Meet ‘Rocking the Boat’ in San Francisco
In the spree of new parks opening on San Francisco’s bayside waterfront, a new member of the youth boating community has emerged in the recently opened India Basin Waterfront Park. Rocking the Boat uses traditional wooden boatbuilding, rowing, environmental education and sailing to build skills in their youth after-school and summer programs. The program also offers boatbuilding and rowing opportunities to the general public.
The organization was born in the Bronx in 1997, stemming from a college project by founder Adam Green. Rocking the Boat’s motto is that Kids build Boats, and Boats build Kids. Participation is free, and returning students who can demonstrate foundational skills even receive a stipend to participate. Wraparound supports like on-site social workers, transportation assistance, and opportunities for families help participants stay engaged. Trips to local rowing and sailing organizations and boatbuilding schools provide well-rounded and dynamic experiences outside of the India Basin shop.
India Basin was a historical center of shipbuilding in the Bay Area, and Rocking the Boat is excited to help reconnect the Bayview–Hunters Point community to this important maritime heritage. Nearby military and industrial uses contaminated the area for generations and contributed to the community’s lack of access to the water and distrust of local institutions. San Francisco’s Department of Recreation and Parks, with other community organizations, guided the development of the new park with an Equitable Development Plan to ensure the park and its programming are culturally relevant and directly beneficial to the residents and the community. Among the desired opportunities were a youth job-skills program and establishing community access to the water.
The India Basin program is staffed by local Bay Area employees and supported by the East Coast headquarters. Students will receive instruction from graduates of the Bay Area’s various boatbuilding programs, including the Arques School in Sausalito, S.F.’s Downtown High School’s program, and the Sea Scouts based in Aquatic Park, plus other skilled volunteers and craftspeople from the community.
The chief programs officer for this new West Coast location of Rocking the Boat is Chris Childers, whom we’ve hosted on our Good Jibes podcast. Chris has been teaching youth sailing in the Bay Area for over a decade and has been a tireless advocate for youth development and environmental education.
The first semester of Rocking the Boat’s after-school program begins March 3. A year-round commitment is requested, and participants should have some connection to the Bayview-Hunters Point community. Interested students can learn more at rockingtheboat.org and complete an application to be considered for the program.
Open houses are available 2/19 (that’s today!) and 2/26 from 3:30–6:30pm.
Email [email protected] for more information.
Good Jibes #179: Cal Sailing Club on Volunteer-Run Community Sailing
This week we welcome aboard Cal Sailing Club’s executive committee, aka ExComm, to chat about providing safe, cheap, and fun sailing and windsurfing for all! In this jam-packed episode you’ll meet Commodore Nicho Waton, Vice Commodore Isha Mishra, Third Vice Commodore Shreyas Chand, and Secretary Sara Zimmerman.
Tune in as the ExComm chats with Good Jibes host Ryan Foland about the moments that made them fall in love with sailing in the Bay Area, their unique membership and volunteering model, why you don’t need to have your own boat, how to learn to windsurf, and the famous alumni of the club.
Here’s a sample of what you’ll hear in this episode:
- What does community mean to you?
- How to become a member or get involved with Cal Sailing Club
- Are there any surprising facts or crazy historical stories about the club?
- Do many members have their own boat? Is there a formal structure?
- Are newbies taught how to sail by certified instructors?
- New things on the horizon for Cal Sailing Club
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!
Learn more about the Cal Sailing Club at Cal-Sailing.org and on Instagram @CalSailingClub, and connect with Ryan at Ryan.Online
Learn About Cruising Beyond the Bay With Club Nautique
Dreaming of cruising beyond San Francisco Bay? Join us for a panel and networking party to learn about Club Nautique’s renowned Passage Maker Program. Meet experienced sailors, hear their stories, and discover how this top-tier training can prepare you for unforgettable adventures!
Pip Hare Wins OCC Seamanship Award
British sailor Pip Hare has been awarded the Ocean Cruising Club’s (OCC) Seamanship Award. The OCC Seamanship Award recognizes exceptional skill or bravery at sea.
Pip was one of the 40 sailors racing around the world singlehanded, nonstop and without assistance, in what is often considered the greatest sailing race around the world. She was in 15th place, approximately 800 nautical miles south of Australia, when her foiling IMOCA 60 Medallia lost its mast. Fortunately, Pip was not injured, but she had to abandon the race and seek safe harbor.
Armed with a hacksaw and gloves, she removed most of the rig, preserving the hull’s integrity and saving the boom, furlers and one outrigger. With only materials on board and her ingenuity and skill, Pip erected a jury-rigged mast, enabling her to fly the trysail. In her blog, viewed by thousands of sailing enthusiasts worldwide, Pip reported that her “slow boat to Australia” was able to make progress north. After 13 days, in conditions up to gale-force winds, she made landfall in Melbourne on December 28, 2024.
“I am very humbled to receive this award from OCC,” Pip notes. She is currently trying to find another major sponsor and hopes to have a boat on the starting line for the 2028 Vendée Globe Race.
THE OCC LIFETIME AWARD
Victor Wejer received the OCC’s Lifetime Award based on his outstanding 20 years of service and support to cruising sailors venturing through the Northwest Passage. Based in Ontario, Canada, Victor embraced new technologies by offering customized, personalized guidance, including live group video conferences with OCC boats, as they journeyed through the ice-riddled waters of the Canadian high latitudes.
One of the many OCC port officer representatives, Victor has taken his duties well beyond the extensive support offered to the world’s sailors. An author of the Polar Yacht Guide (which is available on the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation’s website), Victor has supported more than 100 boats transiting the Northwest Passage.
As he notes, “I have gotten many calls from adventurers wanting to make the Northwest Passage. For most, I strongly advise them to stay away. A perfect crossing will have no story to tell at the end. No problems. No issues.”
Pip Hare was sponsored by San Francisco Bay Area company Medallia on her campaign in the 2024/25 edition of the Vendée Globe. Her 2020/21 campaign, also sponsored by Medallia, saw her cross the finish line in 95 days, 11 hours, 37 minutes and 30 seconds.
Additional award winners for 2024 include:
• Vasey Vase: Tim Riley and Carol Osborne
• OCC Lifetime Award: Victor Wejer
• OCC Jester Award: Jacqueline Evers
• David Wallis Trophy: Wim and Elisabeth van Blaricum
• Water Music Trophy: Carla Gregory and Alex Helbig
• OCC Award (members): Zdenka Griswold; Bill Weigel
• OCC Award (open): Jesse and Sharon Rose James with the Trinidad Operations Centre; Bob Bradfield
• Qualifier’s Mug: Fabian Fernandez
• OCC Events and Rallies Award: Reg Barker
• OCC Environmental Award: Ivar Smits and Floris van Hees
• Port Officer Service Award: Cristian Yanzer
Learn more at www.oceancruisingclub.org
What Kind of Boat Do You Need To Do the Ha-Ha?
Spring is just around the corner, and summer will be here soon after. The coming months are the perfect time to get yourself sorted and set up to do the Baja Ha-Ha next fall. Yes, it’s still several months off, but if you want to give yourself the best chance at having a good time cruising to Mexico, it’s a good idea to start getting yourself, and your boat, ready now. With that in mind, we share some of the Ha-Ha Poobah’s thoughts on suitable boats for doing the Ha-Ha. For example, would the Poobah do the Baja Ha-Ha aboard a Catalina 27? Let’s find out ….
“No. But that’s just me, and because I’m older than I used to be, and a pretty big guy.”
Some people are under the impression that you need a large and expensive boat, equipped with an entire West Marine store, to safely do a Baja Ha-Ha. Experience has shown that’s not necessarily the case. While the nominal Ha-Ha rule is that a boat needs to be designed, built, and maintained for offshore sailing, and at least 27 feet in length, the Poobah has given special dispensation to a number of very experienced sailors with smaller boats.
Examples include a Cal 24, a Pacific Seacraft 20, and in the most extreme case, a 17-footer. The latter owner actually did two Ha-Ha’s. If the Poobah were younger and maybe only 6 feet tall, he’d be happy to do a Ha-Ha in something like a Catalina 27. In fact, here’s a report from several years ago by Steve and Charlotte Baker, who did just that.
“Having become dissatisfied with our suburban Santa Rosa lives, in 2009 we bought Willful Simplicity, an outboard-powered 1973 Catalina 27. The only person who encouraged us was Richard Spindler, the Poobah of the Ha-Ha. Had we listened to the naysayers rather than Richard, we would have missed out on the nine best years of our lives.
“We started our new life with 135 other boats in the 2009 Baja Ha-Ha, which is the 750-mile cruiser rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. That Ha-Ha is generally considered to have been the windiest of the 24 Ha-Ha’s as of that date. We and our Catalina 27 Willful Simplicity didn’t have any problems.
“Many people told us we couldn’t enjoy Mexico with our ‘mini-cruiser.’ They were wrong. We saw many beautiful places and enjoyed countless great anchorages on the way down to Cabo and up into the Sea of Cortez. But the absolute best part of our cruising was meeting the locals, especially the children, and coming to appreciate their natural way of life. We have become better people for what we’ve learned from the people of Baja.
“For nine years, our homeport was more or less the tiny fishing village of San Evaristo, a popular anchorage about 50 miles north of La Paz by water. And for many of those years, we lived aboard on the hook.”
The Poobah would like to say that he doesn’t recall “encouraging” the Bakers, just not discouraging them.
“I don’t want to give anyone the impression that more expensive modern boats don’t typically offer much more space and conveniences,” he adds. “But if properly checked out, the classics from the ’70s and ’80s are all a younger sailor might need.”
Baja Ha-Ha XXXI starts on November 3. Entries will be accepted starting at noon on May 9. For details, visit www.baja-haha.com.
If you’re thinking about signing up for this year’s Baja Ha-Ha and need a boat, consider some of the options available in Latitude 38’s classified listings. Many of these boats are the older boats the Poobah is referring to and would be perfect for someone looking to get into a vessel at a lower price in exchange for doing some cosmetic or minor maintenance work themselves. Below are some examples:
27.93 FT Pacific Seacraft 25 Mk II 1978
You get the idea? Check out Classy Classifieds for more options. And remember to put May 9 on your calendar and sign up for the 31st Baja Ha-Ha.
Reliable Marine Pumps & Parts — Shop CLR Marine Today!
