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Every middle and high school in San Francisco is given one or more opportunities to have a Blue Water Sail for an afternoon on the Bay.

There are always two Blue Water-certified "captains" on board in addition to the volunteer crew. Police officers and teachers also attend, interacting with the children and "learning the ropes." There are efforts to educate the children into sea life, tides, currents and sailing dynamics in a place where the lesson is taught by nature itself.

The School Health Program Department of the San Francisco School District sends sign up forms to each school in the Spring for the following school year and the forms are received back on a first come-first served basis. Meyla Ruwin of the Health Program at 415-242-2615 is the organizer and contact person for those wishing to participate.

By its very nature, sailing is an outdoor activity that has some risk and each child’s parents are required to sign a waiver and release form to have their children participate on the sails. Note, however, that in over a decade of sails with eight thousand children participating, not a single child has been injured!

The sea is a challenging environment, however, and that must be kept in mind by all those participating in this exciting program. Safety is a constant concern of the Foundation since it is well aware that the excitement and intensity of the Bay and the ocean requires attention to maintaining safe vessels and keeping trained crews on board.

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