Posts from — August 2009

Coastal Cleanup Day
When:  Saturday, September 19th
Where: Berkeley Marina, Shorebird Park Nature Center

With all enjoyment the Bay and Oceans provide for us, the least we can do is spend a day cleaning up the shores and help to restore the natural beauty of the coasts.  California Coastal Cleanup Day is the premier volunteer event focused on the marine environment in the country. In 2008, more than 70,000 volunteers worked together to collect more than 1,600,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from our beaches, lakes, and waterways. California Coastal Cleanup Day has been hailed by the Guinness Book of World Records as “the largest garbage collection” (1993). Since the program started in 1985, over 800,000 Californians have removed more than 13 million pounds of debris from our state’s shorelines and coast. When combined with the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by The Ocean Conservancy and taking place on the same day, California Coastal Cleanup Day becomes part of one of the largest volunteer events of the year.

If you have any questions about the Berkeley Marina Coastal Cleanup Effort contact:

Patty Donald
(510) 981-6720
pdonald@cityofberkeley.info

Being responsible and ethical travelers is a responsibility OCSC takes very seriously. We make a point to support a local environmental group on every Flotilla and Adventure we organize. It’s also very important to us to help support the groups and people close to home. Ethical Traveler is a great organization working to promote strengthen human rights and protect the environment.  Anthony Sandberg, OCSC Founder & President, is on the board.  Here is the information on the 1st Annual Fundraiser:

Dear Ethical Travelers,

Here’s the scoop about the 1st ET Fundraiser, which will happen on Saturday, September 12th. We’re thrilled about this event, which will feature a sail around San Francisco Bay, a catered dinner, and entertainment by two Bay Area luminaries: beloved monologist Josh Kornbluth (Love & Taxes, Haiku Tunnel) and didgeridoo master Stephen Kent (who also hosts KPFA’s “Music of the World”). [Read more →]

The 505 World Championships are in San Francisco this week. You may have noticed them flying around the Berkeley Circle. Here’s the schedule for the week:

• [Sun] 23-Aug-09:  2 Races / Social Event Following
• [Mon] 24-Aug-09:  5O5 Annual General Meeting /
  1 Race / Social Event Following
• [Tue] 25-Aug-09:  2 Races / Social Event Following
• [Wed] 26-Aug-09:  Non-Race Day with Special Activities
• [Thu] 27-Aug-09:  2 Races / Social Event Following
• [Fri] 28-Aug-09:  1 Race / Social Event Following
• [Sat] 29-Aug-09:  1 Race / Closing Ceremony & Dinner

The 505’s can be fun to watch, but make sure to keep a safe distance. Here is a general outline of where they will be racing (in yellow):

The Honeymooners, Erin & Tim!

Think you love sailing?

Tim and Erin decided to spend their honeymoon taking Basic Cruising at OCSC.  The Southern Californians were wed on Saturday in San Francisco and started BC the following Monday.  Now that is dedication! Between wedding plans, the actual wedding, and then Basic Cruising, the couple was exhausted by the end of the week. They had a great time and we loved having them around.

Congratulations Erin & Tim!

Looking for a great winter vacation AND increase your sailing knowledge? The 82 ft Schooner Seaward is going south for the Winter and you can join them! The Seaward Adventures are a combination of voyages for the different legs of the trip. Whether you want to do the downwind California coastline trip or the Sea of Cortéz, La Paz to Cabo San Lucas, there is a exciting adventure for every type, varying from 5-19 days.

The  Seaward’s Adventure Voyages are more than just a vacation. As soon as you board, you’ll be learning and participating in sailing the magnificent 82 foot schooner.  In addition to seeing the wonderful sights, you’ll sharpen your skills and gain valuable sailing experience.

Seaward’s Adventure Voyages are operated by the nonprofit organization Call of the Sea, whose mission is to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to connect with the sea through educational programs aboard traditional sailing vessels that focus on marine sciences, nautical heritage, the ocean environment and careers in the maritime profession.

Learn more here.

Matt Dixon, Founder of Purple Patch Fitness, is a great friend of OCSC and has started a great new program called Run 2 Become. Run 2 Become is a new training program and community that brings the highest level of expertise to every level of runner. Learn more about Matt and Run 2 Become.

Matt Dixon, Founder of Purple Patch Fitness

Top paddlers from Australia, the South Pacific, South Africa, Europe, and the far corners of North America are in San Francisco for the 2009 US Surfski Championships.  The great competition and well-known, challenging conditions in the Bay are sure to make for an exciting event.

The course is new, but the crew behind the scenes hasn’t changed. The Wavechaser Paddle Series has hosted the US Surfkis Championships since the race inception in 2003. They do a fantastic job of organizing everything – from chase boats, to registration, helping out-of-towners hook up with places to stay, timing, and recruiting volunteers for the endless things that are needed on race day. For the post-race festivities, Wavechaser scored big with the OCSC Sailing School in the Berkeley Marina– this looks like a great place to party!

Everything points to a spectacular race this year. San Francisco’s famous westerly winds will rush through the Golden Gate, and blow us directly towards the finish in Berkeley. It’s fitting that the Berkeley Marina has great accommodations at the Doubletree Hotel, with special rates for Championships competitors. The hotel is on the water, and within walking distance from the finish line. As we’ve done for the past several years, clinics and demos will take place the day before the race, but this time at the Berkeley Marina. Paddlers with rough water ability will be able to test paddle skis in the bumps outside the jetty, or stay inside the harbor for calm water practice. On Sunday, the traditional doubles race, and the 4 X 2KM relay will start and finish in Berkeley.

They are finishing both races at OCSC.

Race 1 on  Sunday, August 16
Race 2 on Saturday, August 22

Read more about the US Surfski Championships here.

The View from the Bay experiences the fun and affordable Wednesday Night Sail.

An affordable way to spend the evening sailing on the San Francisco Bay, what a great idea! We think so, and that’s why we’ve been doing it since we began in 1979. Our Wednesday Night Sails, 2 hours of sailing on a professionally skippered boat followed by chili, chowder and  refreshments is a great way to break up a long week. As the group from The View of the Bay found out, it’s hard to have a better time for $40. Check out the video.

Last week, we had Google’s Sailing Team out for a beautiful and exciting evening of sailing at OCSC! The group made the journey from Mountain View on a Friday evening to enjoy a sunset cruise and a exciting 20 knot breeze.  The Google crew had a great time and so did we!

The Google sailing group!

The group went sailing for 2 hours with OCSC Instructors and followed that with socializing and refreshments in the clubroom.  A great opportunity to bond, learn, and, most importantly, have fun with co-workers. [Read more →]

We got a ton of great feedback on the 5 Cool iPhone Apps for Sailors post. We also got a bunch of good tips on even more cool apps for sailors. Here are more apps worth checking out:

1) Navionics
This is cool, and perfect for the casual Bay sailor. The app lets you update your track, as well as geotagged pictures right to your facebook page. It’s also great for storing and searching local points of interest (Marinas, Marine Supply Stores, Marine Repair, Waterfront Restaurants, Bait, Tackle etc.)  Even if your friends don’t have Facebook, they can still see your routes on Google Earth.

2) Sailblaster
SailBlaster turns your iPhone/iPod Touch into a regatta anytime, anywhere.  Race a single-handed dinghy against up to 9 boats.  Take on the digital competition on a number of different courses, course lengths and skill levels. Check out the video of how Sailblaster works:

3) iNavX
This is what we needed. One app with all the charts. iNavX has charts from the West Coast, Gulf Coast, East Coast, Great Lakes, Alaska, Hawaii, and Virgin Islands. They are continually updating and adding new charts and the iPhone’s GPS lets you plot your position in real-time.

4) Ship Finder
We have good news and bad news about Ship Finder. The good news is that there is finally an AIS  iPhone app. The bad news is that they’re not covering the SF Bay yet. Ship Finder seems like a great tool for keeping track of vessels in your area. No SF though, what’s up with that?

As always, feel free to comment or email me if you have any other ideas.