SIGHTINGS sailing books
a snapshot of the matthew turner
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Latitude 38
• December, 2018
Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin once noted, "The mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone." What a great thought! Here's another: Books make great holiday gifts. Any of these will go far toward making your loved ones' minds — and sailing — sharper. Plumbelly (Gary Maynard, $25) — When singlehanded cruiser 'Ohio Dave' dies in an accident, nobody seems to notice that his little sloop, Plumbelly, is slowly sinking in the anchorage at Tongu Tongu. Nobody, that is, except a trio of
ALL PHOTOS LATITUDE / TIM
As of this writing, work on the 100-ft brigantine Matthew Turner continues at a steady pace. The rigging is 85% complete, several sails are onboard, and every day Matthew Turner looks more and more like a completed ship. But this isn't a story about what new system has been installed, who's on the crew, or when the first sail is planned. Instead, we just wanted to stop and take a moment to appreciate the remarkable fact that a tall ship is being built right before our very eyes, right here on the Bay. "It's a rare thing," said project director Alan Olson of the Matthew Turner, which, at 100 feet and 175 tons is the largest wooden ship built in the Bay Area in almost 100 years. "It represents our history." Since the keel was laid in October 2013, community support for the project has been astounding. This has meant real cash to the tune of about $6 million, as well as an army of volunteers logging well over 156,000 hours. Olson said that Call of the Sea, the nonprofit building Matthew Turner, is still in fundraising mode. They need $328,000 to get the ship ready for sea trials and USCG approval. "Our vision is to build a ship that can last 100 years," Olson told us during a recent conversation at the Matthew Turner office in Sausalito. "Sailors will have the same experience sailing on Matthew Turner 100 years from now." Olson said he's excited to finally see the new tall ship out on the Bay. "We think it will be a striking sight. We don't want to make too big of a deal over it — but, we think she could become an icon." We contemplated the idea of a classic square rigger, representing the late 19th century, sailing off the Cityfront. We then wondered aloud about Matthew Turner sailing a century from now, representing not just one but two bygone eras. The thought tickled us. "Transcending time," Olson said. Call of the Sea aims to give youth and passengers of all ages an opportunity to sail on traditional tall ships, to be immersed in the Bay's marine environment and maritime history, and to inspire future generations to become stewards of their newly discovered world. During his own youth in Minnesota, Olson worked for Ski Antics, a famous waterski show. The show's promoter saddled Olson with tremendous responsibility for a young man. "It was a dream job," Olson said, "but he was a demanding mentor who accepted no excuses." Once in his 20s and craving adventure, Olson would eventually build a 40-ft catamaran and sail down the Mississippi, on to Florida, and into the Caribbean. The idea of taking on responsibility has found its way into the Call of the Sea, which Olson co-founded in 1984. The organization's 82-ft schooner Seaward has served over 60,000 students, averaging 5,000 a year. "Today, youth recreate or play games, and there's nothing wrong with that. But when you're on a ship, it's not a game. It's an alternative experience compared to what many youth are used to. You're working with and connecting to the power of nature." Among the many extraordinary details about Matthew Turner — and its devotion to future generations — is its small carbon footprint. The ship was constructed with Douglas fir and Oregon white oak that comes from sustainable and responsibly managed local forests. All the paint is acrylic based, and, for the pièce de résistance, Matthew Turner's propulsion is twin 200-kW electric motors that generate power under sail using BAE HybriDrive systems. "It's the greenest tall ship ever built, Olson said. "It's a commitment we made early on. We thought about looking out for the next generation's future."
