How do you describe the value of Carol to every organization of which she has been a part?  For the Salty Sisters and Broad Reachers who have been around her and have collaborated with her, Carol is The Indispensable, Irreplaceable Woman.  Who do we call when we need to get a job done?  It is Carol.  What would we do without her?   Thank goodness we have not had to answer that question.

 

Carol has served as a member of the Board, Treasurer, Co-Captain, and Captain of both the Salty Sisters, where she was Captain in 2014-15, and Broad Reachers, where she was Captain in 2016-17 and served again in 2022-2023. She also, both before and after serving in the highest leadership position in each club, continues to serve as a tireless worker, chairing committees, devoting countless hours to mentoring and helping with the education of newer sailors, producing photographs, and writing monthly articles on the clubs’ activities for the St. Pete Yacht Club’s magazine, and pitching in wherever help is needed.

 

For the past seven years, Carol has chaired and co-chaired the annual St. Pete Yacht Club Christmas Boutique, corralling vendors, volunteers, and participants to grow an event that has raised tens of thousands of dollars to fund summer sailing camp scholarships for hundreds of kids from the local YMCA.  Carol’s work on behalf of the community extends beyond her support for kids’ sailing.  For years, she has served on the Board and as Treasurer of the nonprofit Music Sweet Music, which provides music therapists to support individuals ranging from kids with autism and cancer to veterans and other adults with traumatic brain injuries and PTSD.  Carol’s list of activities is too long to include here, but one of her special interests should bring a smile to the lips of all who love the sea. Year after year, she sponsors the protection of sea turtle nests, and in 2022 alone helped ensure that 197 “grandchildren” made it into the world!

 

Carol, for many years, has chaired and organized one of the opening regattas of the FWSA sailing season: the annual Commodore Lucas Cup Regatta, hosted each October by the Broad Reachers in Pass-A-Grille.  Carol has served as second and first delegates to FWSA from both the Salties and Broad Reachers, and she served FWSA directly as Member-At-Large (2013-14), Budget Chair (2013-14), Treasurer (2017-20 and2022-2024) and President (2020-21).   

 

Beyond Carol’s record of accomplishments and the offices she holds, she brings a special dimension to every organization she touches.  One FWSA officer described Carol as follows: “She is a task master working behind the scenes and always willing to help.  She has a winning personality.  She has the ability to avoid background noise and bring people together to accomplish the mission.”  And Carol always makes sure we have fun along the way.  When Salty Sailing activities shut down every summer, Carol runs the hilarious “Summer Olympics” in the yacht club’s Tiki Deck pool.  When COVID ended most in-person gatherings over late spring, summer, and fall of 2020, Carol invented “Salty Bingo,” producing a fill-in-the-Bingo-card activity list with her assistant, Alexa, randomly picking each day’s activities.  Her template was used by the Dinghy Dames to create their own version of “Dingo.” For each club, it served as an online gathering place for members to stay in touch and share experiences throughout a difficult period of separation.  Carol currently serves as the official Salty Sisters Humor Queen, producing belly laugh-inducing jokes to close out our Wednesday lunch meetings.

 

The Salty Sisters have two separate awards, considered the highest awards that can be given to any Salty.  One is the Salty Sisters Spirit Trophy, given annually to the Salty who deserves recognition for “exemplifying the following qualities:  contribution to the social aspect of sailing, good sportsmanship, leadership, organization, motivation, involvement, and attendance.” Carol was awarded this honor in 2012.  The other is the Optimist Memorial Trophy, given to the Salty, who best exemplifies the spirit of eternal optimism in “achieving or attempting to achieve personal goals through exceptional character, as demonstrated on the water and in her life in the context of being a Salty Sister.”  Carol was awarded this honor in 2017.

 

Finally, while the sheer love of sailing is not a criterion for the Lilly Kaighin or other awards mentioned above, it is an essential part of Carol’s makeup — whether in a pram, Sunfish, 420, Ideal 18, or Sonar.  Carol is always up for sailing, even though she often plays hurt and bloody!   She is at the dock when the first boat is launched, and she is there until the last boat is put away.  On the water, she is her own special mix of competitiveness, enthusiasm, and patience when helping newer sailors — and there are many who have benefited from her support.

 

For these reasons, the Salty Sisters and Broad Reachers are proud to nominate Carol Hansen for the 2024 Lilly Kaighin Award.

 

Valerie Massingill, Captain, Salty Sisters, Audrey Orgo, Salty Sisters 1st Delegate, Juliet Clark, Sailing Captain, Broad Reachers and Katie Rodgers, Broad Reachers, 1st Delegate.