SAIL, EXPLORE, LEARN
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Spring 2022 Newsletter
Let's Go Sailing Again!
It is with great delight that I join the Call of the Sea team as your new CEO, effective January 17th. I return to the Sausalito waterfront with the privilege of merging my two decades of environmental and educational nonprofit experience and my passion for all things nautical. 

The most exciting news is that for the first time in two years Call of the Sea is scheduling both Matthew Turner and Seaward for a full season of youth educational and community sailing events! 

In 2021, led by former Executive Director Steven Woodside, Call of the Sea operated a partial sailing schedule under the cloud of COVID while keeping everyone safe.
Call of the Sea CEO, Mark Welther
at the helm of Matthew Turner
Now, guided by recent COVID-19 public health directives, we have modified our COVID policy to allow more students and adults, including those who are unvaccinated, to participate in day sails.

Many students are only able to participate because of your generous support of our Scholarship Program. This year, our goal is to provide at least $100,000 in scholarships to give students a chance to experience on-the-water hands-on STEM education and promote scientific inquiry, environmental stewardship, and a grounding in Bay Area maritime history.  

Everything's coming together for a banner year - all we need now is you. 

Of course, Call of the Sea’s programs are only possible because of our members, supporters, and volunteers. Please donate today so we can provide more scholarships, reach out to new and more diverse students of all ages, and maintain our vessels for future generations.

Let’s Go Sailing Again!
Matthew Turner Spring Sails begin in April
The first Community sail of the year is a sunset sail Friday April 8th!
Photo by Paul Marbury, 2021 Master Mariners Regatta
April 23 Tall Ships and Sailing Celebration
Saturday April 23, Noon-3 PM

At the Bay Model Visitors Center
  • Matthew Turner & Seaward Tours
  • Interactive Sailing Science Exhibits
  • Knot tying & Engineering Activities
  • Old time tunes and guitar picking
  • Food and Beverages for purchase
Join us for an afternoon of fun and education.
Help us raise funds for scholarships to for our educational sailing programs!
The Waterfront Pickers
Women's History Month
As we sail into March (Women’s History Month), it would be wise to question whether sailing adventurers and their crews belonged to an all-male sphere. True, much of what is written about the maritime world fails to mention the significant role performed by many women who went to sea in the Age of Sail.
There is, however, a well researched and entertaining tale that has taken a different tack: Women Sailors and Sailors' Women: An Untold Maritime History by David Cordingly (Random House, 2001).
We at Call of the Sea take pride in writing our history of inclusion: Last season, our ships’ crews included a majority of women on most sails. Two of our four professional captains were women (and in 2022 we welcome back Captains Rebecca Johnson and Cassie Sleeper, both of whom hold 1600 ton Coast Guard licenses).

Our Girls Aloft program matured to include women of all ages. The Chute legacy girls scholarship fund is robust and will enable more girls and young women to have an on-the-water experience that would otherwise not be available to them.

Please join us in continuing to serve all genders, all races, and all ages– and help write the next chapter in which we can all take pride.

Steven Woodside
COTS Board member
Photo of Rebecca Johnson by Lyon Omohundro
Spotlight on our Educational Programs
We are excited to announce that there are many schools signed up to sail this Spring! Students range from 1st grade to University. We still have Spring dates available and are booking Fall 2022 dates now. If you are a teacher, parent or fan of outdoor education, check out our curriculum below. Please share and spread the word about our programs to your friends and community.
Here at Call of the Sea, we believe in facilitating deep connections and achieving a Sense of Place
Programming in a dynamic environment takes flexibility to make time for Teachable Moments
We focus not only on the What, but the Why and the Whom!

  • Nautical Science “Life provides the wind, you control the sails”
  • Marine Biology “Little Critters BIG DEAL!”
  • Marine Ecology “The more you look, The more you SEE!”
  • Marine Engineering “Simple Machines, then and now”
  • Sustainability “Be the change”
  • Maritime History “Shining a light on our past, informs our future”
We are committed to providing access to all who want to experience on the water education. Title 1 schools are eligible for need based scholarship funds.
2022 Spring and Summer Youth Programming
Call of the Sea offers many opportunities for youth educational sailing programs featuring seamanship, experiential marine science and environmental observation.
Tall Ship Seamanship Aloft Program
~Girls Aloft April 30
~Aloft for all May 22

~Seaward Voyages start June 28
~Matthew Turner Voyage July 14-17
Week long day camps on Seaward

for ages 8-11 and 12-14
8:30 am- 3:30 am, Monday-Friday

~June 13-17 ~June 20-24
~August 1-5 ~August 8-12
Volunteer of the Month
Aaron Altabet
Aaron grew up in Walnut Creek, but didn't get the chance to sail until he was an adult. He went to college at the University of Puget Sound, a liberal arts school near Seattle, where he rowed on the crew team and led canoe trips for the university's outdoor orientation program. After college, he spent four years teaching science and helping run a wilderness camp in Maine, where he also led sea kayaking expeditions on the Maine Island Trail. He had sailboat envy the whole time, and, once he finished grad school in Boston, bought himself a membership at Community Boating to finally learn how to sail. Read More.....
Dock Update
In time for the 2022 sailing season, Call of the Sea is competing our new dock and boarding system, which will provide safe boarding for all passengers, including wheelchair assisted, during high and low tides.
Thank you to our partners Bay Model Park Manager Chris Gallagher and the Army Corps of Engineers for design approval, and John Scopazzi for heading up construction in conjunction with Alan Olson and the many volunteers who have given their time.
Call of the Sea thanks the many volunteers who help us fulfill our mission!
Learning how to steer the ship
Setting sails for adventure
Singing sea chanteys with new friends