Support Us
Membership
& Support
Make a
Donation
Corporate
Members
Volunteer
Opportunities
Your financial support is essential to our sustainability. Click here for information on membership levels.
Interested in making a one-time donation? Click here to see how. We appreciate your support.
Our Corporate Members are dedicated to fostering environmental stewardship in our region and beyond.
We have many volunteer opportunities throughout the year and we would love for you to join us.
Membership & Support
Since 1998, BaySail has been providing students with unforgettable environmental education experiences aboard our schooners, the Appledore IV & Appledore V. Over 44,000 students have come aboard the ships to take part in various education programs that enhance classroom lessons, introduce new ideas, and build the foundation for creating lifelong stewards of the Great Lakes.
With your help and the help of others like you, we’ve been fortunate to engage with so many young people from around the state of Michigan, the country, and even the world.
Continued support from businesses, foundations, and individuals in and around our community means we can continue our mission of fostering lifelong environmental stewards of our invaluable Great Lakes.
Your tax-deductible contribution and/or organizational membership is vital to our continued success. Please consider making a one-time donation or becoming a member today.
Membership Levels:
Student (18 & under)…$25
Individual……$100
- 1 Great Lakes 101 sail ticket
Family……$300
- 2 Great Lakes 101 sail tickets
Corporate Membership……$1,000
- 4 Sunset Sail tickets
- 10% discount on private charters
- Recognition on BaySail’s website and in newsletter
All BaySail memberships include a 20% discount on sailing tickets and a 10% discount on merchandise and special event tickets.
OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS
Volunteer
Shipboard Educator Volunteer
As a shipboard educator, you will be responsible for leading students through the modules included in BaySail’s STEM-based environmental education programs. The skills required include an ability to learn basic scientific principles and an aptitude for interacting with and appropriately managing young people.
Staff and crew will train you in:
- Proper “topside terminology” and vessel layout
- Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay history
- Use of scientific sampling equipment such as water sampling bottles, secchi disks, plankton nets, and bottom dredges
- Water testing and use of our water testing kit
- Identifying benthic macroinvertebrates and explaining their significance as indicator species
- Identifying phytoplankton and zooplankton under a microscope and explaining their importance and roles in the food chain
- Coaching the students in raising the sails
Sailing Crew Volunteer
As a volunteer crew member, your responsibilities will include all manner of shipboard duties from washing the deck and greeting passengers to handling lines, setting sails, and delivering educational programming. Most sailing opportunities will be during our 3-hour public sails and during our 3 ½-hour Science under Sail programs. Long-distance passage-making opportunities are also available to volunteers with advanced standing (volunteers that have participated in maintenance days are given priority).
Safety and seamanship training sessions are held periodically for volunteer candidates. Good health and a reasonable level of physical fitness are required.
Maintenance Volunteer
Maintenance volunteers are needed mainly in the spring when we are prepping the Appledore schooners for the new season and in the fall when we are winterizing the ships. Maintenance volunteers may also be called upon occasionally during the sailing season. Duties may include tasks such as painting, rigging, woodworking, and general repair work. We often have a need for individuals with specialized skills such as welding, plumbing, electrical, and carpentry. Maintenance volunteers are given priority for passage-making opportunities.