Almost Summer

SAIL, EXPLORE, LEARN

What Inspires Us!

“When you inspire one person

you have changed the world.”

–Sabina Nore, artist and author

From its humble beginnings 40 years ago, Call of the Sea has inspired generations to be better stewards of the ocean. Founder Alan Olson urged people of all ages to “sail, explore, learn.”

These three words are not merely a slogan. They proclaim that by sailing, by exploring new places, and by challenging oneself to do something previously thought impossible, you will learn. Our experiential education programs on sailing vessels are transformative.

Photo by Julie Zimmerman

You will learn not only how to tie knots, raise sails, and drive a boat to a desired destination, but you may also be inspired to learn about the maritime trades. You may become curious about the science, technology, engineering and math involved in sailing and navigation. Our vessels have proven to be excellent “STEM” educational platforms.

Call of the Sea has also proven to be a great venue for learning about the so-called “soft sciences”. By stepping on board a traditionally rigged ship, you will be stepping back into history. By being part of a sailing crew, you learn about the psychology of working effectively as a team. By being one of more than 500 volunteers who built brigantine Matthew Turner and continue to maintain it, you learn much about the social science of building community.

Lest we forget the arts, vessels like ours have inspired novelists, photographers, poets, musicians, sculptors, playwrights, painters, architects, and countless other creative artists. We inserted the letter “A” so that our educational programs would gather “STEAM”. Our vessels are intrinsically works of art.

The most recent example of how one person’s artistic work was inspired by Call of the Sea involves Omar Alami, a Tamalpais high school student. Members of his class were asked to make a video about something that took place in the community that they thought was really cool and meaningful. Omar and 3 classmates made a short (7 1/2 min) documentary about the building of Matthew Turner and its educational programs. Please take a look.

Omar can be reached at omar@malami.com

Omar’s video inspired me to write this message. Who knows? He may become the next Steven Spielberg, Jane Campion, George Lucas, or Ara DuVernay. As actress Amy Poehler wrote:

“As you navigate through the rest of your life,

be open to collaboration. …

Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you,

Spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”