As a long-time ACSC-er, and a rookie Program Director, my goal for 2018 was to run the same fun, safe, and exciting camp that we all love, while mixing in fresh new material to keep things interesting. With a dedicated instructor team, lots of help from skilled volunteers, and a couple hundred enthusiastic campers, this summer was a huge success! Here were my personal favorite moments from 2018 Summer Camp.

Big Boat SF Bay Day is proof that ACSC has THE best volunteers out there. Thanks to big-hearted big boat owners and captain’s license holders, our campers spent a day skippering and crewing on keel boats for the first time! Campers chose destinations using SF Bay charts graciously donated by Waypoint Marine. Most weeks, we learned that the power of SF Bay currents would prevent reaching said destinations, but it’s all about the journey anyway (right?).

A huge THANK YOU to:
Captain Mitch and Quincey on Esprit qmtravels.com/
Captain Michelle on Blue Passion
Captain Kit on Cassiopeia
Captain Charlotte E.
​and
Paul M. of Close Quarters

We know that sailing is all about physics, and as sailors, we have a special connection with the environment. Science Friday, the brainchild of our Lead Instructor and in-house Environmental Science specialist, Jamie, tied the unique relationship between science and sailing together in a more formal way. On Fridays, campers constructed ocean layers out of slime, collected and tested water samples from our cove, and had habitat scavenger hunts on the beach.
​We were lucky enough to have regular visits from the Golden Gate Audubon Society volunteers, who taught us about the fascinating world of our local feathered friends. With their guidance, our teen campers built monofilament collectors for our boats to protect wildlife from stray fishing line.

This one goes hand-in-hand with Science Fridays. On this particular Thursday, our Golden Gate Audubon Society friend called upon us to help release 10 young Western Gulls back into the wild from the International Bird Rescue. We were more than happy to oblige!
​Check out the full article at alamedasun.com/news/sailing-students-help-young-birds?utm_source=Unknown+List&utm_campaign=d43d28d306-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_09_05_08_45&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-d43d28d306-

4. Touring the Ocean Cleanup

Have you heard of the massive trash-collecting device on its way to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Well, our Session 5 campers got to climb in, on, and around the pipe used for that, just weeks before it launched! We sailed into Seaplane Lagoon for lunch, docked at the Saildrone docks, and were welcomed up to The Ocean Cleanup site for a tour and Q&A session. It was awesome.
​For more info on the project, check out www.theoceancleanup.com/

They’re hilarious.
STEAM campers use buoyancy and displacement calculations to engineer vessels made of cardboard and packing tape. True craftsmanship is put to the test once the boats get launched with campers inside. The teams compete for designations like Furthest Travelled, Longest Floating, and Most Rickety.

We’ve been fortunate to partner with Girls Inc. of the Island City for years, and this year we opened that camp to all girls, not just those from Girls Inc. It sold out immediately, and was an absolute blast. One highlight from Girl’s Camp was having special guest, Krysia Pohl, of the USCG, speak to the girls just days before embarking on her Pacific Cup voyage. I suspect some future ocean racing was inspired that day.

The camp potluck... a time-tested, camper-approved ACSC tradition. We go from a morning of free-sailing to an afternoon of downing delicious sailboat-themed treats. Lastly, to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance, and while donning their new ACSC t-shirts, campers are each awarded a personalized driftwood trophy.

The ACSC Board Members and volunteers stepped up once again to host a fun, relaxing, and yummy day for all of our beloved sailors. With beautiful weather and an ideal breeze, campers showed off their sailing skills to family and friends, and staff members took newbies out for skippered joy rides. In between sharing sea-stories and enjoying BBQ, we had over 160 sailors get out on the water. There couldn’t have been a more delightful end to our fabulous summer sailing season.

Another great day of sailing

Dissection Day!

Our STEAM whiteboard after the buoyancy lesson. Thanks to our volunteer, and retired aeronautical engineer, Bryan Leyda, for his help with the curriculum!

Originally written by Dawn Lemoine & Marjorie Powell in the Alameda Sun 8/23/2018.

Read the full article here.

Earlier this month 10 gull chicks just learning how to be Western Gulls in San Francisco Bay were helped by a group of youngsters learning how to be sailors.

The gull chicks had been raised at the International Bird Rescue (IBR) in Fairfield. Brought there as injured or orphaned chicks and after weeks of care, even surgery in at least one case, the birds were old and well enough to be released. The youngsters were sailing students at the Alameda Community Sailing Center’s (ACSC) summer sailing camp, which meets at the Encinal Boat Ramp on the West End.

Dawn Lemoine, an Alameda resident and relatively new volunteer for IBR, was looking for an open patch of beach near the USS Hornet  to release the birds. She had two large animal 

​When ACSC director Emily Zugnoni asked for volunteers, all of the sailing students volunteered. A number of campers carefully carried the crates to the beach where Lemoine opened them. The students had several insightful questions and observations, all of which were discussed after the chicks were released. ​​

Lemoine had been warned that young chicks might be too nervous to... Enjoy the full article here.

And for that, this month has been pretty stellar!

If you’ve been within earshot of the water lately, you might have noticed there’s a big commotion going on. The San Francisco herring spawn is on! For fishermen, nature lovers, and our avian brothers, this is one of those large, planet scale events, and one which you can easily witness in person.

​​The herring spawn offers us a short window to see the wonders of what nature has perfected over thousands of years. And lucky for us, our watery backyard is one of the rare places on the West Coast with just the right conditions needed to host such an event. Each year starting in November, hundreds of millions of Pacific Coast Herring leave the open ocean, swim under our iconic golden gate bridge and take up residence in the bay. Apparently they sort of loiter around for a few weeks, living off of their stored fat, taking in the local sights perhaps—and then all at once, and somewhat randomly, a spawn is triggered. Over a few days, a frenzy of activity occurs! The males rush into shallower waters, spraying their milt and releasing pheromones. This signals the females each of whom lay down about 20,000 very adhesive eggs. The result is a blanket of fish roe that clings to eelgrass, kelp, rocks, pilings and yes, your sailboat’s fine hull. It’s a large, large numbers game, and good thing too because...

On the opposite side of the food web, there are all sorts of animals that find the oil-rich herring and its eggs to be quite the tasty delicacy. Crustaceans, starfish, shorebirds and bottom feeders, feed on the high protein eggs. The spawning schools themselves are under aerial attack by dive-bombing cormorants,  guillemots, gulls and other swimming birds. From under the waves, sea lions, seals, and porpoises engage in some spirited fishing and can be seen surfacing then slipping under water, often with some surprisingly loud breathing. Even whales are known to feed on large schools of herring. True, that’s more in the open ocean than our bay, but it has been known to happen. 

Over all, the chances of surviving to the age of three, are thought to be about 50-50. Unlike salmon though, herring can reproduce each year and barring becoming someone’s dinner, live to the ripe age of ten.

​The future isn’t exactly pretty, but not set in stone either. Commercial fishing and egg harvesting in the bay area is regulated. California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) reports that the SF Bay’s 2016-2017 Pacific herring spawning biomass was estimated at 18,300 tons. For the third year in a row, that is below the historical average 49,400 tons. Why such a dismal turnout? It is believed that the 2015-2016 El Niño event, and 2016 “Warm Blob” produced sub-optimal conditions in the northeast Pacific. Furthermore, snow melt due to 2016’s warmer spring plus a wetter winter, also reduced salinity of the Bay Area, possibly affecting the young larvae. So, yes, this year’s report (expected June) may not turn out to be the best on record, but the population numbers in the past have rebounded pretty dramatically. With one female producing about 20,000 eggs, it’s easy to understand why as Ryan Bartling, a fisheries scientist puts it, “the only predictable thing about herring is that they’re unpredictable.”

As good stewards of the world, we need to make sure the bay stays healthy. Like a nice healthy heart pumping fresh life, driving the cycle. Join us as a volunteer at our next beach clean up perhaps?

To enjoy this limited time spectacle check in with our good friends at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for reports of active sites. This year Mission Bay, Paradise Cove, Brooks Island Bird Sanctuary (Point Richmond) and even our very own Alameda rockwall have been listed as active spots. The peak is usually mid-January thru February. 
A good rule of thumb is to look for a large number of very squawky birds, diving ducks, snorting pinnipeds, and fishing boats. Oh and no doubt, you’ll hear me and my little herring saying, “here fishy, fishy, fishieee.”

Nothing helps bring out the smiles like a beautifully sunny day, free boat access and some tastey bbq.

​Special thanks to all our volunteers that helped by captaining a boat, or captaining the grill and info desk. Our safety boats motored around our harbor as Sail Cubes, CFJ's and two of our Capri 14.2s gave free boat rides. Lots of excitement in the area with Hobie Cats launching and a Flying Dutchman enjoying the breeze.