Sea scountin’ girls go for intense training in Newport
August 2nd, 2007
Most 16-year-olds are happy to be in charge of their parents’ car for a few hours on the weekends. For the past week at Newport Sea Base though, some 16 year olds (and 17, 18 and 19 year olds) have been in charge of a 42-foot boat.
A group of six teen girls in the Sea Scouts program, an affiliate of Boy Scouts of America, are in Newport Beach as part of Sea Scout Advanced Leadership training. Since last Saturday, they’ve been taking classes and crewing a ship around the clock to build their management and seafaring skills.
“It’s about a year’s worth of leadership experience condensed down into one week,” said Sea Scout staffer Daniel Stoica of Fullerton.
By the end of the 9-day program, each Sea Scout will have served a 24-hour shift as boatswain, the commanding officer on the Columbia ’42 boat. As boatswain, they’re responsible for nearly everything that happens on the boat, from coordinating meals to trimming sails to making sure the other students get to class on time.
“You just have to remember everything — put your fenders out, get the lines, all the little details,” said Sea Scout Brittany Burns, 18, of Pearland, Texas. “It’s a little nerve-wracking when it’s not your boat.”
Burns said she’s there as much for the leadership experience as the boating experience — she wants to someday be president of the United States. Stoica, 23, who went through the program himself in 2000, said SEAL training prepares students for careers both in boating and in business.
Besides serving as boatswain, Sea Scouts must pass an exam and create a year-long boating calendar for an imaginary vessel. Stoica said graduation isn’t guaranteed, and about one person in every class of six doesn’t end up with SEAL status.
So far, Stoica said, this year’s program has been free of accidents and incidents. He also said that this is the first all-girl class in the program’s nine-year history. That fact, Burns said, made her and others worried there would be “drama” on the crew. But so far, it’s been smooth sailing.
“We’ve really hit it off,” Burns said. “It’s been pretty fun. Somewhat demanding, but it’s all doable.”
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