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Science Sailing Center Gala Continues the Inertia

Where does the time go? It’s already two weeks ago that we attended the Sailing Science Center of San Francisco fundraising gala at the Bay Model in Sausalito. It’s been a difficult stretch for organizations to run fundraising events, so we were happy to see a crowd gathered to support the crew assembled around Jim Hancock’s vision of an interactive science museum, framed around sailing. It’s a sign of progress on all fronts.

Science Sailing Center
Jim Hancock (with mic.) and some of the Sailing Science Center crew,  Reza Ebrahimi (our DJ for the night), Jeff Owens (corporate secretary), Mina Matsumoto (our first employee), Victoria Marcus (board member, volunteer coordinator, MVP), Charlie Deist, Dan Pruzan.
© 2021 Martha Blanchfield

Since 2017 the Sailing Science Centerhas been building momentum around the creation of the interactive museum on the shores of Clipper Cove on Treasure Island. As funds are raised to secure the site and long-term development, the Sailing Science Center is already creating exhibits and touring with them in a mobile trailer to share the technical lessons of sailing to audiences around the Bay.

Science Sailing Trailer
A different kind of ‘trailer sailer.’ The Science and Sailing Center mobile unit brings the sailing lessons to you.
© 2021 Jim Hancock

Everyone who sails knows there’s much more to sailing than an afternoon on the Bay. There is the weather around us, the currents below us, the mechanical advantage of sailboat systems, oceanography, both hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, and the integration of all these elements to move a boat gracefully through the water. There’s a lot going on that the casual passenger doesn’t see and a lot of opportunities for both sailors and non-sailors to better understand the world as the lessons of sailing are put on display.

Matthew Turner
Guests, each with their own small square sail over their nose and mouth, were able to visit aboard the Matthew Turner prior to the event.
© 2021 Ros De Vries

The assembled crowd demonstrated support with both spirit and funds to continue the growth of the Sailing Science Center. The maritime heritage of Sausalito and the Bay Model were a perfect venue to showcase the results possible when science and human ingenuity meet. Ideally, it’s the continuation of the trend where we can all meet in person to support the causes we care about.

Science Sailing Center Gallery layout
David Haines showed off the layout for the exhibit galleries at the future museum — the next step when it’s time to move beyond the trailer.
© 2021 Martha Blanchfield

The Bay Area is an ideal venue for such an institution. Watching the idea grow through the headwinds of a pandemic is a sure demonstration of Newton’s first law of inertia, where an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. The outside forces have not slowed this project down, and with Jim Hancock’s steady hand at the helm, we look forward to a new ‘opening day’ when the museum opens beside the Bay. To learn more or get involved click here.

3 Comments

  1. David Cohan 2 years ago

    Wouldn’t the word “momentum” have been a bit more appropriate in the title for this article, as used in the body, rather than “inertia” (“ a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged”)? Or was the usage a tongue-in-cheek test of your readers’ sailing-related knowledge of physics?

    • John Arndt 2 years ago

      That sounds more accurate. When we wrote the headline we were thinking of the property of something in motion to remain in motion.

  2. Carliane Johnson 2 years ago

    The headline made me wonder what you were getting at. Catchy is always better than cliche. Kudos to the Sailing Center and their fantastic progress!

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