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Sailors Preserve Maritime Traditions and Sailing in San Francisco Bay Area

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SAUSALITO, Calif.—A large wooden ship glides across the San Francisco Bay, its massive sails billowing in the cool coastal breeze.

“Two, six, heave!” the crew of volunteer sailors shout in unison as they hoist the sails of the Matthew Turner, a 132-foot-long traditional brigantine vessel.

It is one of two ships that the maritime-focused nonprofit Call of the Sea operates to provide people with the opportunity to connect with the sea and learn about sailing traditions, according to Alan Olson, the organization’s co-founder.

Epoch Times Photo
Alan Olson aboard the Matthew Turner in Sausalito, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2022. (David Lam/NTD)

“I think that young people don’t realize how many options they have,” Olson told NTD, a sister media of The Epoch Times, during an Aug. 13 sail. “They grow up in a bubble. They don’t really see outside that bubble. But you put them on a ship, and you go someplace, and you spend some time on it, then they see other ideas.”

Call of the Sea’s ships are dedicated to sharing traditional maritime sailing and offer youth a “floating classroom” and a chance to sail on traditionally rigged vessels.

Epoch Times Photo
Passengers aboard the Matthew Turner in Sausalito, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2022. (David Lam/NTD)

Olson described sailing as a calling and a magical feeling that comes to him and the crew when they’re out on the water.

“When you get out there at night or night watching, you’re looking at the stars,” he said. “You’re looking out, and all of a sudden you realize that you’re basically sailing the universe because that’s what you see out there. You see the sea, and it just broadens your view of where you are and how you’re part of all this.”

Epoch Times Photo
The Matthew Turner with the San Francisco skyline in the background in Sausalito, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2022. (Ted Lin/NTD)

The ship’s crew teaches people how to raise, lower, and stow sails; read the wind and water; and belay pins and pulleys. In the Aloft Seamanship program, people learn how to climb the Matthew Turner’s 75-foot rig.

“I prefer being on water than being on land, if that makes any sense,” crewmember Kama told NTD aboard the floating vessel. “Living on a boat, working on a boat, just constantly sailing almost every single day—it’s where I need to be.”

Epoch Times Photo
Kama, a crewmember with the Matthew Turner, in Sausalito, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2022. (David Lam/NTD)

The $6 million ship took seven years to build, has an 11-sail brigantine design, and comes with a deep history. It was named after the iconic shipbuilder and captain Matthew Turner of San Francisco.

Turner is credited with designing the commercial sailing vessel hull. This design includes a narrower ship bow to allow for sleeker entry through the water, giving vessels more speed and stability. One of his ships that was designed and built in the late 1800s was named the Galilee.

The Galilee was used as a cargo ship and still holds the fastest sailing record—just 19 days—from San Francisco to Tahiti. Its undefeated record was completed without a motor, relying solely on its design and the wind.

Epoch Times Photo
The Galilee in a photo displayed on the Matthew Turner ship in Sausalito, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2022. (David Lam/NTD)

The ship Matthew Turner is designed as a copy of the Galilee, which was dismantled after it retired around 1936 and sat on the Sausalito mudflats as a houseboat.

“Now parts of [the Galilee] are in San Francisco. Parts of her are in [Benicia], which was Matthew Turner’s shipyard location,” Ariella Yendler, deckhand and historian, told NTD. “Parts of her are sunk in Sausalito.”

Today, the Matthew Turner operates as a hybrid ship. It stands about 100 feet tall and produces its own energy harnessed from the wind. The ship regenerates its two electric motors when sailing.

Epoch Times Photo
The Matthew Turner’s helm in Sausalito, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2022. (David Lam/NTD)

The ship sails based on the weather conditions as much as possible but usually motors from the dock. The hybrid propulsion system is used when needed for safe handling of the boat based upon the tides, winds, or other conditions, which can vary day to day, Call of the Sea told NTD in an email.

Call of the Sea was founded in 1985 and maintains the brigantine Matthew Turner and the schooner Seaward.

Cynthia Cai contributed to this report.

David Lam

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