SEARCH:
washingtonpost.com
Web
| Search Archives

Ships Ahoy!

These Scouts Are Prepared for the Sea

SLIDESHOW
    Previous          Next    
No life jackets are needed in dry dock, just elbow grease. Five members of a new Sea Scout ship (unit) from Occoquan check out a donated sailboat that will need lots of work before it's ready for the water. But they look up to the task.
No life jackets are needed in dry dock, just elbow grease. Five members of a new Sea Scout ship (unit) from Occoquan check out a donated sailboat that will need lots of work before it's ready for the water. But they look up to the task. (Photos (Above And Below) By Ann Cameron Siegal For The Washington Post)
Plotting their course are, from left front, Meghan Gleason, Patrick Haurie, Lindsey Belian and Steven Truelove of Arlington Sea Scout ship 1942.
Plotting their course are, from left front, Meghan Gleason, Patrick Haurie, Lindsey Belian and Steven Truelove of Arlington Sea Scout ship 1942. (Ann Cameron Siegal)
Scouts from Ashton, Maryland, learn teamwork. Only one person, the coxswain, is allowed to talk during this exercise.
Scouts from Ashton, Maryland, learn teamwork. Only one person, the coxswain, is allowed to talk during this exercise. (Ann Cameron Siegal)
Arlington's Mollie and Megan Hebda, scouts since age 14, receive their Quartermaster awards.
Arlington's Mollie and Megan Hebda, scouts since age 14, receive their Quartermaster awards. (Ann Cameron Siegal)

TOOLBOX

Resize Text

Save/Share +
Print This
E-mail This

COMMENT

Discussion Policy
CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

Who's Blogging

» Links to this article
Wednesday, February 27, 2008; Page C14

W hat do kids who love boats do in the winter? If you are a local Sea Scout, you participate in winter training and practice the skills you'll need when boating season starts again.

This country's Sea Scout organization began in 1912. While it is part of the Boy Scouts of America, girls have been welcome since the late 1970s.

Sea Scouts range in age from 14 to 20 and belong to units called ships -- similar to troops in regular scouting. There are about 550 Sea Scout ships in the United States, with more than 12,000 scouts participating. In our area there are 18 Sea Scout ships, including units in Bowie, Springfield, Arlington and Occoquan.

You don't need a boat to join this lively band of mariners. All you need is a love of all things nautical (related to boating) and a desire to learn about seamanship, teamwork and leadership.

It also helps if you like meeting people. One recent weekend, more than 100 Sea Scouts from local ships as well as from Georgia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia gathered in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains for winter training.

¿ What did they learn?

They practiced using compasses, Global Positioning System devices and stars to find their way on water. And they learned about navigational aids that show boaters the safe route to take.

¿ What are all those knots for?

Whether hoisting a sail, tossing a lifeline or tying up at the dock, you have to know which knots to use and how to tie them properly and quickly. One of the scouts' favorite knots is the "monkey's fist" -- a wrapping that gives the end of the rope some weight so that it can be easily thrown to someone on a dock or another boat.


CONTINUED     1        >

© 2008 The Washington Post Company