Photo by Martha Blanchfield / Renegade Sailing

This month’s spotlight aims backward on the origins of the Sailing Science Center with key points from its story outlined below.

The earliest ideas for the Sailing Science Center appeared in November 2013 as a plan for a performance sailing program with a classroom boasting interactive training aids like wind tunnels, towing tanks, and models. The name was going to be Hot Angles Performance Sailing, a reference to sailing at fast angles to the wind. It was a collaboration of Jim Hancock and Martha Blanchfield but stalled following a P&L analysis that didn’t pencil out on the desired scale.

The idea lay dormant until summer 2015, when Travis Lund organized the Social Sailing adult racing program at the Treasure Island Sailing Center (TISC). Travis led the program that first year, with Jim as a coach. Jim took over as head coach in 2016 so Travis could focus on other business. Jim had told Travis about the classroom idea, believing it was something TISC could do, since they already had the boats, the necessary scale, and a marketing infrastructure to get people in the door. A major shift in thinking happened that year, when Travis

showed Jim a blueprint of Hangar 3, saying, “You should put your science center here,” as he jabbed the drawing with his finger. That was when the SSC went from being something for sailors to being something for the public. The hangar stood adjacent to the sailing center, with ample space for displays.

Things really took off several months later. On February 23, 2017, Alexandra Liguori gave a lecture titled "The Physics of Sailing,” at Berkeley’s OCSC. Jim approached Alex after her presentation to suggest they discuss an idea he had. That meeting took place on March 13, 2017, at the Coupa Café, in Palo Alto. It was the impetus for creating the first pitch deck, a rough business plan, and a layout for a museum with seven galleries. Afterward, Jim asked Alex how high her interest was in the SSC on a scale of 1 to 10. Her immediate reply was, “About 100!”

That began a schedule of monthly meetings, selecting board members, implementing a document sharing plan, and building a team of volunteers. Travis joined the effort that July, and by the end of 2017 there were six board members. Jim recruited volunteers from the Social Sailing program, with most of the current leadership still from that source. The SSC has been unwavering in its alignment to that 2017 vision and plan. More than 150 people have volunteered, while thousands have been reached through the SSC’s programs. The SSC is still young as we turn seven. It has been a remarkable journey and promises many exciting days ahead.

When it comes to values alignment, few organizations provide as good a match with the SSC as Call of the Sea. We are therefore pleased to report that our organizations are in early discussions on how to leverage that to produce synergy through our respective strengths. We also want to welcome Call of the Sea's new Interim Executive Director, Ben Delaney. We got to meet Ben at the end of February and sense his commitment to the same values that attract us to the organization. We will provide updates as things progress.

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The SSC needs volunteers! We especially need volunteers who can staff one-day exhibitions as docents. Training, lunch, and SSC logo polo shirts are provided.

Direct your inquiries to info@sailingscience.org.

A cupboard door that won’t close, a screw that won’t go into its hole, a boat that bangs the dock while entering its slip, or a team that seems at cross- purposes with itself. What do these all have in common? They are all examples of misalignment. Read more…

AI Notice: Generative Artificial Intelligence was used in the images above. Images should be considered artistic representations, as opposed to precise depictions of fact.