Dear friends,
When Jim Gladson and a dedicated group of sail training advocates founded the Los Angeles Maritime Institute nearly 33 years ago, we focused on working with students at Title I schools. These students came from the most under-resourced communities throughout Los Angeles, and they had the least available access to experiential learning opportunities like ours, so we knew they would benefit the most. With your support, we helped these youth develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to stay in school and become healthy, self-reliant and productive adults, while also exposing them to a variety of maritime and STEM-related careers and vocations – and we still do today.
We all know the world has changed immensely over the last 30 years, and we too have grown and evolved to better address the needs of youth and families. We’ve expanded our programs to meet updated curriculum standards and feedback from educators, and we now serve a wider audience through subsidized and paid educational opportunities, as well as summer camp, public sails, bilingual sails, and more on multiple tall ships.
When someone steps onto one of these tall ships, they still step into a world where mutual respect, patience, self-discipline, integrity and tenacity are nurtured. However, now the impacts of increased screen time are offset by the activities inherent to our programs, such as face-to-face communication and teamwork. While these have been part of our program from the beginning, providing opportunities for youth to practice these skills has become more important than ever in a world where we all spend a great deal of time being connected by and to screens. That’s just one of the many reasons we believe all youth can benefit from the intellectual, physical and mental challenges we provide.
Chris on the foredeck – his happy place.
One thing that hasn’t changed since our early years is the dedication of our team, and on the ships, that is made up of hard-working paid and volunteer crew members who contribute their time and talents to make these programs possible. Chris Halsted is a prime example of that. He is a multi-talented musician and skilled sailor who helps bring our programs to life, while also serving as one of our resident experts in historic and celestial navigation.
Chris recently joined us on a five-day program with Pasadena’s Polytechnic School. They’re one of our returning educational partners, thanks to Chris’s introduction, and they invest in this program each year to give their students an opportunity to immerse themselves in a real-world learning environment aboard both of our brigantines. As they embarked on the journey, the students began practicing teamwork, communication, critical thinking and leadership skills right away as they learned how to set sails and navigate alongside the crew.
“One of the best things about tall ship crewing is introducing others to it,” Chris shared upon their return. “Last week was spent voyaging with 40 high schoolers. Really proud of the students’ sail handling skills on this voyage. By day five, they knew their sails and most of their pin rails, coils, knots, commands, and nav skills – enough to start steering and handling the boats with a drive, intent, and desire to experience life fully that one rarely senses in teenagers.”
The students also experienced various STEM concepts in action by helping to set sails and navigate in varying conditions, as well as through the hands-on activities we designed in collaboration with their teachers – something we do to meet the needs of each group. For these students, the experiential activities included studying water chemistry, dissecting squid and learning about ancient navigation.
“Breathtaking weather: brisk winds, clearest skies, and inspiring stars! After two days of transiting, we spent the afternoon and into the evening handling lines, canvas, and learning to trim for speed in the rising winds and setting sun; one student who had just got his learners permit commented that this was better than the best car ride he could imagine… the kids also learned to stand and crew night watches, and as I was the celestial and archaic nav teacher, I had a field day (night?)! Sail on!”
Of course, the students also had plenty of opportunities to try new things, face their fears, bond with each other and reach new heights by climbing onto the bowsprit or up into the rigging, as well as kayaking, swimming and snorkeling in the ocean. They also sang sea shanties and a round of happy birthday – synchronously on both boats – to one of their friends.
“We had some driven climbers and sky larkers on this voyage! My favorite night watch with the kids was the 2am watch on our last night. It was an exhilarating bonding experience that I, and I’m sure the kids on watch that night, will always remember.”
Chris’s words beautifully demonstrate some of the many ways our programs have an impact on the youth who sail with us. While this school is able to provide the experience for their students, paid sails only account for a small portion of the students we serve each year. Just like in our early years, sponsored sails for Title I schools still remain our central focus, and people like you and the support of our community make this program possible for the many schools and students who could not otherwise afford it.
During the 2023-2024 school year, we partnered with more than 65 schools, youth groups and nonprofit organizations to provide this immersive experience to 5,314 upper elementary, middle and high school students, and we partnered with generous people like you to provide these experiences to 68% of those students. Of the schools who benefitted from sponsored sails, 87% of their students were eligible for Free and Reduced Priced Meals, an indicator that they’re vulnerable to poverty.
Like everyone else, one of our biggest challenges right now is the rising cost of expenses, and for us, this includes the exponential rise in maritime insurance. In the past three years, our maritime insurance has climbed from $249k to $286k. (Compare this to even 10 years ago, when it was half that!) These are among the reasons why we are forecasting a $200k short fall by the end of the calendar year. We need your help to close that gap, so we don’t have to limit the number of sponsored sails we can provide during the Spring semester.
Please join us in providing our unique, immersive learning experience to the students who need it most by making a year-end donation before December 31. You can make your donation online at lamitopsail.org/donate or mail your donation to us – click here for details. When you do, you will be giving more local youth the opportunity to learn and grow with us, while also helping to offset the impact of rising costs that might otherwise limit these experiences.
Gratefully,
p.s. Many people find that when they make a set contribution each month, it allows them to make an even bigger impact each year. Having this predictable income each month also helps us propel confidently throughout the year. That’s why we’ve made it easy for you to sign up for automated monthly donations, which makes you a member of our monthly giving program, Prevailing Winds! Click here to learn more and set up your donation online.
DONATE BY MAIL
Make checks payable to Los Angeles Maritime Institute, and send them to:
Los Angeles Maritime Institute
73 Berth, Suite 2
San Pedro, CA 90731
FOR DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS AND QUALIFIED CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTIONS
Please direct your contributions to:
Bruce Heyman, Executive Director
Los Angeles Maritime Institute
Berth 73, Suite 2
Los Angeles, CA 90731
Phone: 310-833-6055
EIN: 33-0515416
Please note: Donor-Advised Funds and Qualified Charitable Distributions must be 100% tax-deductible. This means we cannot accept them as Prevailing Winds contributions due to the perks provided (e.g. goods and services).