A St Francis Sailing Foundation grantee, Call of the Sea (COS) continued to make big strides in 2022, as reported by the Sausalito-based not-for-profit:
208 sailing trips / 3,237 students / 6,654 passengers / 571 hours of education
Call of the Sea’s Sylvia Stompe, reported, “Schools have returned to planning field trips after the two-year Covid pause on outdoor education and bussing for many schools; 2022 had a major increase in schools booked. We are optimistic that 2023 will see the trend continue and grow. We also have a goal to greatly increase our scholarship support for schools, organizations, and individuals this year.”
In 2023, Call of the Sea will see an expansion of youth programs, with an Aloft date (ages 12+) once per month, and Spring and Fall Saturday morning educational programs (ages 8-18) at the dock, followed by a two-hour sail (open registration for youth organizations and individuals).
Call of the Sea offers a scholarship program for kids who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend its programs. Return summer camper, Dylan Lovato, is a great example of a youth that has been inspired by the sailing program and has attended on a scholarship each year. Read his story:
Sailing in Marin: Camps sparking a love for the sport in young sailor
When Dilan Lovato was four years old, holding his stepmom’s hand he walked from El Salvador across the US-Mexican border. His dad, who he did remember clearly, was already in the US waiting for them.
The memories of that journey are on quick-recall for Lovato, now 12-years old.
“It was scary when the border patrol grabbed us and it was cold in the detention center, they just gave us aluminum foil for blankets,” the youngster said. “We stayed there for two days. I didn’t recognize my dad at first until he said my name. It had been a long time – he left before I was two.”
A handsome young man with a great smile and sense of humor, Lovato these days is well-adjusted to life in Marin: he’s a sixth grader at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael, his favorite activity at school is volleyball, he loves camps, and anything to do with being on the water. His dad, Adrian, has a steady job working for Luiz Martinez, co-founder/owner with his wife Alison Healy of Bay Area Marine Services in Sausalito.
One day, Martinez took the young Lovato sailing for the first time.
“I got to steer,” Lovato grinned. “It was a bit challenging as the wind wants to take you a different direction!”
That one experience plotted a course for Lovato that set sailing firmly on his agenda. He couldn’t go sailing, however, without Healy who has known the Lovato family for three years. She helps by ferrying the young Lovato, a typical latch-key kid, to and from after-school activities.
Healy couldn’t help but notice the big smile on Lovato’s face when they returned to the dock after that first sailing experience: he was captivated by seeing so many boats on the water. She asked Lovato if he’d like to go sailing again, and he replied that he’d first like to learn to kayak to be sure he wasn’t afraid of the water. Read on
About Call of the Sea
Sailing in Marin: Camps sparking a love for the sport in young sailor