It's Time To Set Sail With The 'yacht Girls,' L.a.'s Coolest Book Club On A Boat

It’s 11:30 a.m. connected a beautiful and unseasonably lukewarm time successful Marina del Rey, half an hr earlier nan starting clip for nan Yacht Girls Book Club meeting, but respective women are already opinionated astatine nan gross starring to a vintage yacht docked astatine nan California Yacht Club.

Nicole Vaughn, a first-time attendee who has driven from Woodland Hills pinch her friend Cani Gonzalez for nan meeting, had been looking for writer events connected Eventbrite erstwhile she recovered nan Yacht Girls Book Club’s “Brunch and Sound Bath,” which besides includes a signed transcript of nan featured author’s book, a vessel thrust and swag container for $65. “I publication ‘sound bath, poesy and manifesting,’ which sounded intriguing, truthful I said, ‘Why not?’” Vaughn says.

Once nan gross opens, Vaughn, Gonzalez and nan others watercourse in, unsocial aliases successful pairs. The mostly female attendees scope from 30 years aged to complete 70 and are attired successful outfits including cutoffs, vessel tops, straw fedoras and glamorous full-length dresses. There are astir 60 first-timers and returning members.

Brittany Goodwin, different first-timer and Mid-City resident who does societal trading and media for HBO Max, besides heard astir nan gathering connected Eventbrite. “I saw nan connection manifestation [in nan ad] and I was there!” she enthuses, taking successful nan colorful array of arriving women. “And coming is nan afloat moon, truthful it’s very appropriate.”

That’s because nan speaker is section writer and writer Melody Godfred, whose latest book, “Moon Garden,” attracted nan attraction of Aloni Ford, Yacht Girls laminitis and organizer of nan meeting.

“I thought Melody would beryllium cleanable for nan charismatic relaunch of nan Yacht Girls,” Ford said successful an earlier telephone conversation. “Her connection of self-love and surviving much authentically is nan logic I started nan book nine successful nan first place.”

That was successful 2018, erstwhile Ford, an Altadena-born head of master athletes and boating enthusiast who has lived successful Marina del Rey for nan past decade, was tired of conversations pinch women that only focused connected relationships. “I wanted conversations pinch like-minded women that were intelligence but fun. And talking astir books seemed to beryllium nan perfect measurement to execute that.”

Erin Nelson, left, and Lisa Nelson make a brunch sheet astatine nan Yacht Girls Book Club.

(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

For that first meeting, Ford gathered six women — female friends, her masseuse, a favourite aunt. “We discussed Ruth Ware’s ‘The Woman successful Cabin 10,’ truthful I held that first gathering connected a section yacht cruise.” After nan discussion, nan women agreed they wanted to proceed meeting, and brainstormed names until Ford suggested Yacht Girls, and nan book nine was launched.

Some of those “OGs” — Ford’s word for nan original Yacht Girls who attended those first fewer meetings — now clasp each other, present nan friends they’ve brought, and recount erstwhile discussions of memoirs and books connected self-care, building self-confidence and financial literacy. Tarzana resident and OG Felicia Smith still remembers her favourite book discussion. “It was ‘Let Your Fears Make You Fierce’,” she says, reaching for her telephone to show nan book is still successful her audiobook library. Ford recalls that a item of those early years was a chat of Gabrielle Union’s memoir, “We’re Going to Need More Wine,” which was held astatine Malibu Wines & Beer Garden and attracted much than 300 participants. “I tried to lucifer nan venue pinch nan writer whenever I could,” Ford says of those early meetings.

But past COVID-19 struck and, though she wanted to proceed nan book nine via Zoom, Ford admits, “I’m not a Zoom benignant of girl. I request nan interaction, nan face-to-face relationship pinch women.” In nan interim, Ford pursued different interests, including yachting, a hobby she picked successful 2023 that birthed ideas for Yacht Yoga and different female empowerment gatherings of nan Yacht Girls.

Ford’s chosen venue for Yacht Girls Book Club meetings is nan “Northwind,” a 100-year-old, lovingly restored 130-foot alloy that erstwhile hosted Jacqueline Kennedy successful 1961 and is unfastened to nan California Yacht Club’s members, of which Ford is one. After check-in, attendees are invited to return a thrust connected a smaller alloy docked nearby, bask nan buffet luncheon connected nan main deck, get a tarot paper reference from Ruby Sheng Nichols aliases return successful nan sun, water breeze and marina views from nan precocious deck, which is outfitted pinch umbrellas, tables for 4 and comfortable lounge seating, each arranged pinch a position of nan ship’s stern, wherever Godfred is preparing to publication and wherever Amber Melvisha is mounting up a sound bath, which will travel nan reading.

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1. Felicia Smith listens to Melody Godfred singing poems from her book “Moon Garden.” 2. Members of nan Yacht Girls Book Club bask brunch. (Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

Godfred, 43, is delighted to beryllium pinch specified a divers group of kindred spirits. “I’ve been craving in-person experiences lately,” she says, “especially pinch group extracurricular my bubble. This perfectly fulfills that desire.”

Olympia Auset, a book nine OG and laminitis of a nonprofit South Central integrated market store, is pleased pinch nan turnout. “There is simply a existent tone of organization successful this book club,” she says, aft softly taking successful nan scene.

That tone is exemplified by Ford, a gregarious hostess who moves done nan various groupings of women successful a diaphanous full-length bluish dress, introducing Godfred to a group of attendees and hugging some first-timers and her OGs enthusiastically. It feels a small for illustration a reunion, pinch everyone a portion of nan extended family. “I travel for nan networking, to meet women of each different levels,” observes View Park resident Alicia Sutton, an OG who proudly displays her original Yacht Girls badge. “We person much successful communal than we think. We are a group of women of all colors.”

As nan women — positive Ty Jessick of Santa Monica, a friend of Ford’s and nan lone man astatine nan arena — settee into their seats, Ford greets them again, recounts nan Yacht Girls’ early days and her imagination for nan book club’s adjacent chapter. “This is an opportunity to unplug from our regular lives,” she tells nan assembled group, amid nods and murmurs of agreement. “We schedule truthful overmuch but we must not hide to schedule joy. Today you whitethorn meet your caller champion friend, a business partner, aliases conscionable personification who loves books. After our first post-pandemic gathering past fall, we wanted to relaunch nan Yacht Girls Book Club successful a large way. And aft today, I’m decidedly backmost successful those book streets again!”

With that, Ford hands nan mic to Godfred, who shares her ain communicative of immigrating to Los Angeles pinch her parents from Iran erstwhile she was 3 months old, of being a “recovering attorney” who was managing 2 businesses and raising 3 children pinch her hubby but not taking clip for herself. That self-neglect resulted successful a wellness challenge, which yet led to Godfred reconnecting pinch her passion for poesy and self-exploration. “It was a awesome to commencement honoring my truth much fully,” she explains.

After introducing nan inspiration down “Moon Garden,” which contains 12 sections of belief poems, insights and affirmations tied to Earth’s lunar cycles, Godfred answers questions posed by Ford and nan audience. Then, she invites participants to get comfortable successful their seats while she sounds selections from nan book that promote surrender, remainder and contemplation during nan wintertime months. The sound bath and a chiming doorbell supply a resonant echo successful which attendees visibly relax, astir pinch their eyes closed.

Members of nan Yacht Girls Book Club bask drinks connected nan precocious platform of nan “Northwind.”

(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

The gathering breaks up astir 2 p.m. and is followed by music-filled, informal mingling, wherever nan participants talk nan book and nan afternoon. From their tables successful nan “Northwind’s” aft section, Vaughn, seated pinch Gonzalez and a group of caller acquaintances, says she decidedly will return.

“This book nine whitethorn pull women who are precocious achievers,” Auset says arsenic she gathers pinch different regular members for a photo, “but we each request to make clip for self-care and community.”

The adjacent Yacht Girls Book Club will beryllium held at noon June 13 at nan California Yacht Club pinch brunch included. The featured book is “Proof of Life” by best-selling writer and ocular creator Jennifer Pastiloff. Pastiloff will beryllium successful attendance. Tickets required.

Woods is an editor, author, book professional and a regular contributor to nan Times.