Hanson Bridgett, PG&E Teamwork Benefits TISC Youth Programs

IMG_3452_resizeMother Nature delivered breezy blue skies. Hanson Bridgett and PG&E delivered agile crew. Youth and adaptive sailors who call Clipper Cove home port were the real winners in TISC’s Big Team Regatta thanks to OCSC’s fast boats and excellent coaches.

IMG_3175Friday was all about teamwork. Following a safety briefing from our regatta PRO Tim Han crews from Hanson Bridgett and PG&E boarded sleek OCSC J/105’s then headed out to Berkeley Circle to battle the clock as they learned all about apparent wind, tacking angles, winch handles and the physics of sailing.

The objective: sail a triangular shaped slalom course faster than the other team.IMG_3195

Conclusions: practices pays off, working as a team is key and boats sail faster as the wind builds. Oh – and sailing J/105’s on San Francisco Bay is wicked awesome fun ! Especially when you have expert OCSC coaches trained in teambuilding on your boat to guide you around the course.

Peet’s Coffee in Berkeley once again contributed the morning Java for BTR.  Thanks to 49 Square Catering the contestants were well fed prior to Tim Han’s pre-race briefing.IMG_3169

The Hanson Bridgett team after the safety briefing. You can read more about Hanson Bridgett and their community involvement HERE.IMG_3209The PG&E team gets psyched for the day of racing.  The PG&E Community Service page is HERE.IMG_3218

The early morning breezes provided a good warm up to the boats and provided the crews time to work out optimum positions and responsibilities.  Once on the water the OCSC instructors took charge of converting the newbie crews into racing teams.  Ashley Tobin and Jim Watters coached the Hanson Bridget team; Rich Jepsen and Trevor Steel teamed up to train the team from PG&E.

Early sailing was framed by light breezes and fluffy blue clouds.

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Around noon the westerly filled in and continued to build into a 10-15knot breeze by 2pm.The two crews were soon actively engaged in all aspects of boat handling from grinding genoas to trimming the mains to holding a proper course while beating upwind and reaching off the wind.IMG_3450_resize IMG_3418_resize

As the racing progressed the J/105’s really came to life, especially on the upwind legs. Teamwork was the only way to complete the tacking needed to navigate the windward slalom course.  Off the wind sail trim and straight courses were the way to beat the clock.IMG_3501_resize IMG_3473 IMG_3469

The races were held on the Berkeley Circle. Backdrops were provided by the Golden Gate Bridge and the loading cranes on The Alameda just south of the Bay Bridge. IMG_3420

IMG_3409The old eastern section of the Bay Bridge is still be dismantled. In less than two years the bike path – now open from Oakland to the Bay Bridge Summit – will lead to a drop-down path to Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island.

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By the last time trial both teams had dropped their times from 12+ minutes to just over 9 minutes. While the fastest time was turned in by PG&E the records will show the margin of victory was around 3% and the Hanson Bridgett team left the course believing they would have knocked another 15 seconds off their time had they been able to run one more trial in the ever-building wind.

After the racing the team from 49 Square Catering served up a hearty lunch with massive sandwiches, salads and more fresh fruit. BIG THANKS to Bay Ship and Yacht for sponsoring the lunch for crew, race committee and coaches. Your support of our programs is greatly appreciated.

Lots of behind-the-scene planning went into Friday’s event – our Tenth Annual BTR – which was led by our shore team: Annie Butts, Chris Childers, Travis Lund and Luxine Smith.

Huge thanks go out to Tim Han for taking charge of the planning at OCSC. He was ably assisted by John Mellen as they kept track of two sets of times as both racing teams were on the course nearly non-stop for two hours.IMG_3326

Our special guests for the day were a number of kids from Envision Academy who joined us for the awards ceremony and presentation of the check from Hanson Bridgett and PG&E to Treasure Island Sailing Center.

The $12,000 raised goes directly to the youth and adaptive programs at TISC. Many Envision youth attended summer sailing camps and orientation. IMG_3517_resize

They have formed a racing team – EAST for Envision Academy Sailing Team – and are developing their skills in sailing, communications, teamwork and racing techniques. You may have read our previous blog on teamwork – one of the many life lessons taught by TISC using sailing as a fun classroom.IMG_3527_resize

Thanks again to Hanson Bridget and PG&E for their donations support of this 10th annual Big Team Regatta. These two companies have been on the BTR circuit supporting TISC since the regatta’s inception in 2005. And without the support of OCSC, the excitement, teamwork, camaraderie and benefits to Bay Area Youths would simply not be possible.

If your company is interested in participating in the TISC 2015 Big Team Regatta, here are a few slides in PDF format with additional information on the September 25, 2015 Event: TISC-BTR-2015 Overview  And here is the TISC 2015 BTR Team Entry Form.

Regards from OCSC – on the Berkeley Circle, Dave G

In the wake:

Hope you enjoyed the pictures above. These are a subset of the pictures taken during the event.  If you were on one of the boats, own one of the boats orare involved with our sponsors and would like to see the entire album send an email to daveg @ onclippercove . com.

TISC Teaches Life Lessons: Like Teamwork For Example

TISC uses sailing as a platform to teach life lessons including goal setting, teamwork, communications, and leadership and develop self-esteem.  We raise money for scholarships so that no child is ever turned away. This blog is about teamwork.

Teamwork can be a challenging concept out in the real world.  Working together on Clipper Cove, however, seems to come naturally to most kids.  Smiles and good times overshadow the fear of new adventures or working in a group of new friends.

Here are a few examples of teamwork in action from Treasure Island Sailing Center. A great place to start is at the beginning of the season when volunteers, many from our V15 fleet, gather to install our docks and ramps.DockInstall TeamTeamwork lowering dock section Dock Cleaning TeamAs I was reviewing teamwork pictures from the year I realized that even before the docks went in volunteers were at work transporting our J/24 fleet to and from Bay Marine Boatworks for new bottom jobs.Launch Newly Painted HullDelivery Team Bill and Peter Homeward BoundStepping masts on BUGs is first on the menu during our fall session sailing classes which started last week.Mast Stepping TeamInstructor and TeamTeamwork is required for hoisting J/24 sails.  The first picture below was from an early season outreach program with kids from the San Francisco Expeditionary School.  The second was taken during set sail exercises in anticipation of a June sail with visually impaired sailors from the Morin Sailing School Program for the Blind.Team Hoisting J24 Main Visually Impaired Orientation TeamOpening day provided many opportunities for teamwork in preparation for the 850+ visitors who attended a variety of event on land and on the water.Opening Day PrepThere are always plenty of opportunities out on the water for demonstrating teamwork whether sailing or paddling.  The Cal Berkeley Sailing Team practices at TISC during their season. They sail here and also team up with our shore-based team.

CalSailing Team Sailing Flat We launched the first-ever Co-Able sailing camp on San Francisco Bay – a partnership between Treasure Island Sailing Center and the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors.  This unique program was run out of Pier 40.co-able smiles with MM Kayaking is another “team sport” that ranks high with TISC kids.Teamwork on KayakWhile the objective of sailing is to stay in the boat most of the time, we stress the importance of feeling comfortable in the water.  And in many cases kids just like working together to scramble from the water back into a boat.Capsize Recovery Team SF Exped. Teamwork climbing aboard

Teamwork also counts out on the water.  Friendships are built, smiles are shared.  Exciting memories last forever.IMG_0230_resize (2)IMG_0272_resize (2)IMG_0273_resize (2)

Even 4th graders who participate in SSLearn classes have the opportunity to work together and present results to classmates from recent discoveries.  Not exactly Toastmasters, however a good confidence builder. SS Learn Team Report

All good days must end.  These pictures were taken as kids returned to the dock from an expedition to the western shores of Clipper Cove ( aka “Mexico Beach).  Teamwork required all around from TISC instructors as well as their precious cargo.back from Mexico

Retrieving and washing boats usually signifies the end of a fun day On Clipper Cove.Retrieval Team Opti Recovery team Cleaning TeamAs we wind down our summer sessions we’re getting cranked up for the first SS Learn classes to start.  Thanks to the San Francisco America’s Cup Organizing Committee and Citry of San Francisco’s ONESF:Celebrate the Cup program every fourth grader in San Francisco will be able to spend a day on the bay learning about the ecology of the bay and Dungeness crabs, San Francisco maritime history, or renewable energy. And go for a sail at Treasure Island Sailing Center on Clipper Cove!
Regards, from On The Cove,   Dave G

In the wake:

Speaking of teamwork, the TISC team expanded this week as we welcomed aboard Travis Lund, our new Waterfront Director.