New Jersey Windsurfing &
Watersports Association
1st Annual NJWWA Gala
Waretown, NJ November 14th - The New Jersey Windsurfing and Watersports Association (NJWWA) had its first Gala event at the Key Harbor Marina. This was a really nice venue. The room itself was used as a boat show room, which the owners had kindly cleared so we could hold our event. As such, the décor was decidedly nautical in flavor, with fish motifs as a backdrop.
A number of the NJWWA members helped set everything up and the event got underway around 5.00 P.M. Attendees brought a wide selection of appetizers, salads, and desserts, and catering for the entrees was provided by the restaurant (Bayview Terrace) attached to the marina. The food indeed was really excellent.
After appetizers and drinks, the event kicked off with presentation from Wallace who discussed the history, status, and future plans of the club. This was followed by presentations by Brian, Bill, and Jeff who respectively discussed future club events, the treasurer’s report and efforts for membership recruitment. At the end of these presentations, Galina (Fishman) was awarded her first place medal for kayaking at the last NJWWA race event as she was unable to receive her medal during the event.
Once these formalities were over, the party really got going with everyone tucking into the food and drinks and the entertainment part of the event starting. First up, Wallace and Bill presented a brief limerick recital. Fortunately, neither of these ditties made any reference to Nantucket. Then the main attraction of the evening “Toe Jams” took the stage. The band comprised of Brian on guitar and vocals, Jeff on guitar and vocals, Barb on drums, Greg on bass, and Barbara (BT) on keyboards and vocals. A special guest musician was recruited for the event – Olga (Kvitchko) on maracas, cow bell, and shimmying.
The music was eclectic ranging all the way from Johnny Cash to the Ramones with several detours on the way. Brian channeled Tommy Petty in his vocals and guitar playing, while Jeff played some wild feedback-laden guitar and contributed lead vocals to several of the other numbers. Barb was a dynamo on the drums, invoking the spirits of Keith Moon and John Bonham. Olga was a surprise talent on the maracas and cowbell, Indeed, one of the highlights of the set was Olga’s cowbell solo on “Time has come today” which resulted in shouts of “Olga, Olga, Olga” coming from the audience.
During the intermission, the raffle was held. Prizes included gift certificates for Island Surf & Sail, NJWWA T shirts, harness lines supplied by Sailworks, and various NJWWA merchandise and vouchers. Wallace was the MC for the drawing and Corinne was called up to pick the winning tickets. By some strange coincidence Alasdair’s ticket was the first one to be picked as a winner (was it rigged?). Other winners included Jim, Nicky, Vadim, Olga, and Kay.
The Gala eventually wound up around 9.30. It was a great evening with everyone having a lot of fun. We hope to be able to repeat this event next year and to see you all there. We have to thank Joy (the Marina owner) for allowing us to use the facilities, Brian, Barb, Jeff, Barbara (BT), and Greg for providing the musical entertainment, Paul for the hard work with the preparations, and the various NJWWA members who helped with the set up and clean up.
