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What’s in the Big Tent next to the Sausalito Art Festival Park?
A Historic and Sustainable Wooden Educational Tall Ship for the SF Bay Area!
By OurSausalito Events Editor Annamarie Roger
Update: The Matthew Turner is complete, launched and operational!
At 2330 Marinship Way, inside the huge tent on the Marina Plaza, a new project is in the making to add to Sausalito’s Maritime History: The Educational Tall Ship!
The fully built Educational Tall Ship will offer young people a water-based education about marine life, sustainability, navigation, seamanship, leadership and teamwork, as well as the San Francisco Bay’s own maritime history.
Kids in grades 4-12 are encouraged to try it out! The Tall Ship works with a few communities already such as the Canal Alliance, Lake Merritt Boathouse, Kids for the Bay, Waldorf School and various youth-at-risk efforts. There will also be programs for adults and families with specific events and sails. Financial assistance opportunities are available as well.
The Tall ship will become part of the Call of the Sea’s collection, adding another 12,000 young people involved in maritime projects to the Call of the Sea’s current annual count of 5,000 youngsters working with The Bay Model’s Schooner Seaward.
The photo below, taken at a reception in the big tent, shows the ship’s keel, turned into a serving table for one night by means of a tablecloth for the event.
For ages 17-24, there are part-time jobs available for young workers to learn the ropes on shipbuilding and the responsibility and crew-bonding involved. The apprenticeship program will train people to become sustainable sailors and builders with responsible and professional practices.
The ship is designed with a technology that allows it to self-sustain on its own energy; it’s a combination of old maritime knowledge and today’s technology that allows sailing to be sustainable. In effect, the Educational Tall Ship will provide proof and encouragement for the San Francisco Bay Area and young generations that sustainable sailing is possible and practical!
In order to be green, the materials that are required to build the ship will be Forest Stewardship Certified as sustainable and local woods. The methods and strategies used during construction are those with ‘lean production’ technologies that minimize trash and stay within a reasonable budget.
To ensure the safety and success of the ship, the Tri Coastal Marine Inc. will compare the building standards to the original design and will inspect the ship to become Coast Guard certified as a safe boat.
As Sausalitans and fans of sustainability, education, and the waterfront lifestyle, we are pleased to witness the Educational Tall Ship project.
