Los Angeles Maritime Institute in San Pedro, Los Angeles County, United States | Sailing

Welcome to the Los Angeles Maritime Institute, San Pedro, United States. Los Angeles Maritime Institute, San Pedro, Sailing Opportunities.  Since its founding in 1992, the mission of The Los Angeles Maritime Institute's "TopSail Youth Program" has been to use sail training to provide youth with real-life challenges that develop knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to live healthy, productive lives. This multi-award-winning program has become a model program for others, worldwide.
The Los Angeles Maritime Institute is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public-benefit corporation, founded by retired science teacher and Sailing program pioneer, Captain Jim Gladson. The Institute is governed by a Board of 12 Directors. With a current full-time staff of only four (two administrative and two licensed captains) the Institute utilizes the skills and enthusiasm of several hundred volunteers to sail, maintain and support the ships and the programs, producing almost $4 worth of program for every donated dollar spent.
During the 2001-2002 school year, our TopSail Youth Program provided over 5000 youth Sailing days to 67 different schools and youth organizations. In that year, our volunteers logged over 48,000 job specific hours (the equivalent of about 24 full-time employees). There is no minimum time commitment for our volunteers, no previous experience is necessary and no fees are required. Volunteers are required to take a series of "Program Delivery" classes to ensure consistent program delivery and proper interaction with both youth and adults crews.
Our educational venue is the ocean on board classic-rigged Sailing vessels. The 70' topsail schooner Swift of Ipswich, the 94' gaff-topsail schooner Bill of Rights, and the Twin Brigantines Irving Johnson and Exy Johnson make a unique and challenging environment that nurtures the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are both necessary for the education of today's youth, and difficult to teach in the traditional classroom. Youth are encouraged to explore and respond to the world around them. Science, mathematics, physics, biology, geography, world trade, economics, history, literature, and even poetry suddenly come to life in this real world classroom.
The ships sail with a crew of mariner/ educators/ mentors. They are charged with encouraging and fostering the growth of: awareness, understanding, communication, cooperation and teamwork, along with the maturation of their attitudes regarding persistence, patience, endurance, courage and caution. These are all definite milestones, but the ultimate destination is individual responsibility, competency and leadership.