Pilot cohorts now forming — Custom Groups · Individual Leaders · MBA Candidates · Civil Servants · Apply Now →
Leadership Isn't Learned in a Conference Room.
ALI™ is a research-backed, sailing-based leadership development program for executives, teams, MBA cohorts, and public sector leaders. No sailing experience required.
What is ALI™
Most training delivers information.
ALI™ delivers transformation.
We use the sailboat as a live leadership laboratory — a place where uncertainty is real, consequences are felt, and leadership behaviors emerge without rehearsal.
Every session is followed by a structured debrief grounded in I/O Psychology research. You leave with self-knowledge — about how you think, decide, and lead under pressure — that no slide deck can give you.
This is a graduate-level learning experience, informed by current doctoral research. The ocean doesn't care about your title, and neither does a crew that's counting on you.
Apply to a CohortLeadership improves when engaged with uncertain, challenging experiences — not when it's explained in a conference room.The Core Principle of ALI™
Program Tracks
Who Is ALI™ For?
Four purpose-built tracks, each designed around the specific challenges of that audience. All share the same research foundation — the experience is tailored to you.
Track 01
Custom Group
A fully bespoke program designed for your team or organization. We build around your goals, your culture, and the specific leadership challenge you're trying to solve. Ideal for corporate teams, leadership off-sites, and organizational development initiatives.
Learn more →Track 02
Individual Leaders
One-on-one executive coaching combined with on-water sessions. Built for senior leaders, high-potential managers, and executives navigating transitions who want a developmental experience that goes beyond talk.
Learn more →Track 03
MBA Candidates
A graduate-level experiential learning program for business students who want more than classroom theory. Deepen self-awareness, improve team dynamics, and build real-world leadership instincts before you enter the workforce.
Learn more →Track 04
Civil Servants
Designed for public sector leaders navigating complexity, accountability, and resource constraints. Build trust, communicate under pressure, and make sound decisions when it counts — before the stakes are real.
Learn more →
Behind Bespoke Bay
Built by a Researcher Who Sails. And a Sailor Who Researches.
Matt Kurkjian, M.Ed., PhD (I/O Psychology) founded Bespoke Bay to close the gap between what leadership science knows and what development programs actually do.
His doctoral research at Alliant University focused on experiential learning and the psychology of leadership under uncertainty. He also volunteers as crew aboard the tall ship Matthew Turner with Call of the Sea — taking students out to learn by doing.
ALI™ is the product of that convergence: rigorous research, lived sailing experience, and a genuine belief that the best leadership development happens when stakes are real.
Ready to Begin?
Let's Find the Right Program
for You or Your Team.
We design every program around the people in it. Tell us about yourself and we'll respond within 2 business days — no sales pressure, just a real conversation.
Submit Your Interest →Pilot cohorts are limited. Spots fill on a rolling basis.