Who Can Volunteer?
We are interested in experienced sailors, of course, but one unique aspect of our organization is that we train willing volunteers in sailing. If the volunteer works at it long enough, both on Blue Water sails and with other vessels, we will also train them to the extent that they can captain one of our vessels.

Many of our members are Coast Guard Licensed captains. Indeed, we have some members who are in the Coast Guard. But others of our volunteers first learned to sail working within Blue Water, learning with the kids, and experiencing, as the kids do, the wonder and excitement of mastering the skill and art of sailing. Infact, one past President learned to sail in Blue Water and now runs a program that takes a thousand children a year out to the Bay!

It's About the Kids
Whether you are a sailor or not, the key talent we need is the ability to interact with young people of all backgrounds. We are an organization that is directed to youth, providing them with a setting that most of them have never before encountered — the sea. It is the combination of adventure, nature, and interaction with caring adults that provides the remarkable experience for the students and has lead to many, many letters from them and their teachers stressing the amazing effect that only a few hours on the water has on many of these young people.

Training & Certification
Blue Water operates a full-scale training and certification program ranging from "Crew" through "Senior Crew," "Second Captain" "First Captain" and "Blue Water Captain." Before volunteers can work as part of a crew or captain a vessel they have to demonstrate compliance with the certification levels (PDF file).

We are happy to train volunteers who show the commitment and enthusiasm necessary to become good sailors and mentors to the students. Blue Water takes pride in the dozens of remarkably qualified volunteers who have "learned the ropes" in our program. The cost? Helping us help the kids.

We are proud of our training and it is essential to the safety of all participants. We are one of the few organizations that has a regular, live, man overboard drill in which we train by retrieving one of our members who actually dives into the water repeatedly while we practice picking him up.

How To Volunteer
If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a volunteer, please email Tim Weeg, our volunteer coordinator: jweeg@ earthlink.net.