In Japanese, “Satori” means “awakening,” “understanding,” or “comprehension.” It is the perfect term for a program started just 10 years ago here in Pensacola. A nonprofit housed at the Pensacola Yacht Club, the mission of the Satori Foundation is to “inspire interest in and encourage and promote the sport of sailing and yachting and a broad range of maritime activities.” The Foundation began when the Yacht Club was gifted a sailboat named “Satori” in 2015, and they serve as a charitable, educational, and scientific outreach arm of the PYC.
I’ve been lucky enough to partner with Satori on their marine biology trips and have been able to see that spark of awakening in the eyes of dozens of local children. Just last month, I joined outings with the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club summer day campers. With every group as we boarded the pontoon boats, I could tell the kids were both excited and nervous. As our captain left the “no wake” zone and gunned the engine, squeals of delight burst out all around me.
Our typical morning on the water consists of a stop at Project Greenshores, where I’ll explain the history and purpose of this large-scale living shoreline. Then, we skip across Pensacola Bay to Deadman’s Island, where kids get some hands-on marine biology experience. We use a seine to catch (and release) juvenile fish, giving every camper a chance to use the net if they’re interested. Typically, we find silversides and pinfish, but often there are fun and less common species like toadfish, needlefish, and flounder. We use a yabby pump to pull invertebrates from the underlying sand—usually worms or amphipods. Underwater viewers that function like swim goggles allow kids to wade around and see below the water as if they were snorkeling. On practice days, we will watch the Blue Angels’ acrobatic maneuvers as they soar above us. We almost always see dolphins; one morning we saw six, including a show-off who leapt fully out of the bay and turned a flip!
Satori also provides sailing lessons and excursions by pontoon or sailboat for veterans, children with special needs, and medical professionals who need a break from their stressful day-to-day obligations. One of the boats and the field equipment were purchased using grants from Impact 100 Pensacola Bay and the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program.
On a recent return trip with one of the Boys & Girls clubs, I asked 8-year old Kori if she’d had fun. She told me she had never ridden in a boat before, and loved it. Then, she looked me in the eye and said, “This is the best day of my life.” THAT was the very definition of Satori.
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