Learn to Sail a Tall Ship aboard Gas Light.
Sailing is one of the most exhilarating sports on the planet. Not only has it been around for thousands of years, but it has evolved and changed throughout time. Todays modern sailboats offer all kinds of mechanical and electronic advantages. Everything from electric winches, self tacking sails, auto-pilots, bow thrusters, etc… Our vessel, Gas Light takes you back over 150 years to the days of humans using their own muscle and skill for mechanical advantage and their 5 senses for navigation, planning and maneuvering. The men and women who built and sailed these Tall Ships throughout the region used their own intellect and ingenuity to overcome the challenges of moving freight and passengers over ever-changing and sometimes rough waters.
What Bay Lights Charters is offering in our Introduction to Tall Ship Sailing class is the opportunity to be a real part of the hands-on experience of setting sail on a historic scow schooner gaff-rigged vessel. This introductory class will take students through a brief history of the scow schooners and the essential role they played on San Francisco Bay during the California Gold Rush era.
The scow schooners like our Gas Light, ruled the waterways from the Golden Gate to the cities of Sacramento and Stockton for over a half-century beginning around 1850. Most scow hulled vessels were rigged as schooners because of the efficiency and power of the two masted design. Gas Light is nearly an exact replica of a scow schooner by the same name that operated in the Bay beginning in 1874. Her very flat bottomed hull and sharp turn of the bilge is characteristic of the stable, yet quick shape of the scows. The scow designs were able to carry nearly twice their weight in cargo safely and securely due to their unique hull shape.
You will literally be sailing a part of history in this hands-on class. Students will learn the workings of a traditional gaff rig, how to Ballantine and belay a line on a Tall Ship, the fine art of balancing a schooner rig for the most efficient speed under sail and so much more. This class will include a chance to get out on the water to hoist the sails, take the helm, and become a crew for the day on a living piece of American history aboard Gas Light. You could be sailing this one-of-a-kind vessel in the same waters her sister ships plied in the 1800’s!
UPDATED COVID-19 INFO
Please note that we can only offer this sail if we sell all 12 tickets, which is currently the maximum number of passengers. In the event that not enough tickets are sold, existing tickets will be rescheduled/refunded.
Our current guidelines for our charter boat is to require that all guests board and disembark 1 guest at a time, 6' apart. For your safety and ours we're also requiring that all guests arrive wearing masks (covering both mouth and nose) and keep masks on while boarding, underway (unless eating/drinking), and disembarking. Captain and Crew will be in masks as well.
Crew will be cleaning with CDC approved disinfecting agents between each use. Hand sanitizer will be available on all decks and inside the vessel. We hope it's understandable until public health conditions improve and allow us higher capacities these measures will be enforced! Here is a link for more info on our public health guidelines for COVID-19 .
