Dates: Saturdays, January 10 - February 7, 2026

Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Rigging is the backbone of any sailing vessel—yet it’s often the least understood. Spaulding Marine Center is proud to present a rare opportunity to learn the art and science of rigging from Master Rigger Courtney Andersen, one of the few professionals in the country specializing exclusively in traditional and modern rigging.

For over 25 years, Courtney has worked as a professional rigger on tall ships, replica vessels, and museum craft across the globe. Beyond the waterfront, he has brought his expertise to Hollywood as the head rigger for major productions including Pirates of the Caribbean, Our Flag Means Death, and Chief of War, ensuring historical accuracy and functional authenticity on ship sets from the 14th–19th centuries. His unique career—bridging traditional seamanship, museum preservation, and film design—has made him one of the most sought-after rigging experts in the world.

This multi-part course is designed to give sailors, boat owners, and maritime enthusiasts a comprehensive foundation in rigging knowledge and practice. From the historic rig of Spaulding’s own 1885 sloop Freda to hands-on techniques like splicing and whipping, each session builds a deeper understanding of how rigs function, how to inspect them for safety, and how to maintain them across classic and modern contexts.

Whether you’re maintaining your own boat, preparing for offshore sailing, or simply curious about the craft that keeps vessels under sail, you’ll gain practical skills, historical context, and insider knowledge that isn’t taught anywhere else in the country.

Session 1: The Anatomy of a Rig: How It All Works

Saturday, January 10

Learn the foundations of rigging: standing vs. running rigging, evolution of materials from hemp to high-modulus synthetics, and the mechanics of tensioning. Participants will also explore connections, purchases, and hauling systems. A must for anyone who wants to understand what’s really holding their rig together.

Session 2: Techniques: Knots, Whippings, and Splices

Saturday, January 17

Hands-on session covering essential rigging skills: whipping, splicing (3-strand, 8-strand, 12-strand, wire, Dyneema), basic knots, seizings and lashings, and proper handling of lines. Walk away with the confidence to put real-world techniques to use aboard your boat.

Session 3: Inspecting Your Rig – What to Look For

Saturday, January 24

From mast step to masthead, this course teaches you how to assess the health of your rig. Learn what to check on chainplates, tensioning devices, wire and fiber standing rigging, blocks, fittings, and running rigging. Courtney will also cover safe practices for going aloft and inspecting connectors, eyes, and bands.

Session 4: Maintenance Matters: Stepping, Tensioning, Protecting

Saturday, January 31

Rigging needs care, whether it’s traditional tarred hemp or high-tech carbon. This session covers best practices for maintaining both classic and modern rigs, from coatings and finishes to mast stepping and pulling. Learn the history and traditions of rigging upkeep—and why even new materials are not “maintenance free.”

Session 5: Traditional Skills for the Modern Sailor

Saturday, February 7

The final workshop draws everything together, diving into traditional rigging techniques and their modern applications. Participants will leave with a holistic understanding of rigging systems, armed with skills to continue practicing and applying aboard their own vessels.

2025 series of Sausalito Historical Society History Talks:

Myron Spaulding Part II

The Sausalito Historical Society and the Spaulding Marine Center invite you to a talk by Michael Wiener about the life of Myron Spaulding. Our namesake was a highly respected boat designer, legendary yacht racer, boat builder and professional violinist, who left an enduring legacy on the Sausalito waterfront.

Speaker Michael Weiner worked with Myron Spaulding at Myron’s boatyard for 30 years. He was a founding director of the Spaulding Center and is currently Vice President of the Sausalito Historical Society.

Wine, beer, waters and snacks will be served. Seating limited.

Did you miss Part I? Be sure to listen to the first part of Myron Spaulding’s legacy here.

Tickets:

$10 admission

Checks made payable to Sausalito Historical Society can be mailed to: PO Box 352, Sausalito, CA 94966. Include your name, email, phone number and guest names.

Register and pay online: www.sausalitohistoricalsociety.com

Questions? Call: 415 289-4117

Buy Your Tickets Today: Click Here To Buy

Jazz Show by The Hot Clams at Spaulding Marine Center

Come join us for a night of smooth tunes and good vibes at Spaulding Marine Center. The Hot Clams are bringing their unique blend of jazz to our stage on Sat, August 17, 2024 at 6:00 PM PDT. Get ready to tap your feet and sway to the music as this talented band serenades you with their soulful melodies. Davy Jones Deli will be serving up some hot soup and bread. There will be beer and wine for sale. Purchase your tickets online to secure your entry to this month's hot event.

Join us for an inspiring evening with Greg Bertish, a true hero who has overcome incredible challenges. After surviving two cardiac surgeries and spending 200 days in the hospital battling a tropical bacteria, Greg sailed an 8ft children's Optimist dinghy around the Cape of Storms in 2016. His journey raised $100,000 to paint and renovate the largest Children’s Hospital in the Southern Hemisphere, and his story is captured in the internationally acclaimed documentary, "OPTIMIST." Greg is raising money for the Little Optimist Project in South Africa while in California.

Philip Baum, Vice President of World Sailing, says, "Greg Bertish is an inspiration! His perpetual, restless energy to help young people has brought change and hope to countless lives. His personal journey and storytelling continue to produce goose bumps. South Africa and all sailors are blessed by his presence."

Wednesday, July 24th from 6 - 8 PM

Ticket sales are on a sliding scale. Please note that all proceeds will go towards the Little Optimist Trust and Spaulding Marine Center to continue providing education for youth on the water.

We know less about the ocean than we do about outer space. Artificial Intelligence is changing that. Come learn what some of the smallest and largest creatures in the ocean have to teach us. Dinner from new cookbook Forage. Gather. Feast. by Maria Finn.

Join us on Saturday, June 22nd from 6-9 PM for Voyages: AI and The Ocean. More information can be found here.

In an ever-evolving maritime world, electric engine conversions are addressing the need to reduce carbon emissions through diesel powered motors.

Mike Gunning of Electric Yacht in Southern California will be presenting on parts of system, auxiliary power, and will be making a comparison of Diesel and Electric motors.

If you’re considering making the switch to an electric motor and want to learn more about electric propulsion. cost and availability of an all electric boat, hybrids and more, then join us for a presentation and demonstration of an electric system on Thursday, May 30th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Please RSVP for the event.

Join us at Spaulding Marine Center for a library chat - the first of our women's series! 

Teresa Marshall will be sharing her involvement in the Ocean Globe Race (OGR), which is a fully crewed retro race in the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race. The race just wrapped up and Tersea will share her experience aboard the swan 65, Translated 9 (T9). Brand new to sailing, T9 took part in the OGR  to reshape the boundaries of what is considered possible and believing that when humans, even outsiders, are driven by great values they can achieve everything.

Thursday, May 9th at 5:30 PM.

Please RSVP for the event.

RSVP today: www.spauldingcenter.org/folly135

“Tracing 135 Years of Racing on the SF Bay.”

We're delighted to host our first of this year speaker’s event at Spaulding Marine Center. Allen Gross will be sharing the history and stewardship of the SF Bay Folly through photos, first-hand experience and details of the boat up close in the yard. 

About Folly

From her construction in North Beach in 1889 to her most recent participation in the Master Mariners Regattas, Folly has been a consequential boat in the history of racing on the Bay.

Folly’s owner, Allen Gross, will relate what he has discovered about the individuals and events chronicled in historical research resources.

The presentation will also touch upon the physical changes to the vessel from her launch as a gaff rigged cutter and subsequent conversion to Marconi in the 1930’s and to her 8 year refit completed in 2014.

Folly will be in the Spaulding Yard for the event.

Buy Your Tickets Today: Click Here To Buy

Jazz Show by The Hot Clams at Spaulding Marine Center

Come join us for a night of smooth tunes and good vibes at Spaulding Marine Center. The Hot Clams are bringing their unique blend of jazz to our stage on Sat, Apr 13, 2024 at 6:00 PM PDT. Get ready to tap your feet and sway to the music as this talented band serenades you with their soulful melodies. Davy Jones Deli will be serving up some hot soup and bread. There will be beer and wine for sale. Purchase your tickets online to secure your entry to this month's hot event.