By JoAnne & Bill Harris – SV ULTRA, OCC Port Officers Honduras including The Bay Islands
On March 16, 2024, we were thrilled to host the OCC 70th Anniversary Island Party & Fundraiser at the beautiful Roatan Yacht Club & Marina in French Harbour, Roatan, located in The Bay Islands of Honduras, our PO port. This event was an epic island-wide invitation to welcome everyone and brought together over 130 guests, including OCC members, islanders, and expatriates, for an evening of camaraderie, great appreciation for the sea-faring legacy of the OCC, and fundraising. The night shimmered with the spirit of celebration as everyone listened and danced to the great live music, sipped rum punches and other beverages, enjoyed island food specials, viewed and supported local art and handmade products from several local market vendors, won amazing prizes from the raffle and silent auction, and watched a stunning performance of fire dancers as they lit up the night. The atmosphere buzzed with island vibes and excitement as everyone reunited with old friends and met new ones throughout this truly memorable local island event.
The evening marked an epic day in history for the highly respected, legendary, and internationally recognized Ocean Cruising Club, as well as a brilliant opportunity to give back to the local community that has welcomed sailors from around the globe with open arms throughout history. Through the super generous donations and funds received for the silent auction and raffle items for ULTRA Community Projects, the goal was met to always make a meaningful difference in the lives of others by supporting efforts for humanitarian aid for emergency and natural disaster situations including the recent devastating fire in French Harbour, education, clean water, solar power, safe housing, nutrition, medical needs and more for those in need residing in Honduras and The Bay Islands, along with beautifying the community as a whole and keeping the land and sea clean and rubbish free.
Amidst the fun and laughter memories shared by all, we are truly grateful to everyone who attended and made the event a resounding success. A huge thank you goes out to the Roatan Yacht Club & Marina along with General Manager, Mr. Luis Funes and his super friendly crew, the festive live music played by OCC Member, Alan Ryall of SV Seminole Wind and local musician, Zozeny, to our amazing friend, Keith, of 101.1 Blue Wave Radio local station for promoting our radio ad for this event, well as the outstanding volunteers, teams dropping off boxes of much-needed donations, wonderful guests, talented market vendors and generous supporters, who lent their time and expertise. Each individual played a crucial role in ensuring that the night’s mission of the great combination of fostering camaraderie and giving back to the community was realized.
We were delighted to be contacted by OCC Commodore and friend Simon Currin of SV Shimshall II that we had received the 2023 OCC Port Officer Service Award as Port Officers for Honduras, including The Bay Islands. We wish to thank everyone for nominating us for this amazing award. It is both a thrill and honor for the two of us to be recognized by the OCC members that value and appreciate our hard work and dedication to always try to help everyone the best we can in Honduras including The Bay Islands and beyond.
We have always been eager to assist the cruising community and everyone else we encounter and we look forward to many more opportunities to help others. Additionally, a huge thank you from us goes out to the outstanding OCC team and members for their wonderful love and support, great teamwork, and camaraderie with us and everyone else! We are truly grateful. Cheers to 70 years of the OCC legacy, adventure, friendship, and making waves of difference together – and many more to come.
