West Coast Tour - Experiential Learning at the Treasure Island Sailing Center in San Francisco

by Kate Sheahan

West Coast Tour Coordinator

courtesy of FCSF

With a formal endorsement from San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, recognition by Lieutenant Governor of California Gavin Newsom and a recent infusion of funding through the San Francisco America’s Cup Organizing Committee in partnership with the America’s Cup Legacy Fund the Treasure Island Sailing Center have, in essence, been reaffirmed as custodians of the city’s sailing future. 

For the past decade, TISC has been a “non-profit organization whose purpose is to improve the community and the sport of sailing by providing access, facilities, and sailing instruction to people of all socioeconomic backgrounds, skill levels, and physical abilities.” The center offers summer, fall and spring youth camps and clinics for kids as young as six, as well as adult keelboat courses, family and co-able adaptive sailing, in addition to programming for the blind. Stand up paddle boarding, windsurfing, kayaking and private adult, child or family lessons are available as well. 

College Sailing's Chalk Talk - October 3, 2013

Chalk Talk turns to ICSA's top coaches for this week's feature on crew weight in college sailing. Somehow we also managed to squeeze in Stud of the Week, regatta highlights, the Zim Sailing Photo assignment and predictions. Thanks to everyone who contributed this week with votes, photos and video. Keep it coming!

Chalk Talk is presented by US Sailing and needs you to support them in return. Check out their amazing Collegiate Membership.

We are supported by Zim Sailing who offers great options for your institutional or junior fleets in collaboration with North Sails.

West Coat Tour - Back to School at Club Nautique

by Kate Sheahan

West Coast Tour Coordinator

photo courtesy of Roger Parker

If you are looking to for a boating school that has teeth, that is meaningful, that has enforced standards, Club Nautique is perhaps the pinnacle. Frustrated with student certification standards, especially for the often dangerous San Francisco environment, Club Nautique Founder and past Director and Vice President of US Sailing Don Durant collaborated with Anthony Sandberg of OCSC to write a rigorous keelboat certification system, which is now governed by US Sailing. Don and Anthony both have their separate US Sailing certification site schools and say the healthy competition has, “stimulated excellence on both their parts.” 

College Sailing's Chalk Talk - September 26, 2013

Regatta highlights from last weekend and commentary on the current landscape of college sailing, including a boom in the number of women skippers in coed regattas in the opening weeks of this fall season.

Chalk Talk is presented by US Sailing and the US Sailing College Membership. We also enjoy support from Zim Sailing.

West Coast Tour - Adventures With The Olympic Circle Sailing Club (OCSC)

by Kate Sheahan
West Coast Tour Coordinator

Anthony Sanberg and Onya, courtesy of Alexander Cohen

Perhaps one of the most beautiful legacies is to truly enable someone within their lifetime to push their comfort boundaries and find their full potential.

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.

College Sailing's Chalk Talk - Season Premier

Chris, Zeke, Katy and Jane discuss the 2013 ICSA season with commentary, predictions, interviews, and more in the season premiere of College Sailing's Chalk Talk, presented by US Sailing and sponsored by Zim Sailing. Chalk Talk is produced by Chris Love Productions.

West Coast Tour - San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

by Kate Sheahan
West Coast Tour Coordinator

The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is at the heart of SF’s Fisherman’s Wharf District with three major sites: The Visitor's Center, Maritime Museum and Hyde Street Pier. It is part of the West Coast Tour not only because it might be one of the best free perches to view the America’s Cup racing this week, but the park buildings and collection of vessels are a needed stop for those interested in architecture and the sea.

A century ago, the prescription for anxieties caused by city living was sunlight and fresh air, which sparked what was called the International Style of architecture. It was inspired by the horizontal lines of the ocean liners

West Coast Tour - The Star Worlds

by Kate Sheahan
West Coast Tour Coordinator

Windward mark rounding of Champions at the 2013 Star Worlds

John Burnham, Qualcomm 2013 Star Worlds Regatta Chairman, reiterated that he, “wanted to showcase the youth participating this year through junior awards. There are five father/son teams and two young women racing; one is a skipper with her father and another is crewing.” He explained that, "this will be the 8^th time that San Diego Yacht Club has hosted the Star Worlds since 1938. There are eleven skippers from SDYC that have gold star titles and who have collected 16 titles since 1937." This year 66 boats from 10 countries participated.

Julian Busch of SDYC calls the racing, “a battle of attrition,” meaning there is one, roughly

Reflections from the President: My America's Cup Experience

My little grandsons don’t care what boats cost and they don’t yet know the game.  They’ve sailed with me in my Thistle, C Scow, and Laser. But now they’ve seen really, really big cats foiling like rocket ships aimed right at them and the first mark. They noticed and went back to the sand on the beach to play.  The Ellison gamble of bringing the mega-everything Cup races to the San Francisco shore has in fact, reached tens of thousands of spectators. Many must be new to our sport based on what I heard in the shoreline questions and chatter.

How Sea Affinity of Baltimore Implemented REACH

US Sailing interviewed Sea Affinity Director Steve Maddox recently to learn and share creative ways educational programs are successfully implementing the REACH program. REACH utilizes sailing as an educational platform, challenging youth to embrace education, establish a love of learning and explore productive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) based careers.

Sea Affinity is a perfect match for REACH. They are a life skills development organization that uses sailing and boating education to challenge and enable youth and adults, including those impacted by disabilities, to realize their potential.

Organizations interested in utilizing the REACH program should use this interview as resource and a model.