The volunteer crew of Polaris, our 1906 gaff sloop (see Sail with Us for more about Polaris) was busy this past weekend getting Polaris ready for the 2010 sailing season. Polaris, along with Pegaus, our 1962 Spaulding 33, take guests out for sails on San Francisco Bay. A total of eight crew rotations will be training and preparing in the next weeks for the upcoming sailing season.

Galilee Harbor, a community of house boats and boat houses, held its annual Maritime Day festival yesterday in Sausalito. The Spaulding Wooden Boat Center was on hand to offer rides on our 1906 gaff sloop Polaris. Skipper Martín and his crew Dylan and Jody took 21 guests out sailing during the day.

Most residents of Galilee Harbor are artists drawn by the cooperative nature of the community, and the marina was organized with the goal of preserving a working floating home community matched with land-based marine services.

The Spaulding Center’s boats Polaris and Pegasus both competed in yesterday’s Master Mariners Regatta of classic wooden boats on San Francisco Bay. Another Spaulding-designed boat, Chrysopyle, a privately-owned 46′ sloop, also participated in the race. It was a cold and foggy day on the Bay, but Spaulding Center staff, volunteers and friends who served as crew reported they had a great time.

The regatta originated in 1867 in a Fourth of July race among the large coastal schooners, sailing scows and other working boats of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Polaris is a 34 foot gaff-rigged pumpkinseed sloop, built on San Francisco Bay in 1906.

Polaris heading towards starting line off San Francisco waterfront

Pegasus is a Myron Spaulding-designed Spaulding 33, built in San Francisco by Michael Schnapp in 1962.

Pegasus on starboard tack

Pegasus in 2009 Master Mariners Regatta

Chrysopyle was orignally a yawl, designed and built at the Spaulding Boatworks in 1961.

Spaulding-designed sloop Chrysopyle

Competitors after the race at Encinal Yacht Club

We are delighted to inform our members that we have raised the necessary funds to repair Polaris,  our 34-foot 1906 gaff-sloop.

In June of 2008, we noticed a small crack in her hull. After a thorough inspection, the Spaulding Board of Directors decided to stop sailing her. Since then, we have been raising funds to bring Polaris back to the Spaulding Center’s high standards.

Polaris has been the matriarch of our Public Sails Program. More than 120 young people, seniors and adult volunteers have sailed and crewed on her.

Following repairs, Polaris will be skippered by our Board President, Tom List, in the Master Mariners Regatta in May. She also will rejoin our Public Sails Program. The Spaulding Center would like to thank all the donors who made this possible.

Please stop by the Center to see Polaris under repair and to celebrate her continuing service with us.

Polaris on the derrick at the Spaulding Boatworks this month