Vision: We believe that girls who act out of a sense of personal responsibility, interdependence and global awareness will lead productive lives and build strong communities.  
Mission: Tall Ship Education Academy empowers teenage girls to reach their full potential.  Our academically rigorous sailing voyages challenge a diverse group of girls to make positive choices in their lives and to engage fully in their communities.

The Tall Ship Semester for Girls is an 18 week program for high school girls that includes 7 weeks of land based training, 6 weeks at sea and 7 weeks in an internship.
The Girls Summer at Sea is a marine lab and sail training experience for high school girls.
The 3-day Women's Challenge is an opportunity for adult women to sail an 85 foot schooner, challenging their learning and their teamwork skills.

TSEA began as a pilot program in 1998 at Mercy High School in San Francisco. Our founder saw the need for an all-girls program that would link academics and sail training, giving students an educational experience that would change how they viewed themselves, their future, and their world. TSEA was incorporated in 2001 and was granted nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service as an educational organization in 2003.  TSEA was modeled on two successful East Coast sail training programs but it is distinguished by several unique elements: 1) our students are racially and socio-economically diverse; 2) our students’ demonstrated financial need is entirely met through a sliding scale tuition program; and 3) our program is the only all-girls academic sail training program in the country. Since its inception, TSEA has been recognized for its unique design, strong track record in experiential education, diverse student body, and effectiveness in youth development. Our programs help teenage girls from across the Bay Area grow personally, socially, and academically. In 2003 we formed a critical partnership with San Francisco State University (SFSU). SFSU provides a home and facilities for TSEA, while TSEA provides outreach to potential SFSU students and an opportunity for SFSU students to participate in internships in experiential education. This partnership has proven beneficial to both parties, and we foresee a long relationship. TSEA received accreditation from the Schools Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in 2006. Additionally, our Tall Ship Semester for Girls program received national recognition with the American Sail Training Associations “Sail Training Program of the Year Award” in 2000 and 2006. In 2007, TSEA was named “Best of the Bay” by San Francisco Magazine. To date, 110 girls have participated in our programs. Evaluation data and case studies from our Tall Ship Semester for Girls show that the experience created a foundation from which students could build a life characterized by exploration, education, community involvement, confidence, achievement, environmental awareness, and leadership.