There are very few places left on this earth where one can be disconnected from modern technologies and be completely absorbed by the natural world. With no need for clocks, you rise when the sun comes up and sleep when it sets each day. The moon rises and sets every night and the darkened sky reveals a myriad of stars. Without communication from the outside world, you are with the people you are with, reliant on one another for everything you may need. Success means not only working together as a team, but also recognizing one another’s strengths and weaknesses in the moment. It is a unique experience to learn, not only about the larger world, but also about yourself.
Sailing offshore on the open ocean on a tall ship like the Matthew Turner with Call of the Sea is one of these places, and another, I recently discovered, is rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. I just returned from 15 days in the Canyon with an expedition made up of paddle and oar boats, including, as it happens, one infamous wooden dory that had run the rapids in the 1970s and was only recently restored to her former glory, the Betty Boop.
Among the group of 20-30 people on this rafting expedition, there were four different multigenerational families; three grandfathers and one dad, all of whom had experienced the Grand Canyon in their youth and wanted to share this formative experience in one of the remotest places in the United States with their children and grandchildren. In total, eight young people between 12-18 years old ran the rapids, paddling or rowing down river having a glorious time. It was an expedition of discovery and an opportunity of a lifetime for everyone but especially for these kids. I wish my grandfather could have afforded a trip like this and been around long enough to do it with me when I was that age
I am truly grateful now to have the opportunity to share this kind of formative experience with as many young people as possible through Call of the Sea. In fact, right now schooner Seaward is in Monterey Bay with a group of teens at Camp Sea Lab, and another group is about to set sail on Matthew Turner for a 5-day near coastal voyage in the Gulf of the Farallones learning about oceanography and marine science. No cellphones, no need for clocks, just the crew onboard, the sun, the stars and the wind in their sails.
Like the Grand Canyon, the experiences offered by Call of the Sea are invaluable and as you know they don’t come cheap. The price of a daysail or a voyage onboard Seaward and Matthew Turner covers only about 50% of the actual costs of keeping our vessels shipshape and our team of deckhand/educators and shore staff at the ready. For the rest, we depend on the generosity of so many others. People like you who recognize these unique and formative experiences and want to ensure that 6000+ young people, no matter where they live or what they can afford, are able to get out on the water.
Thank you for continuing to be a part of this journey, and as you think about the rest of this year, please keep Call of the Sea in your plans. Come join us for dinner at Angelino Restaurant in Sausalito on July 28th (20% of the night’s proceeds benefit Call of the Sea) and come to the Gala at the St Francis Yacht Club on October 3rd to celebrate our mission. Come out sailing soon. Everything helps Spread our Sails!
Carla Thorson, Executive Director