For more than 30 years, young people have made discoveries about themselves, their abilities and the world around them aboard a tall ship as they participate in our award-winning TopSail Youth Program. A unique, exciting and challenging exploration in active learning, the program is designed to foster curiosity, self-empowerment, critical thinking, teamwork, leadership, STEM comprehension and environmental awareness.
Recognizing the extraordinary value of hands-on learning outside of the traditional classroom setting, our founder Captain Jim Gladson – an LAUSD science teacher and sailor – designed an innovative program that incorporates every aspect of operating a complex, traditionally rigged sailing vessel to engage youth in the excitement of learning. In addition to bringing subjects like science, engineering and math to life, the real-world learning environment challenges young participants to work together while improving communication skills, stimulating critical thinking and building confidence. It also provides a safe environment to address a variety of feelings, especially with the “challenge by choice” activities that are popular among students and teachers alike.
The experience of learning at sea is an educational adventure that few students forget, bringing STEM subjects to life and creating excitement around learning.
The TopSail Youth Program is an education and adventure experience designed for upper elementary, middle and high school students. It is available as single-day sails, multi-day voyages, or both – perfect for school field trips, youth groups, youth-serving organizations and more. Taking place dockside in Downtown San Pedro or Long Beach and aboard our tall ships, the crew guides students through various activities required to operate the complex sailing vessel, as well as specific STEM activities depending on the group’s priorities.
Hands-on activities such as setting sails, learning navigation, examining marine life and testing water quality strengthen the students’ connection to each other and nature as they work together to sail the ship and learn about the ocean environment that surrounds them. The immersive experience provides numerous real-world examples of the STEM subjects they study in school, which creates excitement around learning, and the teamwork and critical thinking skills required to operate and navigate the vessel under varying conditions helps them develop valuable skills necessary to problem-solve and succeed in any profession – or life in general.
Our program has a rich history of fostering environmental awareness and ocean literacy, as well as inspiring the young participants to pursue maritime and STEM-related fields of study. The TopSail STEM Program builds on our signature TopSail Youth Program, leveraging the STEM framework inherent to our program. Click here to learn more about TopSail STEM.
We also collaborate with the teachers and youth group leaders on the program’s curriculum and experiential activities, because they are customizable to meet the educational priorities of the school or group. In addition, they can choose to include activities that expose students to such topics as physics, marine biology, watershed ecology, plastics in the ocean or food supply – all designed to reinforce classroom learning in full support of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). See more details in our Program Brochure.
Contact us for availability and other booking details!
For questions, scheduling/availability, or more information about booking your class or group: Please contact Alice Taylor, Director of Sales and Marketing, at 310-833-6055 or info@lamitopsail.org. You can also contact Alice for questions regarding contracts and payment.
Our Tall Ships
The program is offered out of San Pedro aboard our twin brigantines, Irving Johnson and Exy Johnson, traditionally rigged 110-foot vessels and the Official Tall Ships of the City of Los Angeles. The program is also available aboard our three-masted schooner, American Pride – the Official Tall Ship of the City of Long Beach – under the auspices of our Long Beach division, the Children’s Maritime Institute.
Our twin brigantines, Irving Johnson and Exy Johnson, were built by crew and volunteers in the San Pedro Harbor specifically for our organization. Launched in 2002, the ships were named after experiential learning pioneers who sailed around the world seven times with young crews in the 1930s and 1950s, with a short hiatus as a result of World War II. Click here to learn more about our tall ships!