Founded in 2002 as a community sailing program 14 students strong, New England Science and Sailing now brings its unique combination of water-based platforms and STEM learning to over 9,000 students a year. This month, we speak with NESS founder and President Spike Lobdell about the origins of this great program, his personal journey from the corporate to the non-profit world, and the touching stories of students’ first encounters with the ocean.