BY MONICA GRANT

Have you ever wondered about the tall ships and schooners that you see gracing the waters as you ride the ferry across San Francisco Bay? Their majesty and beauty are a testament to traditional sailing vessels and a cause for many of us to stare, often with envy of those onboard. “What are they doing out there?” and “How can I get on board?” are thoughts that come to mind.

Some of the vessels are privately owned pleasure craft sailed purely for enjoyment. Others, such as the 82-foot schooner Seaward, are among a handful of boats that can be accessed by the broader community. A regular sight on the Bay, Seaward is operated by Call of the Sea, a Sausalito based nonprofit organization with a mission to provide free, educational sailing excursions for Bay Area youth.

This summer, students and youth from schools in San Francisco, Sausalito, Berkeley, Alameda, Redwood City, Monterey and beyond stepped aboard Seaward and the brigantine Matthew Turner to discover the wonders and mysteries of local marine environments, learn about the region’s nautical heritage and experience many aspects of life aboard a traditional sailing vessel. And while Matthew Turner is in the final stages of construction and Coast Guard licensing, Seaward has been sailing the Bay and beyond providing local youth with valuable water-based learning opportunities.

Throughout the school term, students sail on San Francisco Bay taking water samples and exploring marine life while learning to navigate, set sails and even take the helm. Summer holidays provide opportunities for teenagers to experience coastal adventures to the Farallon Islands, Drakes Bay, Santa Cruz and Monterey. These five-day passages provide enhanced learning opportunities in areas such as marine ecology and oceanography, and local and global wind and weather patterns. The young sailors also gain skills in course plotting, GPS and celestial navigation, and traditional sailing practices including night-watch. And of course there are dozens of sightings of whales, dolphins, seals and seabirds.

In between, Seaward provides opportunities for the community to enjoy a morning or late afternoon sail. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day sails are popular, as are Seaward’s “free sails” for Summer Sailstice and later in the season, Friday marine science sunset sails.

Whether aboard for a few hours, a day or a week, students, teachers and the community have all been inspired by the depth and breadth of opportunity available thorough Call of the Sea’s educational and community sailing programs—programs that are made possible by the generosity of sponsors, individual donors and the organization’s fundraising efforts.

Call of the Sea’s annual gala, Sausalito’s Jazz and Blues on the Bay, and April’s Opening Day on the Bay are three major events that help fund the organization’s education programs. For example, $1,550 provides a three-hour Bay explorations sail for 40 students, while $9,600 enables 12 students to experience a five-day offshore voyage.

Another major source of income for Call of the Sea is its Mexico chartering season. Each year, Seaward escapes to Mexico for three months of cruising and exploration, and for anyone seeking a relaxing yet adventurous holiday experience this is the perfect opportunity.

On December 30, Seaward will head south from Sausalito to San Pedro in Southern California. This first passage will be filled with 12 youth from San Francisco Sea Scouts which are part of Boy Scouts of America. From Southern California, Seaward will embark on a 10-day delivery voyage to Cabo with opportunity for up to 12 people to join the passage. Once she’s arrived in Mexico, Seaward will engage in a program of 10 charters throughout Mexico’s premier destinations including San Jose del Cabo, La Paz, and Puerto Vallarta plus a return delivery back to Sausalito.

Call of the Sea’s Mexico trips have proven immensely popular. Swimming, snorkeling, sunsets, balmy breezes and beach walks offer a chance to get away from it all. Seaward has only 12 berths, so it never feels crowded like a large cruise ship. Available on either a per-boat or per-head basis, some Mexico charters are already sold out.

For more information about Call of the Sea and to choose and book your Mexico charter, go to www.callofthesea.org or call (415) 331-3214.