by Kate Sheahan
West Coast Tour Coordinator
Anthony Sanberg and Onya, courtesy of Alexander Cohen |
The America's Cup buzz has certainly brought attention to sailing on San Francisco Bay this summer. Only a half mile from the AC-72 finish line is a place that has taught thousands the art of sailing for more than three decades.
I recently visited perhaps the finest sailing school in the world - San Francisco's OCSC, "The Olympic Circle Sailing Club," which teaches the science, tradition and responsibility of sailing in a holistic way at its six-acre campus. However, sailing is just the threshold to so much more.
Founder, President and visionary, Anthony Sandberg believes, “the OCSC format and junior sailing is the future of the
sport by making sailing approachable and accessible to all kinds of people, not
just the rich. It has been so successful that I wish others would realize that
it should not be a commodity, but a community.”
Aerial view of the OCSC site in Berkeley, CA |
For new students to the sport, classroom time is actually
minimized as it is believed that on-the-water feedback is immediate and best. OCSC’s "classroom" techniques are also used in corporate
team-building sessions, whereby a team can discover how to communicate best to
work together. For one to accomplish their goals, OCSC
believes it takes as long as it takes. Sandberg relates it to
learning to fly when he says, “you don’t want to be up in the air wondering if you can get down again."
Listen as he explains how OCSC pairs an eager community with adventure and humanitarian projects beyond the San Francisco area.
Listen as he explains how OCSC pairs an eager community with adventure and humanitarian projects beyond the San Francisco area.
Recently ranked one of the top-100
places to work by Outside magazine,
Anthony’s first company rule is that his company exists for the success of the
employees. “This needs to be the best place you’ve ever worked. It teaches
respect and makes you realize you can become more than you thought you could
be. The staff is very hard-working and proud to be good at what they do.” This
ethic, no doubt, then inspires quick confidence in their students.
Club Manager Tim Han reiterates OCSC's philosophy that,
“we teach people how to sail with care and compassion – like you
teach friends and family.” OCSC provides a place for people to sail, but also an
incredible, adventuresome experience. As a result, they get students from all over
the world. In addition to daily training sessions, a week's list of immersive
activities might read: Farrallons sail, night sailing, spinnaker flying,
Thailand planning party, bbq, Croatia planning party, weather seminar...
Listen to my interview with Tim as he talks about the power of community, what a "sailing club" experience is like, and how OCSC is collaborating with even traditional Yacht Club members to turn more people into fluent sailors.Sanberg on an OCSC expedition to Antarctica. |
So much more than a sailing school, it
is a community. The threshold is an interest in learning to sailing, but the
site opens up to a social aspect including movies, lectures, dinners, and
parties. “People are desperate for great, authentic connections - not just paying
money for a performance on stage, but encountering other extraordinary people,”
believes Sandberg. He is a convener through his Wednesday night group sails, and
monthly “salons,” which are meant to present and connect really interesting
people over topics such architecture, art, travel and philanthropy. Over 100
different non-profits use OCSC for their off-site location. There are also major opportunities for travel. OCSC offers curated sailing adventures to places like Tahiti, Greece
and the Caribbean, but they also do extreme adventures like the Mt. Everest Base Camp, Antarctica and Africa. Anthony is designing new trips in Namibia and
Botswana this fall.
Listen to interviews with new students as they talk about their first sail, how quickly they have progressed and how they now have the confidence to fly solo.
Find more information at ocscsailing.com. Follow the West Coast Tour on Facebook and Twitter at @USSailing as I go back to school this fall with a visit to Club Nautique and the Treasure Island Sailing Center.
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