Spaulding Marine Center Creates New Vocational Training Program
Spaulding Marine Center (SMC) in Sausalito is planning a new marine vocational training program aimed at preparing young people for a career in the maritime trades. Following in the footsteps of SMC founder Myron Spaulding, Boatworks 101 will train students in the traditions and skills of craftsmanship and help them forge careers in the modern marine industry.
SMC president Bill Edinger said the program will provide a rewarding and viable alternative for Bay Area youth who, for a variety of reasons, do not see college as a suitable option. “These are bright, energetic and hard-working young people who need a chance, who need to be introduced to a career path that will support them and give them a clear roadmap to their future.”
Based on a curriculum developed by the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC), the program will commence with nine months of training at Spaulding Marine Center. During this time students will learn the application of safe work practices, tool skills, and basic maritime trade skills in carpentry, structural components, yacht systems, and yacht propulsion. They will then be apprenticed to a rotating variety of maritime service businesses to gain hands-on experience in a broad array of specific skills, ranging from metal work on steel boats to refrigeration and electrical systems.
“Apprentices will have the opportunity to learn on the job while determining which occupations at Bay Area maritime businesses match their own interests,” Edinger said. “At the end of the 18-month program they will be well prepared for an entry-level job in the marine industry.”
Businesses partnering with the SMC Apprenticeship Program will be contributing to training the next generation of marine industry tradesmen and will have the first opportunity to hire program graduates upon completion of their term.
“Each of our partner employers expresses the need for dedicated, skilled, and excellence-oriented workers. Craftspeople understand that true work satisfaction does not come only with a paycheck, it comes with identifying oneself with the quality of the work,” Edinger added. “This is what Boatworks 101 is designed to do — to give young people the opportunity to learn about and appreciate the value of true craftsmanship, and in doing so, also fill an industry void.”
Boatworks 101 will comprise over 2600 hours of education and training. The initial components will be delivered at SMC by a trio of experts experienced in education and maritime education and industry.
SMC is seeking approval for the program from the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS).
Cruising Through a Bay Area Fortnight
A few days ago we uncovered an email that had gotten lost in our Inbox. Dave and Francesca Kautz responded to a story we’d published about West Wight Potters and sent us this pictorial diary of their two-week journey through the Bay Area aboard their Capri 26, Zoe. While cruising, Dave and Francesca sailed in company with Phil Marcelis aboard his 2004 Potter 19, Family Time.
“Phil recently completed a two-week cruise aboard his Potter from Redwood City to Sacramento and back, dawdling awhile in the Delta and at some popular Bay destinations on the way back. He traveled in company with my wife Francesca and me aboard Zoe. For part of our trip, from Redwood City to Rio Vista and back, we also had the company of Dan Phy in his Montgomery 15 Six. Dan is from Fort Bragg, and the three-digit temperatures in the Delta did not suit him!”
“We spent one last night at Treasure Island and then back to Zoe‘s home port at Redwood City. While many would likely consider a Capri 26 to be a small boat for a two-week cruise, it seemed a veritable palace when compared to Phil’s Potter 19 or Dan’s Montgomery 15!”
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32 to 33 at Sea
When Bay Area sailor Monique Selvester spent her birthday at sea, it was only one of two firsts — it was also her first offshore adventure.
As a novice to sailing, over the years I have crewed on many different boats for weekend YRA races and occasional Friday night beer cans, hoping to learn the ins and outs of sailing. Typically I find myself hanging off the high side of the boat dangling my feet toward the water. Crawling over the foredeck from side to side, water spraying up in my face, and the casual conversation with the fellow rail-meat crew sitting by my side is what I lived for on the weekends. In these magical moments, when I looked up at the Golden Gate Bridge I fantasized about what it must feel like to sail out to sea with only ocean on the horizon and water miles deep below me.
The time had never felt more right when I received the invitation to crew for an ocean passage. Having had my world turned upside down and losing my job due to COVID-19, I had been waiting for a new adventure. Next thing I knew I was stepping off the plane in Hawaii. Passengers lined up, and one by one our temperatures were taken by formally dressed Army soldiers. We were directed to private desks to fill out paperwork about our travel details and where we would spend our 14-day quarantine upon arrival at the islands. We were threatened with $5,000 fines and arrest if we were found breaking these regulations. The State of Hawaii COVID-19 Quarantine Enforcement Task Force would monitor us closely with occasional phone calls.
I quickly left what felt like the scene of an apocalyptic science-fiction Hollywood thriller at the airport and headed directly to the marina. My head already spinning from the Twilight Zone reality of the current state this year has brought, my body was in Hawaii but a part of me was lost in time in early March, before everything changed. And now I was about to cross an ocean with three other people I had never met before.
To continue reading, please go to October’s Latitude 38.
American Magic Launches Patriot in Auckland
American Magic, the one viable US Challenger for America’s Cup 36, splashed their second AC75 on Friday morning (that was yesterday in New Zealand) in Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour. Patriot is the first of the second-generation AC75s to be launched by an AC team.
“We could not be more excited to get Patriot into the water after all of the hard work it has taken to get her designed, built, transported, and fitted out for sailing,” said Terry Hutchinson. Hutchinson is the American skipper and executive director of New York Yacht Club’s American Magic.
“We’ve done some great work on Defiant.” Defiant was the team’s first AC75. “It has been a real journey through three different sailing venues,” said Kiwi Dean Barker, American Magic’s helmsman. “To be launching Patriot now, here in Auckland, and knowing we are in the final run to the start of racing, is exciting. Without any regattas yet, we still do not really know where we sit in the whole pecking order. We have to trust that we have followed our process all the way through. I think the final product we are putting in the water today is very special.”
US Consul General Katelyn Choe christened the yacht. She shared a few words with the team before breaking a champagne bottle over the bow. “I am so thankful to each of you for bringing the spirit of American magic to us, which feels even more poignant during these uncertain times. We can’t control the wind, but we can direct the sails,” said Choe.
The team is looking to press the new boat hard after initial systems tests are complete. Barker said that the schedule will be aggressive over the coming weeks before the first preliminary races during the America’s Cup World Series Auckland on December 17-20.
“We have to hit the ground running flat out because every day is precious in terms of being ready for racing,” said Barker. “We have our work cut out for us to be ready.”
Barker said that every new boat launch involves a familiarization process. “The most notable difference is the helm position, so it’s going to be quite a different perspective. It’s a lot more forward on the boat compared to Defiant. Every boat has its different tendencies and different traits. We hope Patriot’s biggest trait is that it’s going to be a lot faster.”