Boy Scout troop sets sail

Newport Beach's Del Mar Sea Scout ship, one of the oldest in the area, receives the `06 Flagship Award.

By Lauren Vane, Daily Pilot

Mike Stewart is a proud skipper. And rightly so.

Stewart's ship is the Del Mar Sea Scout ship -- a Boy Scout troop on water -- and it's considered the most skilled in the country.

In May, the Del Mar Scouts won the 2006 BoatU.S. National Sea Scout Flagship Award, a prestigious honor that's a first for this ship, one of the oldest in the area.

On the Del Mar ship, young men ages 14 through 21 learn everything about sailing and the sea -- tying knots, navigation skills, rope climbing and radio communication.

The ship meets once a week and the scouts get together regularly for year-round activities, which include local sailing trips to Long Beach and traveling to competitions around the country.

The Del Mar ship has about 15 members on its current roster and their time commitment consists of "as much time as they're willing to give," Stewart said.

"We have something going almost every weekend," Stewart said.

Sea Scouts are a division of the Boy Scouts who focus more on nautical skills than on typical Scouting activities such as hiking and camping. It's not necessary to have prior Scouting experience to become a Sea Scout, Stewart said. If a member outgrows the Sea Scout ship, they can remain active as an adult leader.

Some of the Sea Scouts want to pursue maritime careers, and others take part in the programbecause they like to sail.

Seventeen-year-old Matt Schauer, a Sea Scout for just 10 months, is considering a future with the naval academy.

"My first time on the boat, it was so much fun," said Matt, a senior at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. "It's like nothing I've ever done before."

Dale Stoica, whose brother, Daniel Stoica, is an adult leader with the ship, said he joined Sea Scouts after he "out-grew" the Boy Scouts.

Dale Stoica said he enjoys "getting out of here" on the boat.

"When you get beyond Catalina, cellphones don't work, parents stop calling," Dale Stoica said.

On a recent Wednesday night, a handful of the ship's members rigged their sailboat for an evening sail around Newport Harbor. Wearing yellow Del Mar T-shirts, the boys worked as a team to ready their vessel, a 43-foot Columbia sailboat.

"They're completely capable of getting this boat out of there without me," Stewart said.

Stewart has been a part of Del Mar since its beginning in 1962. He started out as a ship member, and a year later became the ship's skipper.

"All my experience came from here," said Stewart, who learned all he knows about sailing from the Del Mar ship.

Naturally, it was a proud moment for the skipper and his ship when they found out they won the Flagship award.

"It kinda recognizes us as being the top Scout ship in the country, so you can't help it," Stewart said.