Her love for the sea and dedication to crafting a life different from the norm continue to shape her unique and joyful lifestyle.
I hope you will join us for our final meeting of the year at the Newport Beach Yacht Club, and hear Dee Ann’s interesting, informative and inspiring tales.
Our annual Holiday Party and Silent Auction are right around the corner and will take place at the American Legion Yacht Club on Thursday, December 12th! We are collecting items now for the Silent Auction. The Silent Auction is our biggest fundraiser of the year for WSA-OC’s philanthropic events.
Some ideas for donations include: -wine or spirits -gift cards -day trip on your boat -a night or weekend in your cabin or guest house -boating equipment or books -game basket -movie basket -date night basket -spa day certificate -pet basket -coffee/tea basket -cooking item basket -skin care basket -holiday item basket -chocolate basket -regift items from your stash at home -does your company have swag to donate? -are you an artist? You could donate a painting, ceramics, or jewelry -donate your time by teaching sailing, skiing, snowboarding, knitting, etc.
If you have auction items you would like to donate, please bring them to our November 13 WSA-OC General Membership Meeting.
Happy Birthday to Our Members
At WSA-OC, we celebrate our members’ birthdays by recognizing them in our newsletters and at our monthly meetings. We celebrate the following members with birthdays in November:
Auto-Renewal Process During 2023, we announced a new process for renewing your membership. Great news: your membership will automatically renew on your membership anniversary date. There is no need to remember to renew manually. Now, you will receive an email two weeks prior to your membership anniversary date notifying you that the card we have on file from last year will be charged for the next year of membership. If you no longer want to renew your membership, you can opt out or cancel your membership and you will not be charged for the renewal. You can cancel your auto renewal membership and/or update your information such as your address, boat ownership, etc., by completing the form on our Existing Members - Update Information webpage
If you haven’t visited our Ship Store website recently, it has been revamped and it is now easier than ever to shop for all your WSA-OC swag online!
Visit the Ship Store website here to discover a treasure trove of new merchandise carefully curated by our Ship Store Director.
The store is brimming with goods, apparel, and more to meet all your nautical and seafaring needs.You can also purchase inventory at our next General Membership Meeting!
I hope you have enjoyed this month’s edition of The Whistle.
You can remain informed about all WSA-OC happenings and events by visiting our website, which includes our calendar of events and meetings. I update this calendar regularly when event/meeting organizers solidify details of dates, times, and locations. I also email all members at the address we have on file with the details of meetings and events (including links to sign up). If you miss an email, I post those details in ourFacebook Members-Only Groupand Public Facebook Page as well, so be sure to keep an eye out for opportunities to get involved. You can also find our past editions of The Whistle on our website if you miss the email I send on the 1st of every month.
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
