"While there are lots of sailors, and lots of musicians, the simultaneous intersection of those two activities tends to be pretty rare. Sailing, especially in the brisk winds of San Francisco Bay, isn’t very conducive to playing an instrument. But singer-songwriters Deborah Crooks and Kwame Copeland have been able to bring those elements together on their 26-foot 1972 Folkboat. And while much of the music necessarily has to wait until docked, the couple has made their boat Espresso a venue to showcase local and regional talent.
In 2017 and 2018, the couple, who call their musical project Bay Station, sailed around San Francisco Bay in what they called their Love the Bay Tour. They sailed from port to port, inviting more than two dozen musicians to meet them, then interviewing them and jamming with them back at the marina. They broadcast the music live and then posted the edited videos on their YouTube channel. While their guests are rarely boaters, Crooks and Copeland found that sailing and art seem to go together naturally, and musicians relish playing in such an interesting venue. "It's kind of like the musical version of 'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,'" says Copeland, referring to comedian and actor Jerry Seinfeld's popular online-only roving talk show."...
