Red Cross Desert to the Sea Blog: "Sneaking in Safety at Holiday Fun Fest"

Sneaking in Safety, at Holiday Fun Fest

STORY BY BETSY CROWFOOT, ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER

Hundreds of youngsters left the annual Red Cross Children’s Safety Festival in Santa Ana last month with more than just holiday presents. During the three-and-a-half-hour event, each received a gift even more valuable than the games, dolls, trucks and toys they took home: they got the gift of safety.

“They come here for a fun time, for the games, activities, and toys,” said Beth Ratcliff, the Red Cross Regional Youth Volunteer Coordinator who organized the December 9 field day. “But we also try to sneak in valuable education on safety.

“Water safety, earthquake safety, bicycle, electrical, railroad, fire, water – you name it!” The festival does double-duty, Ratcliff explained; offering a playful family holiday celebration, while hundreds of Red Cross and other volunteers combine to teach safety and emergency preparedness, in a fun and entertaining way.

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American Red Cross - Volunteer Correspondent

FUNDRAISERS 'SING THEIR HEARTS OUT' AT LOVE FOR FLORIDA HURRICANE RELIEF TELETHON

October 30, 2017 Crossnotes

By Betsy Crowfoot, Desert to the Sea Communications Volunteer

A Southern California organization stretched its arms across the nation, to benefit Florida’s victims of Hurricane Irma. Members of “Little Saigon” – California’s Vietnamese-American community – literally ‘sang their hearts out’ in the Love for Florida fundraiser held September 28, raising $10,000 for the Desert to the Sea Region, earmarked for hurricane relief...

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Yo Ho Ho and a Charter of Rum

AS SEEN IN SEPTEMBER 2017 ISSUE OF SAILING MAGAZINE

YO HO HO & A CHARTER OF RUM

An early season cruise through the BVI had this band of merry friends in search of the best rum bar.

On a chart, the rhumbline appears as the shortest distance between two points, but when plotting a course through the British Virgin Islands, our “rum line” took a twisting path from one legendary beach bar to another on a weeklong charter cruise.   MORE

A quick hike to the top of Marina Cay provides a view of Grand Camanoe Island and Tortola beyond.

ロサンゼルス〜ホノルルレース2017

AS SEEN IN THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF KAZI MAGAZINE 

PHOTO: Betsy Crowfoot for Ultimate Sailing

For the full feature visit Kazi Magazine 

AS SEEN IN SEPTEMBER 2017 ISSUE OF SAILING

Magic wands and record breakers

PHOTO: Betsy Crowfoot

Since its first running over a century ago, the Transpacific Yacht Race has bewitched sailors of all backgrounds and ages, to challenge the 2,216-mile course from California to Hawaii. This year’s edition was no exception: a magical experience, for more reasons than you could shake a wand at. 

There were racers young and old, on yachts large and small, from classic Cal 40s to the record-breaking maxi Comanche. There was a sled with a cat’s name, Pyewacket, and a cat with a Chim Chim. And this year’s race marked the return of The Wizard.

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AS SEEN IN AUGUST 2017 CRUISING WORLD

DESTINATIONS

The Wild Side of Saint-Martin

8 miles southeast of Oyster Pond, a pristine anchorage offers the best of the Caribbean island.

By Betsy Crowfoot July 18, 2017

Saint-Martin, Sint Maarten. Whatever you call it, it’s a best-of-both-worlds island: half French, half Dutch, cheap and chic. Circumnavigate the 37-square-mile island and you’ll find plenty of turquoise bays and marinas to nestle in for a stay. Visit casinos and dutyfree shops in Dutch Sint Maarten, on the southern half. Peruse the nightlife, nude beaches and beaucoup de bistros in French Saint-Martin, to the north. But don’t be confused by this bisected island: It’s all fun, fashionable and fabulous. Then, take a walk on the wild side. When the cruise ships pull in, escape the clamor of the crowds for untamed Île Fourchue ... READ IT HERE

AS SEEN IN JUNE 2017 SAILING MAGAZINE

RACING FOR FUN WITH THE PROS

Going away to camp is a childhood ritual. There are space camps with real astronauts like Scott Kelly, tennis pro camps, celebrity baseball camps and even a football academy where Tom Brady could be the coach. So why not a yacht racing camp with the pros? The Bitter End Yacht Club’s annual Pro-Am offers just that, inviting top sailors from an array of disciplines to sail and compete with campers. But the event has one exceptional twist—it’s for grown-ups.

One-on-one coaching with pros, like Olympic medalist JJ Fetter Reichel, is one of the appeals of the Pro-Am, along with perfect weather and sailing conditions.

Sharon Green photo

For 30 years Bitter End Y.C. has hosted the Pro-Am Regatta—a weeklong festival of sailing and watersports. There’s snorkeling, kayaking, windsurfing, kiteboarding, scuba and fishing expeditions at this sailing-centric resort on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. But the centerpiece of the event is racing in paradise with the pros.

See the entire article HERE