[Bboa-members] Re: FW: Letter to Waterfront Commission - Pegasus Project Free Berthing

Tue Dec 12 12:56:24 PST 2006

Patty:

As you know I crewed with the Pegasus from 1997 until Peter left for
Australia in 2004 and then again once
again in 2006. Since obtaining my USCG Captain's License I now crew on other
boats, but still receive the Pegasus emails with recaps of the sailing
trips, which details who and where the ship goes each trip.

It is obvious that you have a strong loyalty to Peter Hayes and the Pegasus
Project, but my issue with the Pegasus Project is simple...

With the ever increasing berth fees in the Berkeley Marina, the lack of
maintenance of the facilities and surrounding infrastructure, the shallow
channels/need to dredge and increasing crime throughout the Marina...

For instance, using your own numbers the Pegasus Project provided rides
to 375 students in a three year period (2004-2006) which is an average of
$56 dollars per child.  Does that justify the subsity?

Obviously for you it does... but what about the boat owner who's dock is
failing apart or car is been a victim of burglary or the boater who can't
get there boat out of the Marina during low tide.
**
*Maybe the Waterfront Commission should be looking a little closer at some
of the subsities they are providing and the results of the money they spend
on them.*

Tom Jeremiason

On 12/12/06, Donald, Patricia <PDonald at ci.berkeley.ca.us> wrote:
>
>  Tom,
> I appreciate your concern for the budget here at the Marina and hope that
> this information will help.
> The facts about the Berkeley Marina Sailing program which started working
> with the Pegasus project in 1994 are these- please let me clarify what I
> explained before in my note below to Brad Smith. which was cc'd to you.
> In 2004. When Peter left and we all thought the Pegasus program was over.
> But Peter kept up his side of providing trips for his free berth  for those
> two years and organized volunteer captains and crew and communicated with us
> from Australia. Many crew gave up on sailing with us and it was very
> difficult to find crew while Peter was gone. *But we did and we took **out
> over 375 students  and over 110 Teachers docents and
> staff. 2004-2006            Which gets the total per student down to $14.43.
> * Now that Peter is back we are a better team.
>
> There are no commercial ferries or local sport fishing boats who sail,
> much less will take students out for this type of experience for less
> cost than that, I  looked into it when we thought we were not going to have
> Pegasus. Derek M Bayliss charges $3,000 per sail on the high end and the
> Gaslight is $1,500 for a class.
>
> The City of Berkeley Marina Experience Sailing Program generates a revenue
> for the marina. The City charges the classes a minimal fee of $185.00  to
> cover the cost of  staff and materials which goes into the general fund here
> at the marina.  We provide scholarships for any classes who cannot pay- The
> docents raised the money for the scholarships.
>
> If it looks like we have taken more adult training sails this past year,
> we have, but not at the expense of the students as you have implied. -we are
> wooing back the crew who thought the program was over. Finding 6 crew and
> two captains for each sail takes recruitment and training. Part of what we
> teach is the communication and practiced team work of people who are trained
> to sail together. We teach people about sailing.  We take teachers,
> docents, staff out on a training sail before we take the students out. They
> have to understand what will happen.
>
> Then we take classes of 28-30 students 4-12th graders out on the bay.Weare limited to only 4
> hours.That's an a two hour sail for each group of 15 students. During
> the two hours, they are having lunch before using the CSC lido on a trailer.
> and rotating through the navigation and binocular stations.
>
> We are the first step for children who have never been on a boat before
> and are learning a whole new vocabulary as well as surpassing the basic
> fears about water, sharks etc..... We show them the next step- The free
> rides at CSC, Cal Adventures summer classes our summer sailing program, so
> they have the experience to see if they want to do it.
>
> In the 28 years I have been running these programs,  have taken small
> groups sailing in the summer with both the yacht club and CSC before Pegasus
> came and these groups have limitations.
> The yacht club captains are wonderful people with  big hearts who share
> their personal boat space-  Usually only able to accommodate 3 to 5 kids at
> the most plus one supervising adult. For those 5- 7 individual boats for a
> class of 30 you have to find 5 -7 captains  and  5 crew and  5 chaperones
> who are available to come during the week between 9-2. That is a challenge
> in itself. The risk of  something going wrong with all of these vessels is
> high and very hard to supervise from my standpoint.
>
>  The CSC's boats size and crew limitations are similar to the yacht club.
> The vessels are well used ( old) maintained with volunteer help and are
> limited in their safety equipment which  is less that I want for my
> classes.   We do work with the CSC as part of our sailing program so the
> kids get a chance to handle the lines on a lido and tack and jibe it  on a
> trailer. It is always a  job to find a csc volunteer to help on the times
> and days we do our sailing trips. The CSC volunteers we get are wonderful
> and very dedicated.
>
> Peter and the dedicated crew have the safest vessel I have ever been out
> on.  They have the highest standards I know. This is so very important when
> trying to convince parents who don't swim that it is alright to take their
> babies out on the water. I am not so confident in that knowledge with any
> other sailboats I have used.
>
> Please don't jeopardize this City program by using incorrect facts. Please
> feel free to ask me if you have questions. Please know you have always had
> an open invitation any time to come out with us and see our trainings. You
> have not been part of our programs, so I can see how you might not
> understand how we do things differently from the boosters sails that you
> have participated in.
> You have a very strong opinion of what you *think* is going on and I am
> curious to understand the reasoning behind it. Is it because the Boosters
> have not gotten as many sails with the Pegasus as they have in the past? or
> is it the fault of giving of the free berth that the marina fees are
> increasing?  If those are the issues, lets address each of those separately.
>
>
> Please give Peter Hayes the ability to defend his non profit status.
>
> May I forward this email to Peter?
> Thanks,
>
> Patty Donald
> Coordinator
>
> City of Berkeley
> Shorebird Park Nature Center
> 160 University Ave.
> Berkeley CA 94710
> http://www.cityofberkeley.info/marina/marinaexp
> 510 981-6720
>
>
>  -----Original Message-----
> *From:* Tom & Lori Jeremiason [mailto:jeremiason at gmail.com]
> *Sent:* Monday, December 11, 2006 1:45 PM
> *To:* Donald, Patricia
> *Cc:* Maio, Linda
> *Subject:* Re: FW: Letter to Waterfront Commission - Pegasus Project Free
> Berthing
>
>  Patty:
>
> It is wonderful to hear from you on the Pegasus Project and it is
> refreshing to hear that they are promising to take children out this year,
> but they promised last year too.
>
> No I haven't called you, but I am on the crew list and receive regular
> updates on the boat and email recaps when the boat is going out and who is
> on it.
>
> It would be good to know how many of your children (Shorebird) have gone
> out on Pegasus in the last two years (2006 and 2005)?
>
> As far as the Berkeley Boosters it has been ten (10) for the year.
>
> My problem with the program is that the boat is receiving $7000 per year
> in free berthing from the City of Berkeley, which is consistently increasing
> fees to offset expenditures.
>
> Even using your eight trips a year that breaks down to $30 per child.
> There are a number of Commercial ferries and charter boats in the bay that
> provide trips for less than that.
>
> There are also other programs in the Berkeley Marina that take children
> out for free, without getting free berthing from the City.
>
> For instance the Berkeley Yacht Club or Cal Sailing Club, which actually
> teach the children about sailing not just give them rides.
>
> I look forward to hearing the Commissions view on this.
>
> Tom Jeremiason
>
>
> On 12/11/06, Maio, Linda <LMaio at ci.berkeley.ca.us> wrote:
> >
> >  Hi Tom,  I asked Patty about the Pegasus.  Here's her reply.  I'd be
> > interested in your thoughts.
> >
> > If it makes sense to you, you might give Patty a call (981-6721).  I
> > copied her on this e-mail.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> >   -- Brad
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > *From:* Donald, Patricia
> > *Sent:* Monday, December 11, 2006 9:57 AM
> > *To:* Maio, Linda
> > *Subject:* RE: Letter to Waterfront Commission - Pegasus Project Free
> > Berthing
> >
> > Thanks for asking.
> > Tom obviously has not called me. Pegasus has not stopped taking out
> > children. The program is gearing back up again since Peter is back in town.
> > We are trying to expand and do some overnight programs this summer with the
> > Nature Center. They are always available whenever I would like to take a
> > group out .
> >  I have no problem with any safety equipment (Radios)Peter buys, it will
> > not hurt the program.
> > Volunteers used to try to care for the boat and it was never done right
> > or quickly enough.
> > He is utilizing the non profit status of the blue waters trips now until
> > he reestablishes his status.
> > We are getting this vessel Free. If we tried to hire a vessel to do
> > these programs I know it would be over $3,000 a trip.I just had this
> > conversation with Tom Wyle- owner of the Derek M. Baylis. That's what they
> > charge.
> > So in essence we are saving money. I do 8 trips minimum a year.
> > Patty
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > *From:* Maio, Linda
> > *Sent:* Monday, December 11, 2006 9:46 AM
> > *To:* Donald, Patricia
> > *Subject:* FW: Letter to Waterfront Commsion - Pegasus Project Free
> > Berthing
> >
> > Hi Patty,  What's your take on what Tom has to say below?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> >   -- Brad
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > *From:* Tom & Lori Jeremiason [mailto: jeremiason at gmail.com]
> > *Sent:* Monday, December 11, 2006 9:21 AM
> > *To:* Marchetti, Clifford
> > *Subject:* Letter to Waterfront Commsion - Pegasus Project Free Berthing
> >
> > Berkeley Water Front Commission:
> >
> > Over the last twelve years the Pegasus Project has been receiving free
> > berthing at the Berkeley Marina. This was due to its Non-Profit Status and
> > mission of taking school aged children for rides on the San Francisco
> > Bay. The majority of children came from the Shorebird Nature Center and the
> > Berkeley Boosters.
> >
> > Over the last two years the Pegasus Project has dwindled and the boat is
> > now being used more for volunteer adult crew training and personal business
> > rather than for educating children. At one point during the same time period
> > the boat lost it's Non-Profit status.
> >
> > During the 2005 Pegasus's Project Annual Report to the Berkeley
> > Waterfront Commission I questioned why they were receiving free
> > berthing. The Waterfront Commission continued to provide free berthing on
> > the promise it would ramp back up to previous numbers in 2006. That has not
> > happened and I am again asking why the Commission allows the Pegasus Project
> > to have free berthing.
> >
> > *Based on the boat's length, upwind slip and power charge this equates
> > to over $7000 per year of free berthing*. Based on the number of
> > children Pegasus carried in 2006 the cost per child breaks down to over $60
> > per ride.
> >
> > The Pegasus Project is also frivolously spending money on such items as
> > Single Side Band Radio (Not required by the USCG on an inland water
> > vessel) or paying Boat Detailers to varnish the bright work instead of using
> > volunteers at over $40 per hour. Figure in these expenses and the cost per
> > child probably exceeds $80 per ride.
> >
> > I would ask the Waterfront Commission to look at this and consider
> > if this project worth the expense to the Marina?
> >
> > Tom Jeremiason
> >
> >
>
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