"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back
to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it, we are going back from whence
we came."
-- John F. Kennedy
Anthony Sandberg founded OCSC Sailing in 1979. An active sailor since early childhood in Hawaii, he has
been enthralled with the sport. He has sought out sailing experiences around
the world on every kind of craft from traditional native rigs like outriggers
and dhows to dinghies, schooners and square riggers, modern grand prix racers,
experimental hydrofoil flying machines and even landsailors and iceboats. He
has cruised in most of the dream locations around the world from the South
Pacific, Caribbean and Central America to the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, North
Africa and Asia.
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| Anthony Sandberg and OCSC CEO Richard Jepsen |
The heritage, history and traditions of the sport are a
lifetime passion which more than anything he loves to share. His vision for
OCSC was to provide a modern way to access the best of sailing in an
approachable and affordable way. Starting with high quality training and state
of the art equipment, the Club has become a portal to a lifetime of adventure
for many thousands of sailors. When he is not leading a club flotilla in places
such as Greece or Tonga, or trying to sail a boat powered by kites or a
dolphin, you'll find him here at the club, so ask for him and say hello. He'd
like to get to know you.
OCSC
isn’t just about moving a boat across the water powered by wind and a knowledge
of the sea. It’s about discovery and exploration, freedom and responsibility.
And taking the helm both literally and figuratively.
From The Olympic Circle Sailing
Club to OCSC Sailing
In
1979, Carter was President, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, radios blasted “I
Will Survive” and “My Sharona”, everyone was talking about Kramer vs. Kramer,
and seasoned sailor Anthony Sandberg had a white Dodge van and an idea: sailing
was too good to be just the sport of the rich. So
the man with a van borrowed a J/24, rented a shack on Alameda Estuary, and hung
a shingle that read “Olympic Circle Sailing Club.” His vision was to teach
sailing to students the same way he’d teach his friends. “I knew that if I had
just one student, I would take such good care of them, they’d tell their
friends. And that’s how we started the club,” Anthony recalls.
Within
a year of surviving on canned tuna and baked potatoes, Sandberg moved OCSC to
an abandoned warehouse and the club had 100 members, hundreds of students, and
a small fleet of Capri 14’s. Aspiring sailors were coming to him with what he
recognized as cherished, closely held dreams. And to Anthony, part of
respecting those dreams was democratizing what was perceived as an elitist,
male-dominated sport: anyone, he reasoned, could sail, and women could skipper.
In
1980, Rich Jepsen joined Anthony in running OCSC, and the two knew that the
business needed to move beyond the calm waters of the estuary. One look at a
chart of the Bay, and the world’s best place for a sailing school was
immediately apparent: Berkeley Marina, which was at the time a garbage dump – a
garbage dump a two-minute outboard putter from some of the best sailing in the
world, that is. When
Anthony stepped into the shack at the end of the point – now the
post-renovation home to the Fleet Service department – he fell through the
floor and into the Bay. “Fortunately, it was high tide, otherwise I would have
been on the rocks. I said, ‘I’ll take it,’” he remembers.
It
took three years of sweat equity to build what is now OCSC. During construction, Anthony, Rich, and the other OCSC barn-raisers
were cheered on by a crotchety one-legged boxer who lived in the dump. When
moving day finally came, members sailed OCSC’s bigger boats from Alameda to
Berkeley, and Rich and Anthony towed the Capri 14’s behind the chase boat,
duckling-style, to their new home. That
was 1981, and OCSC has been teaching, sailing, growing, and having fun ever
since. It embodies a welcoming culture where everyone knows your name and
sailing isn’t just a sport, it’s a philosophy of respect and joy.
Now,
with a fleet of over 50 yachts ranging from durable 24-footers to ocean going
yachts over 60 feet long, they have over 75 employees, including over forty
instructors, all of whom are professional sailors, certified instructors, and
great people.
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| An OCSC Sailing flotilla! |
Lots
of things have changed with OCSC Sailing since 1979 – the Dodge van and the
Capri 14's have long since been retired, their diet has expanded beyond tuna
and potatoes, they no longer sleep on classroom tables. And even better, "My
Sharona" is no longer a top-ten hit.
But
one thing hasn't changed: they are as passionate as from day one, about teaching
sailing to their clients just the same way they’d teach their friends.
Let Anthony help you find your inner sailor…
OCSC.com ~ 800.223.2984
Cheers!
