The cold wind didn't bother Nai Tai as the 15-year-old
sophomore stood at the helm of the 57-foot sailboat wearing
only a T-shirt, baggy pants and black Nikes.
``Let go Line 2!'' the Richmond teen yelled, and at the sailboat's bow, Rosalinda Martinez, 16, pulled a rope off a wooden piling, as the Nehemiah
glided slowly away from Marina Bay.
``Aye, aye!'' she answered.
That windy morning on the San Francisco Bay, Nai, Rosalinda
and 13 other Richmond High School students were in charge of
the 30-year-old sailboat in one of two major East Bay programs
that let low-income and at-risk youths experience the thrills
of sailing.
``It's cool,'' Nai said. ``It's doing things
by ourselves. Even though we're teenagers, we hoisted that main
sail -- and we did it perfectly.''
The Nehemiah program
began in 1997 when the sailboat's owners, Rod and Joni Phillips,
teamed up with the U.S. Coast Guard to teach Richmond High School
students about navigation and sailing.
The Nehemiah takes
as many as 300 youths a year, including 50 from Richmond High,
Joni Phillips said. ``The objective is to broaden their view,
to teach them responsibility,'' she said. ``It's good for them
to go beyond concrete.''
In Berkeley, the Pegasus, a 51-
foot sailboat, also takes area elementary and high school students
sailing, while teaching them some basics of marine ecology.
The program takes as many as 700 children a year, said Peter
Hayes, co-director of the Nautilus Institute, a Berkeley think tank
that owns Pegasus.
``There is a large unfulfilled need for kids who are growing up in
the city to have access to the wilderness, and the closest available
wilderness is the bay,'' Hayes said.
ABOARD THE NEHEMIAH
In Richmond, students spend hours in the classroom learning the
basics of sailing, including safety procedures and how to plot a
course. They then apply what they learned on two sailing trips.
``We stand next to them, but they do everything,'' said Joni
Phillips, decked out in a bright yellow jacket, a cap and sneakers as
she waited for the teenagers to arrive.
``The idea is to put them in charge,'' said Rod Phillips, who also
works as a ferryboat captain for the Red and White Fleet.
He said he's not worried about the teenagers wrecking his boat.
``This boat has been around the world -- it can take some
teenagers,'' Phillips said.
Besides, Joni and Rod Phillips are experienced sailors, and with
them on the sailing trips are three members of the U.S. Coast Guard
ready to help the couple take charge in case something goes wrong.
``It's going to be very windy,'' bellowed Dan Johnston, a chief
quartermaster with the Coast Guard. ``You are going to have to pay
attention. If you're feeling dizzy, look out and stare at the
horizon.''
Before they cast off, Johnston reviews safety procedures,
including how to put on a life jacket.
Using a compass and charts, Coast Guard Quartermaster Ray Codd worked
with navigators Fenesha Hill, 16, and Elizabeth Orozco, 15, who
yells, ``Steer 180!``
And Nai, who lives with his parents and six siblings in Richmond,
acknowledges the course setting and steers the Nehemiah toward the
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.
The teenagers stayed sharp, performing their assigned duties.
Ricardo Cintron, 16, of San Pablo, the son of a preschool teacher
and a mechanic, was engineer that day, and it was his job to make
sure that the engine didn't catch fire.
But the two-hour sail was also a time for fun.
Past the breakwater, the waves became choppier as the wind blew
hard. The boat slammed against waves, splashing water at crew
members. The teenagers screamed. Nai laughed and jumped for joy.
``Free shower,'' Johnston joked.
``I already took a shower,'' Blanca Cervantes, 17, answered.
``It's something different that I had never done before,''
Rosalinda said.
As they returned to Marina Bay, Johnston sounded satisfied.
``I would take you sailing with me any day,'' he told the
teenagers. ``If you ever want to join the Coast Guard, keep us in
mind.''
``Good job, good team work,'' navigator Elizabeth said as the
Nehemiah docked.
``That's what it's all about,'' Johnston added.
ABOARD THE PEGASUS
In Berkeley, Hayes, an Australian immigrant who recently won a
MacArthur ``genius'' grant for his work on nuclear disarmament and
energy issues, welcomed students of Rosa Parks Elementary School to
the Pegasus at the Berkeley Marina.
The 5-year-old program is run in cooperation with such Berkeley
outdoor youth programs as the Shorebird Nature Center and the
Berkeley Boosters.
Like the crew of the Nehemiah, Hayes and the Pegasus volunteers
stress the importance of safety.
``Always, one hand on the boat,'' Hayes told the 10 children as
they prepared to board.
A few minutes after casting off, the engine was shut off for an
aural exercise. Hayes told the children to close their eyes and count
the sounds they heard.
One by one, they named the sounds: water splashing, cars on the
freeway, wind, birds, helicopters.
``They can situate themselves in the bioregion they're in and have
a personal identification with the ecosystems that support the
city,'' Hayes said. ``They get basic life skills that they don't get
on land.''
It's also a time to learn about self-discipline, he added.
``This is a big vessel and if you don't treat it with respect, it
will hurt you,'' Hayes said.
Like the Phillipses, the Pegasus volunteers said they simply want
to share with disadvantaged children the joys of being on the water.
Eleven-year-old Cathy Alexander cherished the experience.
As the Pegasus tilted sharply while making a turn, she feigned
fear, yelling, ``Tilt back, tilt back. This ain't funny anymore.''
And as she sat on the sailboat's bowsprit, she was simply
ecstatic.
``I'm top of the world!'' she said, the wind in her face.
WHERE TO CALL
For information about the Nehemiah, call (510) 234-5054. For the
Pegasus, call (510) 295-6110.
E-mail Benjamin Pimentel at pimentel@sfgate.com
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