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SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Navy Yacht Club San Diego (NYCSD) celebrated its 53rd annual opening day of the sailing season, March 5, at Fiddler's Cove Marina -- a Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) facility in Coronado, California.
NYCSD is a nonprofit club which supports MWR's sailing program efforts by organizing races and maintaining club facilities, which membership is available to all active-duty service members, retirees, Department of Defense employees, and their families.
Additionally, Navy Band Southwest was on site and played each service branch's song during the service member recognition portion of the ceremony.
"The really great part about this club is that it allows active-duty service members, retirees, Reservists, and MWR participants who might not be able to otherwise afford it, or have other barriers, to get into the yachting community," said Calder Epes, commodore of NYCSD. "This is a sort-of gateway to get out on the water and enjoy some of San Diego's natural maritime resources."
Epes is a prior enlisted service member and now serves as an aviation instructor on Naval Air Station North Island, just miles away from NYCSD's location.
The club is comprised of more than 700 members, and according to NYCSD, that makes it the largest club associated under the Navy Sailing Association, based in Annapolis, Maryland.
"We've been doing this since 1964 when this marina was tiny -- just a few docks," said retired Navy Capt. Peter Hunt, a staff commodore at NYCSD, while pointing to the hundreds of vessels now moored in the marina. "We are also integrated with the other San Diego area yacht cubs; we do charity events and races with them, and we are committed to support and give back to the Navy community and the local community."
Annually, the club hosts dozens of yacht races and regattas, as well as fundraisers to support local and national charities.
This sailing season, NYCSD plans to host a series of events focused on getting service members' children involved in the sport with a family-focused sailing series.
"This year, we are working on creating a youth racing program," said Epes. "This is a great way to get military dependent children out there on the water, in an affordable way."
In addition to providing military families with the opportunity to sail with their club, NYCSD supports local and national charities through various fundraisers it holds throughout the year. For example, according to Hunt, NYCSD donates more than $100,000 to one particular national-level charity every year, as well as many other causes the club chooses to support.
The Navy MWR-managed Fiddler's Cove Marina club site, also a campground and RV park, serves as a venue for seasoned and novice sailors alike to have an affordable and friendly way to take part in an otherwise expensive pastime.
The boating season runs from March until late fall, with weekly sailing and social events in San Diego harbor and co-hosted by other yacht clubs throughout the San Diego area.
For more information on NYCSD, visit http://www.NYCSD.org. For more information about MWR programs in Navy Region Southwest, visit http://www.NAVYLIFESW.com/.
For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.
For more news from Navy Public Affairs Support Element, visit http://www.navy.mil/local/npasehq/.
| Date Taken: | 03.05.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 03.20.2017 14:50 |
| Story ID: | 227424 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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