Five Weeks of Summer Camp and Sails Aboard Tall Ships

After hosting a successful camp last year, Call of the Sea kicked off the 2025 summer camp season in early June. Local youth between the ages of 8 and13 had a unique opportunity to explore the Liberty Ship Marina in Sausalito, both on land and on the water aboard the schooner Seaward and brigantine Matthew Turner. Both ships were crewed by Call of the Sea’s liveaboard crew.

Tuesday morning’s sailing was followed with a visit to the Bay Model. Army Corps of Engineers staff shared their knowledge and encouraged the campers to explore the layout of the Bay through a scavenger hunt, and also locate the positions of their homes and the Bay Model itself. The rest of the day was then spent making flags and tie-dye shirts that they could wear during the remainder of the week. Their flags were proudly raised aboard Seaward on Friday afternoon to honor their week of nautical adventure.

On Wednesday morning, the young sailors participated in dockside rotations where they explored the Matthew Turner, rode in and even drove the small boat in the water around Liberty Ship Marina, and also examined biofouling on the dock. The kids found crabs, shrimp, and other small sea animals in the process. They were also able to fish off the side of the dock. Some campers caught small fish, which they then released.

Wednesdays were also for sailing the Bay aboard Matthew Turner (every other day they explored with Seaward). Onboard activities revolved around a series of exploratory stations with BayQuest [a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and protection of marine wildlife and endangered habitats in San Francisco Bay and near-coastal waters], and another summer camp hosted by Shakespeare on the Water. The young sailors also became crew and were given hands-on opportunities to raise the sails and steer the ship.

Of course no Bay sail is complete without a visit to Angel Island, and on Fridays the campers did just that. The kids were ferried ashore in Seaward’s dinghy, four at a time, and spent a couple of hours exploring the area around the Immigration Station, or playing on the beach under the watchful eyes of a crew member and a camp counselor.

At the close of camp on Friday, the youths’ parents joined in for the “Ice Cream Social” where the counselors handed out ice cream to the campers and their parents. While the kids shared stories of the week’s adventures with their parents, the camp counselors filled in the gaps, breaking down the week’s activities.

Call of the Sea says this year’s five weeks of summer camp were a great success, and they hope to return next year with bigger and better plans for their campers.