Ship Administrator’s Job Is Smooth Sailing

The ocean has always fascinated Jayme Grade, 32, so her job as administrator of the Californian, the state’s official tall ship, berthed in Dana Point Harbor, was a real find for her.

Besides overseeing a sailing program for students, Grade is spreading the word that something dramatic has to be done about water and air pollution.

“Just look around. Look at the beaches,” said the Laguna Niguel woman, who spent much of her early years bodysurfing and water-skiing along the coastline. “I have been around here all my life, and the water and air quality is not as good as it used to be.”

Bringing that message of environmental shortcoming, the Californian docks at 22 ports along the California coast during the year to attract visitors to shipboard displays that emphasize coastal preservation.

Grade, a former Saddleback College student, believes that along with anti-pollution programs, the ship is also providing a strong dose of self-esteem to the students who sail her.

“Kids who get involved on the Californian learn about the environment and how to believe in themselves,” she said. “The ship is a nice platform for teaching in all areas.”

Eleven-day cruises are conducted for 16 male and female students, “who learn to challenge themselves by learning together as shipmates,” Grade said.

Part of the purpose of the sailing trip, she added, “is to motivate (each of) them to be more of an individual and learn to voice opinions. They learn things not learned in regular classroom situations.”

Grade said she would have liked to have taken a training cruise when she was younger.

“I wish it was something I could have done while I was going to school because I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to do in life,” she said. “The cruise would have been a different opportunity for me.”

Before taking on the job of administrator, Grade wasn’t sure what her life’s goal would be.

“My mother wanted me to be an artist because I showed some interest in that when I was younger, and my dad wanted me to go into real estate,” she remembered.

She still plans to earn a degree in business management, despite a preference for gardening. “I thought landscape architecture might be my choice,” she said. “I love plants.”

Her current position not only gives her job satisfaction, it also provided her with a husband.

She worked previously for the Nautical Heritage Society, which operates the Californian. She met Eric Grade while he was a crew member aboard the ship.

They were later married on the deck of the Californian. “It was a beautiful wedding,” she said.

Her husband is the skipper of the Californian.