Navigating New Waters: Culturally Relevant Sailing with Sea Potential
By Savannah Smith, Sea Potential, LLC
Photo courtesy: Savannah Smith, Sea Potential, LLC
Introduction
At Sea Potential, we’ve designed and facilitated a variety of youth programs for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) ages 12-18, but the summer of 2024 marked a meaningful first: our inaugural culturally relevant sailing program! Partnering with the Center for Wooden Boats (CWB), we approached this opportunity as more than a chance to teach technical sailing skills—it became a way to align with our drive to empower BIPOC youth by designing heart-based programming that celebrates identity, representation, and connection to the water.
This blog reflects on the why behind culturally relevant programming, how we built this initiative, its impact on the youth and community, and the challenges and lessons we encountered along the way.
Why Culturally Relevant Sailing Programs Matter
Connection to Cultural Heritage
Water holds deep meaning across global cultures, but dominant narratives about sailing often neglect these histories. In addition to holding space for the colonial and oppressive aspects of maritime history (e.g., the transatlantic slave trade), we sought to reclaim the water as a place of innovation, resilience, and connection. Demonstrated in the presentation slide we created and shared with our participants below, you can see that there is a long history of sailing innovation that has occurred long before the traumatic histories that often come to the forefront of BIPOC youth’s minds when looking at a schooner.
Photo courtesy: Sea Potential, LLC
Following our Global History of Sailing overview, each day we focused on the maritime history of a different culture or region. Our goal was to foster a sense of belonging, framing the program as an opportunity for reconnection with water and wooden boats—rather than reinforcing the idea that they are breaking into a historically exclusive activity.
Lack of Representation in Sailing
For generations, marginalized communities in the U.S. have faced financial and social barriers that limit access to sailing clubs and programs. Many initiatives across the country have also primarily focused on technical skills, often overlooking the importance of cultural representation. Throughout my experiences engaging with folks in the sailing industry, I have met predominantly White individuals who often cite family connections as key to their early exposure and understanding of sailing culture. Our program was designed to expand this narrative by teaching our youth about diverse sailing histories that extend beyond their own cultural backgrounds. When I presented our approach at the Teaching With Small Boats Alliance conference this past fall, it was encouraging to see others resonate and want to learn more. Many attendees expressed interest in incorporating similar elements into their own programs—ensuring that BIPOC participants see their lived experiences and historical water cultures meaningfully reflected in sailing education.
Additional Benefits for Youth
Sailing became a vehicle for personal transformation:
● Building Confidence: One participant that I’ve continued to mentor shared that he still feels proud when driving past South Lake Union, remembering how he really sailed across the waters as he enjoys the view.
● Teamwork and Leadership: Youth learned to work as a small crew or two person team, building skills in knot-tying, reading weather conditions, and rigging sails. These skills culminated in a community showcase where they shared their knowledge with friends and family on the final program day.
● Positive Water Connections: Many participants had their first boating experiences, overcoming water related fears and learning to see water as a source of strength and joy.
How We Built a Culturally Relevant Sailing Program
Centering Diverse Histories
We infused global maritime history into every program day. Lessons highlighted cultures that shaped sailing innovation all across the world. Here are the topics we covered over the course of our 4 classroom sessions:
A Global History of Sailing: This lesson explored the evolution of sailboats through a global timeline, covering key milestones such as the earliest depictions of sailing vessels, the development of innovations like keels, triangular sails, and rudders, as well as voyaging ranges and significant historical periods.
Sailing in the Salish Sea: This session explored our local waterways, highlighting the canoeing traditions and craftsmanship of Coast Salish Tribes. We also discussed historical depictions of sailing rigs added to canoes and the cultural and economic significance of halibut schooners in the region.
Sailing in China & Taiwan: On day three, we explored the construction of Chinese junk boats and delved into the remarkable story of Free China—a half-century-old junk boat that crossed the Pacific Ocean with a crew of six novice sailors. This story was shared to inspire our youth to embrace the adventure of sailing considering they all signed up for the program without prior experience.
Sailing in Oceania: Our final classroom lesson explored the diverse sailing traditions of Oceania, highlighting sailboats from regions including but not limited to, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji. We examined traditional wayfinding techniques, such as reading ocean currents, navigating by the stars, observing wildlife, and interpreting weather patterns. We also discussed the revival of ancient tradition and resistance to erasure through the story of the Hōkūleʻa.
Through these sessions, we encouraged participants to take pride in their cultural roots and recognize that communities of color have long been integral to modern sailing. While we covered a diverse range of cultures, we recognize that there’s room to dive deeper, and we look forward to expanding the curriculum to include even more knowledgebases and stories related to sailing. Currently, I’m reading Tara Roberts' new book, Written in the Waters, where she interweaves personal and collective histories across continents as she joins Black scuba divers in uncovering lost slave-shipwrecks.
Blending Learning with Dialogue
Our pairing of technical sailing skills with discussions about maritime cultures offered a nuanced view of how boats have been used for both oppression (e.g., slavery and colonization) and liberation (e.g., migration, trade, cultural revitalization). This gave youth something to connect with before heading out on the water and provided them with questions they could continue to think about while sailing. We made space for youth to reflect on their own experiences and comfortability with water at the very start of the program and we encouraged them to step out of their comfort zone while strengthening their relationship with the sea.
Collaborating with the Community
Our partnerships with CWB, BIPOC guest speakers, interpreters, and local chefs ensured that the program was rooted in community connection. For instance, Albert Smalls, a Black shipwright and avid sailor, joined us as a guest speaker for one of the program days. He guided our youth through toy boat building, helping them grasp sailing physics, and reinforced their skills in rigging and derigging their swifts before heading out for the day. Paying mentors and speakers for their time further emphasized the importance of valuing their expertise.
Fostering Accessibility and Belonging
Recognizing systemic barriers, we made sure the program was accessible on multiple fronts:
● The program was free to attend AND offered a participation stipend to the youth so they didn’t have to choose between working or exploring this opportunity.
● Transportation support through ride service or gas mileage reimbursement.
● Live interpretation for Spanish speaking participants and family members. The interpreters were sourced through reaching out to community partners for recommendations.
● A fresh meal provided daily featuring diverse cuisines catered by local BIPOC chefs and small restaurants.
● Diverse instructors and mentors who reflected the participants’ identities, including Youth instructors, and BIPOC staff and guest speakers.
● Warm clothing and rain gear rentals made accessible by our local Washington Trails Association gear lending library.
● Creating a friends and family day to increase opportunity for exposure and positive shared experiences on the water that can inspire youth and their families to stay engaged with sailing or water recreation after the program.
We also created a welcoming environment by emphasizing community agreements, allowing space for youth to share their knowledge and lived experiences, and prioritizing comfort on the water.
The Impact: Transforming Youth and Communities
Personal Growth for Youth
Participants left the program with new skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging. Pre and post-program surveys showed significant increases in both personal and skill-building growth. Some examples of personal increases showed up in their sense of connection to their peers, likelihood to spend time on boats for fun with friends and family, sense of connection to the environment around them, and likelihood to pursue a maritime career.
Through our end of program discussion, participants also noted that they found the history lessons interesting and appreciated the perspectives we shared. They reported that it increased their appreciation for sailing. They also expressed a desire for more interactive or hands-on lessons to help them retain information and engage with the material in a way that felt less like traditional classroom lectures.
Overall, their feedback highlighted the success of relationship building and program organization, with many participants expressing a strong interest in spending more time on the water and participating in future opportunities. We will be incorporating their suggestions for more interactive presentations as we revamp our curriculum this year.
Community Ripple Effects
This program opened doors to broader maritime opportunities for participants, helping to foster a new generation of BIPOC sailors, environmental stewards, and professionals. After our programs we always share additional resources with participants on how they can stay engaged in our programs and other related opportunities in the community. Families who participated in our community showcase expressed pride in seeing their youth engage in a new activity and experienced joy while sailing with them. Our interpreters also expressed gratitude for being able to participate in a unique opportunity and getting to sail for the first time.
The Learnings: Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges Faced
● Co-Creation with Partners: Aligning goals and expectations with a new partner required clear communication and patience.
● Trauma-Sensitive Approaches: Avoiding water-related trauma was critical. Staff led by demonstration, emphasized “challenge by choice,” and supported youth individually during moments of fear, doubt, or hesitation.
● Adapting to Inclement Weather: Alternative activities, like toy boat building and interactive games and discussions, ensured continuity in the program.
Opportunities for Growth
● This high school program can also be adapted and replicated for middle school audiences and adult audiences.
● Incorporating more storytelling, art, and hands-on history lesson activities to further engage participants.
● Expanding the number of sailing histories and cultures we share about.
● Exploring ways to scale this approach nationally or globally, and inspiring similar culturally relevant curriculum for other maritime and marine science related programs.
Conclusion: Reclaiming Space, History, and Identity
At its core, this program was about more than teaching sailing—it was about empowering youth to reclaim spaces, celebrate their histories, and build connections that transcend the water. We invite others to replicate and innovate on this model, blending technical skill-building with culturally relevant education to create transformative youth programs.
Interested in collaborating or learning more? Please reach out!