First Three Months at LAMI

The time here has been busy: getting to know the key players, the ships and systems, our way around the big city and how to put some new touches and inspiration into the Los Angeles Maritime Institute´s TopSail Youth Program.

The organization is celebrating 20 years this year and with a gala fundraising dinner and sail on April 27th. It is amazing to see how many young lives have be influenced by sailing aboard the Swift of Ipswich first, then both Swift, and the Bill of Rights (both topsail schooners) and currently on the twin brigantines, Irving Johnson and Exy Johnson.   In early February, we attended the Tall Ships America conference in Erie, Pennsylvania. It was rewarding to be reacquainted with the other people in the industry again.  Interestingly, the young man, Brian Holmen, who is the youth co-ordinator for the coming summer festivities, is a graduate of LAMI TopSail.  

The brigantines are currently starting to get ready for the busy spring and summer season.  The Exy is currently having work done to replace her dolphin-striker so the photo of Captain, First Mate and crew working on greasing up the rigging prior to replacing it on the bowsprit gives you an insight on the hard work going on.

The photos of young people on the Irving preparing to leave the dock show the teamwork and skills they are learning aboard the vessels.

With the help of staff and crew, we are revamping the paperwork in the form of Captains` and Mates` Manual, Crew Handbook, Emergency Response Plan, logo, etc.  The Port of Los Angeles provides much needed funding for the TopSail Program offering the use of the ships and program to inner city youth at little or no cost to them.  There is much paperwork involved in renewing these grants so  Martyn has been busy preparing quarterly reports and composing the request for continued funding.

 All in all the task at hand is an awe-inspiring one and we are trying hard to achieve much to make sure that this vital and worthy program stays afloat.  We hope to steer the program on to another 20 years and to prepare it for with a new ED at the helm in the near future!

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