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This year, Fleet 30 also got to enjoy another perennial favorite – the
Chaparral Del Mar regatta. During this event, fully crewed Ensigns are
made available to AYC “Old Salt” skippers (75+ years old) for a day of
racing. We had 8 boats compete, including two of our own fleet
members, Fred Ford and Dave Gamble, and everyone had a wonderful
time.

Fleet 30 members Bill Hawk (1414) and Dave Morley (739) introducing sailing
to new sailors as part of AYC’s Discover Sailing Program.

We also had fun supporting Discover Sailing in 2023. We had 16 new-to-
sailing participants who started the day with an “intro to sailing” chalk talk
followed by a couple hours of on-the-water instruction, giving each
participant a chance to pull lines, take the helm, hike out, and experience
first-hand how awesome sailing is.

Outside the racing front, Fleet 30 Ensigneers were active in volunteer
and leadership roles within AYC. Anne Morley, Tom Groll, Lynn Jaeger,
and Bill Hawk for served on the Board in 2023 and Bill Hawk, Lynn
Jaeger, and Lewis Price are also serving on the Board in 2024.

Our fleet also had a good showing in the 2023 AYC Fleet Challenge.
This is an annual fleet-vs-fleet challenge and fundraiser for the AYC
Fund, which provides financial assistance in support of sailboat racing
(supporting participation in local, national and even international sailing
competitions and training activities, sponsoring under-privileged kids to
attend sail training camp, etc.). The AYC Fleet Challenge includes a
fund-raising component, sailboat racing components, and a participation
component. We are proud to announce that in 2023, Ensign Fleet 30
came out on top!

Fleet 30 has a lot to look back and smile about in 2023. But we also had
some tough losses, including two beloved fleet members. We are sad to
report that Kelly Hawk and Franz Dahmen both passed away in 2023.
Kelly sailed for many years with her husband Bill Hawk and their kids on

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