Ocean Explorers Voyage July 14-19, 2026
Adventure meets education when you come aboard Brigantine Matthew Turner for a sailing voyage. Join us for a multi-day sail in the coastal waters of Northern California. With the guidance of our highly skilled professional crew, you will learn the traditional art form of tall ship sailing and participate in a daily watch schedule to assist with ship-board operation of the vessel as we make our way out into the Pacific Ocean. Connect with your marine environment and become a community scientist as you explore basic oceanography led by our educators. A great experience for those who love the ocean and would like to learn more about sailing and developing a basic foundation of marine sciences.
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6 days & 5 nights on board
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ages 13-17
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$1995
Includes sailing and sleeping aboard brigantine Matthew Turner, safety gear, seamanship training, marine science activities and all meals with the crew.
- Board the ship at the Bay Model Visitor Center
- Voyage to Drakes Bay and around the Farallones
- Scholarships available, apply at link below.
How to sign up:
- Register
- Pay deposit or request scholarship support
- Review recommendations and submit forms
Learn to Sail a Tallship: Our professional crew will spend the first few days of your voyage training you in emergency protocol, line handling, sail setting, navigation, steering and climbing aloft. During your voyage you become a part of the crew and participate in a group watch rotations where you will be assigned specific tasks to maintain the safety of the vessel. Our professional crew are there to supervise and guide your experience as you gain confidence in your seamanship. NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE NECESSARY, WE WILL TEACH YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Ship Board Life: Become part of a liveaboard community. You and your comrades will rotate through a watch schedule while navigating blue waters, maintaining vessel safety and handling sails. You will help cook, clean and learn to live as one of the crew. Once you are registered you will receive a packing list of essentials to bring on board; a bunk will be assigned to you where you and your stuff will live. When you are off watch, you can spend time getting rest, reading, playing games or enjoying your ocean view.
Intro To Oceanography: Take part in community science as you learn basic water sampling techniques to explore and understand the marine environment. During the voyage there will be a series of short classes focused on marine science and ocean conservation. Using the ocean as our classroom, some days will be spent looking at a microscope down below, or up on deck counting the whales swimming by. By the end of your trip you will have a better understanding of the ocean and why it is so important for us to care for it.
- Hike on the trail for a vista and lesson on the the SF Bay watershed
- Visit the former US Immigration Station
- Camp overnight on the island or sleep in bunks on the boat
- Sail along the California coast and practice steering and navigation
- Experience the sights and sounds of the rich animal life at Pt Reyes National Seashore
- Sleep aboard the ship and keep anchor watch at night to see constellations and bioluminescent plankton
- Navigate to “Devil’s Teeth” archipelago and learn the history of ship wrecks on this continental shelf
- Observe hundreds of bird colonies on an essential resting stop for migratory species
- Learn about the role of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in preserving this national Marine Sanctuary
- Sail along the California coast and practice steering and navigation
- Experience the diverse ecosystem of the California coast with guided tidepooling
- Sleep aboard the ship and keep anchor watch at night to see constellations and bioluminescent plankton