Coordinated Maritime Services of San Diego

Coordinated Maritime Services of San Diego (CMS) was founded by a very friendly couple, a tug boat captain and his wife. I had the fortunate opportunity of interning with this organization and it was a very fulfilling experience. Captain Bentley and his wife Rosanne are both very professional and friendly people who I admire. The organization itself is/​was mainly a volunteer/​community outreach program where people could spend a pleasant day on the bay. CMS used to be a proud owner of a 1950’s era army tug boat, that once sat alongside the San Diego pier adjacent to the Star of India. I spent many mornings helping to restore it. Unfortunately due to a lack of funding and space to keep it, the tug boat had to be sold.
CMS also helped to promote the maritime industry in San Diego by having troubled teenagers and young people help out in the restoration of the tug boat. Instead of going to detention kids could do something more productive with their Saturday mornings by learning about sailing/​seamanship nomenclature, and develop valuable skills that they could use in the future. In the afternoons we would go sailing on the bay on a 43 foot ketch and help others learn about the basics of sailing. A good days work wasn’t the only satisfying element of working with CMS, the people you met while working there made the work interesting and fun. I met a lot of old sailors, with much more experience than my own. For example, an old gentleman named Popeye (at least that’s what we called him), who was as rusty and salty as they come. Had to be 90 years old and still a filthy mouth. Not to mention all the other old navy salts I met while volunteering.
Many people are unaware of the significant impact that the maritime/​shipping industry has on the world but over 90% of international trade worldwide is done by ship. CMS has helped to make people aware of the fact that the merchant marine is not just a bunch of dirty old rum drinking sailors, it is a professional industry with a need for qualified and competent officers. Furthermore CMS is a great organization with a lot of potential and I must admit that I am an avid volunteer of this program. It also landed me a job working on an international tug boat run between Ensenada and San Diego. Good networking too!