Greetings one and all.
I hope this message finds each and every one of you in good health, good spirits and good surf.
It seems surreal that Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner and soon thereafter we will quickly turn the page on this insane and highly improbable year.
I know I am not alone, when I pray that 2021 will be better in every way imaginable.
A comparison of 2019 vs. 2020
A distant 300 days ago, Windansea Surf Club had completed another season of giving back to the community with Day At The Beach, Beach Clean-ups, The Menehune Contest, making significant charitable donations to our sister non for profit surf clubs in the form of comp team entry fees and helping Kiwanis Club of La Jolla with its La Jolla Half Marathon and the new La Jolla Cove Swim . We also secured, for the second year in a row, our status and number 1 ranking as Coalition of Surf Clubs, Champion of the Universe!
Additionally, and on behalf of all the militant short boarders within our La Jolla/Windansea Community, The Windansea Surf Club supported and helped establish La Jolla Board riders which is part of West Coast Board Riders which is now part of the newly formed US Board Riders. Big thanks to Club and Board member Chuck Davey and Club member and Club Counsel, Cordon Baesel for their efforts to make this happen.
By end of last year, we were able to hold three Underground Triple Crown Windansea “Classics” one of which, was in honor of legends Tom Ortner and Chris O’Rourke.
2020
By comparison, in 2020, due to COVID, we were only able to support one Coalition Club, The Amazing Estero Beach Surf Club, who hosted their annual “Good, Bad and Ugly” contest at the iconic “Rock” this past February at Morro Bay. FYI and thanks to Comp team Directors, Joel Tudor and Ozstar de Jourday, we narrowly missed coming in first place, literally by only a few points. We have managed to host two beach/street clean-ups and are about to announce a street clean-up before the rains begin to remove cigarette butts, so they do not end up in the water at Windansea. Maddy Perrault and her awesome Dad, Mike, organized a similar event last year and with only four volunteers, were able to remove well over 2,000 butts from the equation. The other clean-up was organized by the infamous WCS Power Family, The Browns!
We were not able to host any other of our signature community service events, such as Day At The Beach for “Special Surfers” or for Father Joe’s Villages or with the YMCA, for at risk teenage girls. Likewise, we were not able to hold our Menehune Contest and unfortunately no “Classics” thus far. Who knows, perhaps with the love of Ted Smith shining on us we will be able to honor him with a New Year’s Eve Underground Event.
We were able to participate, in our second ever WCBR contest and were able to move up the ladder from dead last (Fifth Place) in our first event in 2019 to third place in February of this year. We figured that in our third contest we would have come in first place! OF COURSE!!
So what have we been able to do?
Through the hard work of your Board of Directors we been able to secure a fully operational shuttle bus that can carry upwards to twenty members of our Comp Team, boards, bags, etc. to and from Coalition Tourneys. The New WSC Bus can be used in the Christmas Parade and for countless other applications and events such as a mobile billboard to thank our sponsors and a way to advertise up and coming events. The Bus will also be The Windansea Surf Club’s vehicle of goodwill!
We also have secured a charitable gift of approximately 45 brand new wetsuits and roughly 30 new surfboards (slightly fire damaged) from a surf shop up North.
We have continued to work and plan with The La Jolla Chapter of Kiwanis International for the 2021 La Jolla Half Marathon and 2021 La Jolla Cove Swim. This will allow us to apply and presumably receive a grant from the La Jolla Kiwanis every year we contribute time, energy along with our amazing volunteers.
Your Board is also in the process of securing a profoundly serious corporate donor, with whom we are in discussions with, to make significant annual contributions.
We have also formed an apparel committee, Board member Cadu Viella and Ozstar de Jourday and with the assistance of Fano and Dino, have come up with some cool new jackets, pullovers and Ts. (See the website!)
Good Deeds
I have discussed in past messages, the “Good Deeds” that our Club members have been performing during the pandemic, the recent fires and in general because “Good Deeds” is just our middle name. As mentioned, and to name a few, Sandy Ordille has been grocery shopping and preparing meals for her elderly neighbors in Carlsbad, Kit Kantner and his beautiful wife, Julie, helped Tiffany and Phil Swink during the fires, Noah Brown took it upon himself to organize, fill out the required paperwork for a beach clean-up that put our Club’s name front and center on the “Adopt a Beach” sign at the bottom of Palomar Street, and now we have one more to add to a long list of Good Deeds. This past weekend our very own Ozstar de Jourday and his incredible bride, The Queen of Aloha, Robin de Jourday performed and act of love and kindness for long time Windansea residents Ivan and De Anna Layne Schreiber. De Anna Layne, who was loved by her fellow neighbors and all who knew her passed away earlier this year. No one in the whole world loved De Anna more than her bereaved husband, Ivan who misses his dance partner in life more than words can describe. Because of COVID, Ivan was unable to do anything to celebrate and honor De Anna’s life. Ozstar and Robin without any fanfare, organized a simple, humble and wonderful paddle out that included all of the Schreiber’s neighbors, friends and some WSC club members. Although Ivan was not able to paddle out, he was so happy, with many of his friends by his side, to see his wife laid to rest in the water at her favorite place on Earth, Windansea. From fiercely competitive for his Club, to Love thy neighbor Ozstar’s heart was pointing True North this past weekend. Thank you Star and Robin and thank all of you, who perform these wonderful miracles and acts of kindness!
Meetings and Nominations
While over the course of this troubled, year The Board has met diligently every month. Because of the larger numbers of our General Meetings, we have not been able to have in person gatherings in a manner that would be deemed safe, prudent and/or socially responsible by most within our community. Even though it was not well attended, week before last we had our first successful Zoom General Meeting.
COVID On The Rise
We San Diegans, are not immune to the recent surge in COVID numbers plaguing our nation. According to local experts, new COVID cases have been ticking up in San Diego County which means we may be forced with more restrictions AGAIN!
That being said, it is that time of year for NOMINATIONS and all of you are welcome to throw your hat into the ring to run for office or nominate a new board or specific board members.
To accommodate nominations in November, The Board has agreed to do our best to have our meeting at or in front of the La Jolla Rec Center for the first time since March, have an in-person meeting. The VFW is still closed for business as usual, and likewise the La Jolla Rec is not renting out any of its indoor meeting rooms. Because of the time change beginning November 1st we will have the meeting on Saturday or Sunday afternoon with a start time of 3:00 - 3:30PM. Club Secretary, Jeff Morrow will send out an eblast as soon as we have set a firm date.
SPEAKING FOR THE BOARD
I am speaking for the entire Board to respectfully inform you that each of us, are running for the same positions we have held during this past tumultuous year. Hopefully in 2021 we will be able to get back to some form of normal and have the opportunity to fulfill all of our duties to the Club, and the many communities we serve and impact.
During this COVID year, your Board has worked hard to plot and chart a course through a very troubled 2020 and plan for a successful 2021 and beyond.
We respectfully request that you support us for one more year and allow both The Board and The Club continuity in 2021.
Thank all of you and may the Gods of Windansea, Tourmaline, Big Rock, Simmons, The Shores, North and South Bird, PB Point, bless you with awesome surf.
Stay safe, stay healthy and stay stoked!
Bill “Brasil” Fitzmaurice
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