2021 Member of the Year Named

The recipient of the Member of the Year award from the previous year is tasked with choosing the new Member of the Year recipient. 2020 recipient Jason O’Mara presented the award via Zoom to the 2021 recipient, Dave Wisel at the Change of Watch meeting held on November 6th .

“I am very humbled by this award,” Dave commented. “As Jason said, it’s the people that make this fleet what it is and for that I am thankful. I enjoy helping others and being a member of NC3 has been a greatest experience and has given me purpose. I am grateful for each and every one of the members.”

The transcript of Jason’s presentations is below.

“As the NC3 2020 member of the year, it is my duty to choose and present the 2021 member of the year award. 

This was a difficult task. I truly believe that what makes NC3 so great is not one single person, but the collective community of all members helping each other and the fleet as a whole throughout the season.

Alas, it falls on me to make the difficult decision to choose just one person as Member of the Year.

When Ellie and I decided to sell Jacinta and buy Lindquist, we knew it was going to be a big job, especially given the boat’s location and state of repair. Many of the NC3 members were there to help us in our journey of refitting our boat. It would have been ALOT more difficult without the guidance and advice of NC3. This person was one of those people. 

Not only did they help us talk through and strategize countless challenges over the 9-month refit process, but they offered to make the 4 hour drive from Maryland to North Jersey to assist us on many occasions. 

Of course, I’m too stubborn to allow that to happen, but the offer was made almost weekly.  

When we finally put our boat in the water and began our trip from Sea Brite, NJ to Middle River, this person was in communication with us daily, helping us with weather forecasts and mechanical problems.

On the first day of our trip, we left at 6am and by 12pm we discovered our engine was over-heating at 240 degrees in the middle of a flat ocean. This person helped to talk through the possible issues and solutions over the phone in the middle of their workday. Luckily we made it to our anchorage at 8pm without ruining the engine. He was on the phone with us for over an hour guiding us on what a thermostat was, how to remove it and test it. When a solution could not be found, he offered to get in his car and drive 3+ hours to Barnegat Bay, NJ that evening to help us in person. Of course, I declined. But I was very moved by the offer.

I knew very little about diesel engines prior to our trip. We spoke daily about the problem and he guided me on how to test and fix each potential source of our over-heating issue.

Six days later, I pulled into Maryland Marina feeling like a semi-expert diesel repair tech. All because of this person. (…and my uncle, who is an actual diesel mechanic).

This is just one very large example of the kind of service this person has provided to the fleet.

This person has selflessly helped many other members on countless occasions troubleshoot and fix “boat problems”. I have often found them crammed in tiny, dark, dirty areas under toilets, engines and cockpits, helping to get other NC3 members back to doing what we love the most – sailing (…or buying gas, if you’re into that sort of thing).

Oftentimes, I would ask this person, “So, are you going sailing this weekend?” to which their reply was, “Maybe. I’m helping so-and-so fix XYZ on their boat this weekend.” 

Sacrificing valuable sail time for changing someone else’s leaky black water hose is, by itself, member of the year level service in my opinion.

And all of those points aside, this person has served to help grow the fleet by not only maintaining our website, but helping to bring us into the digital age by enhancing the website to allow for online cruise and event registrations and Cruise News email newsletter. He has worked with members individually to resolve technical website and email problems as they have arisen, all the while making himself available as an invaluable resource to us all for all things mechanical. 

Most importantly, he has served as a friend to many, especially when in need the most – when we’re tired, or frustrated, or just not feeling well.

So, it is with great pleasure that I present the NC3 Member of the Year award to Dave Wisel.”

 

 

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