After a week of fretfully watching Hurricane Florence dance around the eastern seaboard of the United States, 100 Sea Scouts and their Coast Guard mentors gathered at the Coast Guard base in Curtis bay for training and tours. The Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary provided training in Man-Overboard Drills, Mustang Survival Suit use, Aerial Flares, Disaster Recovery (what happens when your ship hits an iceberg?), maritime radio use and tours of the USCGC Rankin and Chock – who patrol the Chesapeake bay and maintain safe shipping lanes.
On the water, Scouts were able to take tours of the Coast Guard Yard aboard the new mini-tugboat brought by Ship 37 Dreadnought from Frederick, Maryland. They were able to get up close and personal as they motored past the various Coast Guard cutters – and one particularly notable ship, the USCGC EAGLE.
On shore, Scouts were shooting off bright red emergency flares under the watchful eye of the United States Coast Guard. Hand-held flares were ignited and Scouts learned careful techniques to avoid setting themselves on fire, or worse – flares drip sparks that can mix violently with a fuel tank! Despite encouragement from devious adult leaders, Scouts learning to aim and focus a marine fire hose did NOT actually resort to spraying down each other in the warm summer sun.
As our units host their Join Scouting Nights, Colonial is pleased to announce its newest offering for youth: Sea Scout ship 818. The addition of Ship 818 has been years in the making and is the result of hours of work among several Colonial leaders. Ship 818 is chartered by Belle Haven Marina and is open to girls and boys ages 14-20. Current Colonial Scouts as well as youth not presently part of Scouting may join Ship 818. For more information, please contact George Stevens, the Ship’s Chartered Organization representative at 
On September 22nd 400 Scouters were welcomed by the Trust for the National Mall as they converged to volunteer their time and effort to a variety of Mall-related service projects. The day also marked the National Environmental Education Foundation’s celebration of the 25th Annual National Public Lands Day. Known as the largest single-day volunteer effort, this year’s theme of resilience and restoration was inspired by a pressing need to address the effects of a spate of natural disasters and extreme weather that have taken a terrible toll on both public lands and those who depend upon them. 
With over 35 million visits and 3,000 permitted events annually, the National Mall is the most visited National Park in the country. This level of use in “America’s Front Yard” puts an enormous strain on available resources, so volunteer efforts make a massive difference; a difference that is estimated to save the National Park Service nearly $1 million in annual labor costs. Scouts engaged in river clean up, painting
Goshen had a big, busy summer this year! Attendance was high and weeks filled up quickly, with Week 1 being especially popular. Week 2 was more populous than normal this summer, which made the Independence Day celebration at Goshen even more fun – with field games, snacks, special trading post items and sales, and fireworks over the lake. Our Wilderness First Aid Courses, run out of the Goshen Health Lodge, were also quite popular this summer. Adult leaders from all camps took part in those and other training courses around the lake, improving their skills and getting more prepared for the outdoors and other Scouting experiences.