The San Francisco Science and Sailing Center

In the ‘old days’, a lot of deals were formed in secretive, smoke-filled rooms. In the case of the just-announced San Francisco Science and Sailing Center, the great outdoors was smoke- filled and the organizers presented their plan in the clean air of the brightly lit SFMOMA Gallery in the Fort Mason Center overlooking the Bay.

On Saturday, Jim Hancock, dedicated Bay Area sailor, cruiser, sailing instructor and now president and founder of the SFSSC, showcased plans to dramatically enhance the growing Treasure Island sailing hub with a museum of sailing, which will include an interactive, hands-on learning facility that will focus on the physical sciences and math, and provide STEM learning experiences for everyone from five to 95.

“The timing is ideal with the redevelopment of Treasure Island underway, the arrival of US Sailing’s FAST Olympic training center, and the long-term success of the Treasure Island Sailing Center,” said Hancock.

Travis Lund, TISC’s executive director, is on the board and working to support the development of this unique, world-class museum in the nexus of the Bay Area, where, oddly, 95% of the population is disconnected from one of its great recreational resources: sailing. It is inspiring to see the energy coming forward to keep the sport vital and available, and to have a science angle applied.

While plans for the San Francisco Science and Sailing Center are clearly preliminary, there has already been considerable development, including incorporating as a nonprofit in January 2018 and the formation of the board. With a team of enthusiastic sailors with a passion for sharing the sport’s many qualities and contributions, the SFSSC will also serve as a learning platform to pass on lessons from technology, sustainability, history and physics in a fun, educational environment.