2 years ago
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Long Beach
Long Beach Yacht Club announced this week that Mary Voigt volition beryllium awarded the Peggy Slater Memorial Award astatine the Southern California Yachting Association’s (SCYA) yearly awards meal connected Jan. 18.
“Mary is astir deserving of this grant arsenic she represents the vigor and tone of Peggy Slater and a passionateness for women’s sailing,” Staff Commodore Camille Daniels wrote connected the club’s website. “All who cognize Mary would hold that she embodies the imaginativeness of the deed of gift.”
Peggy Slater, who died successful 1990, earned much than 800 sailboat racing trophies.
Slater learned to sail astatine 3 and was racing astatine 13. According to her obituary written by Rich Roberts, during World War II she crewed connected the 56-foot ketch “Lucky Lady” to Mexico to cod shark livers for vitamins for the Army Medical Corps. One Christmas Eve, they weaved backmost into L.A. Harbor done mines, unaware that the signifier had been changed portion they were gone.
She was astir celebrated for a singlehanded sail to Hawaii erstwhile she went guardant to alteration a headsail during a squall successful the Molokai Channel, fell overboard and was trapped against the hull by the sail for 11 hours.
In addition, she taught Humphrey Bogart to sail.
This trophy, an antique binnacle, was a acquisition from Peggy Slater to her person Joan Semper of Del Rey Yacht Club, and Semper donated it to SCYA for the instauration of a trophy for this award.
The Deed of Gift states, “This grant shall beryllium presented annually to a pistillate progressive successful the athletics of sailing who champion demonstrates outstanding contributions to the enhancement of women’s information successful sailing oregon idiosyncratic accomplishment successful the athletics of sailing.”
According to members of the enactment committee, Voigt was unanimously selected and determination were a grounds fig of letters of support.
One missive came from Long Beach larboard aviator John Strong, who was LBYC Commodore successful 2012.
“When it came clip for maine to prime a chairperson for my Congressional Cup team, Mary Voigt was an casual choice,” Strong texted. “I had worked with her for a fig of years connected the LBYC Sailing Foundation board. Her quiescent competence, calm demeanor and astonishing intellect ever impressed me. I knew we’d person a large event.”
When idiosyncratic is elected to spell done the chairs astatine LBYC, they take who volition seat Congressional Cup during the twelvemonth they are Commodore. Many judge this is the astir cardinal determination that a Commodore makes.
“Any sailor who has chartered a Catalina 37 from the Long Beach Sailing Foundation knows Mary and her interaction connected sailing,” Daniels wrote successful her missive successful enactment of Voigt’s nomination. “She is known internationally arsenic the idiosyncratic successful complaint and steward of the Catalina 37 fleet.”
Other letters of enactment included her sailing volunteerism.
Voigt has been a agelong clip Long Beach Sailing Foundation committee member. After retiring, she became a full-time charter manager unpaid for the foundation. In that role, she coordinates each sailing opportunities connected the Catalina 37 fleet.
She volunteers successful the Linda Elias Memorial Woman’s One Design Challenge, an yearly women’s lawsuit for the past 26 years. Mary is besides progressive successful the Los Angeles Yacht Club’s Inter-Collegiate Harbor Cup Annual Regatta.
She has organized the Boys and Girls Club events arsenic good arsenic the Sea Gals women’s sailing program. Her fiscal readying and enactment skills are an plus to managing the Catalina 37 fleet and ensures that each 11 of the Catalina 37s are decently equalized and maintained.
“I americium truthful arrogant and pleased that she has gotten what she deserves with the Peggy Slater Award. Congratulations Mary!” Strong wrote erstwhile helium learned of the win, sharing the sentiment of many.
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