Steve Malton continues a theme of SSC volunteers who started sailing on small, second-hand prams, like Optis, El Toros, and Sabots. What they all have in common is 1) that they loved it and 2) it was what they could afford. Notably, they also all had parents who encouraged their interest.

Steve was born in Detroit, where winters are cold and they sail on lakes. When Steve was seven his dad bought a 13-foot Flying Junior that Steve and his family raced on local lakes. When he was eight, Steve and his dad built an ice boat from 2x4s, using their basement stair railing for a mast, and a plastic shower curtain for a sail. Steve recalls it being windy for their first run on Hammond Lake, when a gust hit and they crashed, shattering the cold plastic shower curtain. There was never a second sail. When he was 9, they found an Optimist dinghy in a backyard, filled with water and leaves and displaying the number 13 on its sail. They cleaned it up and got it going.

Steve recalls an experience following high school. He had befriended the only black student in his school. After graduation, with little money, the two headed for Providence, Rhode Island, to live with his friend’s cousin. The adventure—and the America’s Cup in nearby Newport—built the allure. Unbeknownst to Steve, the cousin was squatting in an abandoned house in a neighborhood of Cambodian refugees, with no heat or electricity. The two eventually got jobs and rented an apartment, but Steve’s view into the experience of minorities stayed with him.

Steve moved back to the Midwest to study Art History and minor in Business at Wright State University. He paid his way with a job at the Dayton Art Institute. He also continued sailing, and as the captain of the Wright State Sailing Team, ranked among the top 50 Midwest skippers.

After graduation Steve headed for San Francisco, where he sold commercial art before falling in with the founders at Spinnaker Sailing, in Redwood City. They wanted to open in San Francisco, leading to Steve getting the job of Sailing Master, which he held from 1989 to 1995. Wanting stability for his family, Steve then enrolled to get his teaching credential. He taught at the elementary school level for 28 years, finally retiring this year, but not before getting his Makerspace Credential. This brings us to the present.

As a retiree who is getting back into sailing, still loves teaching, and always liked making things, Steve fit perfectly with the SSC Exhibits Team when we connected through a mutual friend. The Makerspace Credential came in handy too, as Steve remade the new plunger for the SSC’s Making Waves exhibit before the SSC December gala. Steve’s background, skillset, and personality are perfect for the SSC. Expect to see Steve making many more waves in the future...

[Editor’s note: We met Steve at Spinnaker Sailing in the early 1990s, making him our longest acquaintance of all SSC volunteers].

January 22 marks the completion of the Sailing Science Center's fifth year as a corporation. In 2022 we celebrated the SSC's fifth "birthday," recognized as the day we said "Let's do it!" in a Palo Alto coffee shop. We took ten months from that point to flesh out our plans and build a team, before making it official with the Secretary of State.

In a juxtaposition of big and small, Reuben Rocci's J/111, Swift Ness, crosses tacks with a Laser during the 2018 Rolex Big Boat Series. Irrespective of your boat's size, much of the joy of sailing comes from the challenge of harmonizing your actions to produce a desired result.