Happy
Holidays to everyone! I hope Santa brought everyone something nice and
you’re able to take some time off to ponder last year’s accomplishments
as well as next year’s plans. 2018 has been a busy year at Challenged
Sailors San Diego and 2019 looks to be even busier.
First,
I want to THANK all of our volunteers! As you may have heard me say
multiple times, the ‘magic’ of CSSD happens on the water but the hard
work happens before and after anyone gets out on the water. There are
always tasks to be done and between repairs, cleaning, and maintenance
our volunteers take care of business. I am humbled and amazed at the
wonderful group of people who give their time. We have no paid staff; no
one receives a salary or compensation for the time they spend and yet
we have what may be the best, most loyal and most giving group of
volunteers in the world. THANK YOU!
Secondly,
I want to thank all of our sailors as well. While CSSD exists for you,
your appreciation and involvement and feedback to the volunteers is what
makes us want to keep serving this community. If you haven’t taken the
time, please let volunteers know how much you appreciate them. A ‘thank
you’, a smile and maybe some salty sea stories about your adventure on
the bay goes a long way. We sometimes say that our volunteers get more
out of sailing than the sailors do; I don’t know for sure, but I suspect
it is true in many cases.
I’d
like to also thank the Board and those who have personally contributed
financially to CSSD. Again, without you there would be no organization
and your willingness to work behind the scenes with little glory is
something I appreciate very much.
And
of course, we have many partners and supporters in San Diego: yacht
clubs, corporate donors, angel donors, etc., all contribute to the
mission of CSSD. Thanks to all of you!
In
2018 CSSD held, or participated in, a number of regattas and events.
The Kyle McArthur Regatta IV (held at Coronado Yacht Club) was the
biggest event and fund raiser and the KMAC V (yes, fifth annual) will be
held April, 27-29, 2019. Tammy Airhart is heading up the coordinating
committee again and promised that this will be the best event ever!
Thank you, Tammy. 😊 In addition to our regular Martin 16 sailing most
Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year, CSSD held several special
sailing events for a number of groups, including VISIONS 2018, TRACE,
The Arc of San Diego, Casa Colina, Access to Independence, the Braille
Club, and Paralyzed Veterans of America. CSSD participated in the
Southern California Yachting Association’s Midwinter Regatta, Point Loma
Yacht Club’s Charity Bay Race and CSSD sailors participated in San
Diego Port Tenants Association’s Operation Clean Sweep and helped rid
the bay of unwanted trash.
All
of the events are listed in the calendar on the Challenged Sailors San
Diego website. You can find upcoming events and sailing dates here: https://www.challengedsailors.org/calendar.html
Sue Taetzsch is our coordinator extraordinaire. Another of our behind
the scenes volunteers, she is continually engaged in setting up sailing
times, coordinating partners and getting those pesky waiver forms
completed. 😊 She’s also one of our best sailors as some of you have
found out by watching the stern of her boat far ahead of you in many
regattas.
This
year, we had a bit of an early Christmas present. We applied for a
grant for a 2.4m sailboat from the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial
Clinic and Regatta. http://www.clagettregatta.org/
If you don’t know, these folks started hosting a regatta a number of
years ago and have expanded beyond that to granting the use of sailboats
to various organizations. This year, CSSD’s grant application was
approved and a 2.4m sailboat was just delivered a few days ago. The 2.4m
is the single person Parasailing boat and has been the single person
Paralympic boat in the past. You can see details about this boat here: http://www.us24meter.org/
Needless to say we are proud and honored to be awarded this grant. It
is a welcome addition to our fleet of 8 Martin16 sailboats.
I
would be remiss if I didn’t remind everyone that CSSD is a non-profit
organization that is totally dependent on donations. We do not charge
for sailing days – something we hope to continue – and yet we sail more
than most other adaptive sailing organizations do. We are a 501c3 (EIN
47-2882798) so your donations are tax deductible (see your tax
professional of course). In 2018 our financial stability increased
again, CSSD is in good shape to take on the next year. CSSD’s form 990s
and our all hands meeting notes (which include financial information) is
posted on the website. Our philosophy has always been to be financially
responsible and while saying ‘no’ to some donations and purchases may
seem odd, it’s allowed CSSD to grow a modest war chest that should help
continue years of great sailing. Assuming, of course, we remain fiscally
responsible. 😊
Ok,
so what is in store for 2019? Well, more of the same good stuff.
Individual sailing, group sailing, various regattas and events, etc.
We’d like to schedule an additional race or two with just our sailors
too. Next year we’ll be sailing the 2.4m and will be encouraging our
sailors to attend the Clagett Regatta. We are looking to participate in
another major regatta as well.
What
help does CSSD need? More volunteers are always appreciated, and we’ll
continue to train more and more folks to be companion sailors, etc. From
a business perspective we’re looking to increase our ability to
write/submit grants, partner with local YCs and businesses and increase
public/market awareness.
And of course, have fun and enjoy our beautiful San Diego Bay!
We’re looking to make 2019 the best year ever and can’t do it without YOUR help and support.
Thank You!!!
Sincerely,
Kevin Wixom
President, Challenged Sailors San Diego
