Where do you come from, and were you involved with boats there?

I’ve lived my entire life in Walnut Creek CA; however I’ve always had a connection to the ocean through my father being a surfer. We’ve had a 12-foot old-town canoe for as long as I can remember, and I was taught how to paddle it when I was 6 years old. My dad, who is a carpenter, later turned it into a sailing canoe by building a mast foot and leeboards. I would sit in the bottom of it while we sailed around Lafayette Reservoir. My grandfather is an old sailor himself, so I’ve grown up hearing his stories of sailing up and down the Pacific coast on others and later his own boat, which he kept in Sausalito. He brought me to the Sausalito Wooden Boat Show when I was very young, but other than him, I never had much involvement up until now.

How did you hear about Call of the Sea, educational tall ship Matthew Turner and schooner Seaward?

The very first boat I had ever been on was Seaward when I was 3 years old. I still distinctly remember Seaward’s helm and charthouse, though It was much bigger to me then. My grandfather had been out on Seaward several times before I was born, so he wanted to invite my family out on a sail. Fast forward 13 years to 2023 when he took my family out on a public sail on Matthew Turner.

That is when I took the opportunity to help haul on the main halyard with some other passengers, being inspired by the video game Sea of Thieves of which my friends and I had played much of during COVID.  Having enjoyed my experience, my grandfather offered to enroll me in Call of the Sea’s ALOFT Program, where I felt welcomed by the crew and was able to learn line handling and go aloft. The first ALOFT Program I went to was rained out so we never went sailing, and I attended the first available one in the 2024 season. During the summer of 2024 I was also a part of the Tallship Skills program, where I learned in-depth sailing skills and became more closely connected with the crew. It was after I was involved with the Belvedere Cove Classic Regatta on Matthew Turner that I was invited to volunteer aboard by Captain Miguel (Michael Rogers). Unfortunately I never got around to it in 2024 as the first semester of my senior year of high school had taken precedence.  I became a volunteer as soon as I could in 2025.

How long have you been volunteering here at COTS?

I have been volunteering for around 10 months now. I applied as a volunteer right after I turned 18 in January of 2025.

What is your favorite task  to do here at COTS? 

I think my favorite task is setting the flags during Duty or on a sail, (specifically setting Pride). It’s a very symbolic action that has a lot of meaning tied to it regarding maritime history, and it’s an honor to be able to do it.

Is there anything specific you have learned while volunteering here?

I’ve learned the importance of telling someone if something is wrong, regardless if it’s something you have caused. Also keeping Chad happy.