We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Sea Scouts

2023 Provisional Camps: Solo Summer Adventures

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Calling Scouts BSA, Venturers, and Sea Scouts! Want to attend camp? Is your unit going during a week that doesn’t fit your schedule? Need a second week of summer camp? Is your unit not doing a high adventure this year? A Provisional Summer Camp program could be the answer!

Provisional camp is a program offered to individual youth to attend summer camp on their own or in a small group without their unit and without having to bring their own adult leaders. Individuals form a Provisional Unit for the week, made up of other individual campers. Adult supervision is provided either by adult volunteers, camp staff, or a combination of both. In order to participate, youth need to be registered in Scouts BSA, Venturing BSA, or Sea Scouts BSA. Boys and girls are welcome! There is no minimum age requirement for standard camp programs, but most high adventure programs aimed at older scouts have a minimum age requirement.

National Capital Area Council offers a number of provisional summer camp experiences from standard summer camp experiences to backpacking and sailing high adventures. Check out the different options below!

Goshen Provisional Camp

At Camp Marriott, Goshen Scout Reservation
Make new friends as you enjoy all the activities – whether that is New Scout Quest for new scouts, Goshen Vets for older scouts, standard camp favorites like swimming and rifle shooting, or unique offerings at Eagle’s Eyrie and The Guild. Goshen Provisional Camp runs weekly, Saturday to Sunday, from June 25 thru July 29, 2023. Learn more at www.gotogoshen.org/provisional

Scouts BSA Specialty Week

At Camp Snyder
Attend as a day or overnight camper and get a chance to earn standard and specialized merit badges at some of the unique facilities, like the Woodshop. New scouts should check out the Green Bar Bill program to work on rank advancement. Specialty Week runs one week only, so don’t miss it! July 16 – July 22, 2023. Learn more at www.gotosnyder.org/summer-camp/specialty-week

High Adventure Council Contingents

The NCAC High Adventure Committee annually sponsors trips for individuals to National High Adventure bases including Philmont, Sea Base, and Northern Tier. Go backpacking in the Cimarron, sailing in the Caribbean, or canoeing in the Boundary Waters. Participants must be at least 14 years old. Dates vary.
Learn more at www.ncacbsa.org/high-adventure

Lenhok’sin Provisional Trail Trek

Find adventure at NCAC’s very own local high adventure base! Lenhok’sin offers backpacking with stops at outposts for adventure activities. Go stand-up paddleboarding, try your hand at blacksmithing, barter with the Mountain Man, and have other adventures. This trek is sponsored by the NCAC High Adventure Committee at Goshen Scout Reservation’s Lenhok’sin High Adventure. Participants must be age 13 or older. Offered one week only, so don’t miss it! July 2 – July 8, 2023. Learn more at www.gotogoshen.org/lenhoksin

Goshen Order of the Arrow Trail Crew

Join a crew of Order of the Arrow youth dedicated to cheerful service for a two week experience. The first week focuses on training and service. Learn about outdoor ethics and backcountry conservation as you apply your skills to the Lenhok’sin trail system. The second week is the full Lenhok’sin trail trek experience. Choose your outposts and enjoy the adventure at a reduced cost. Participants must be age 14 or older. GOAT runs June 18 – July 2, 2023. Learn more at wipit470.org/goat.html

Sea Scout Support for Pack 1144 Fishing Derby

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National Capital Area Council (NCAC) Sea Scouts had the opportunity to engage in outreach and community service through a collaborative effort with Cub Scout Pack 1144. Pack 1144 held its First Annual Fishing Derby at Fountainhead park on Sunday, June 5th, 2022, with great success! The event provided an immense opportunity to bridge the gap between Sea Scouts and Cub Scouts in an interactive-learning environment. Sea Scouts supported Cub Scouts and parents in acquiring basic fishing skills, safety, and conservation mindfulness.

Able Sea Scout Quinn Laffey, Ship 1942 was on-site to bring awareness to his Conservation Quartermaster Project ,“Reel-n-Recycle.” According to Laffey “because of the GREAT EXPOSURE, 10 of the Cub Scouts recycled their fishing line and scanned the QR code on the recycling tube, to enter the lottery and possibly win one of the two fishing rod and reel packages that were donated by West Marine ($350.00 per package.)” Fifty-two Cub Scouts and Parents from Pack 1144 registered for the fun-filled event. Pack 1144 Committee Chair Brandon Budman said, “the event just took off!” The weather was beautiful and many of the Cub Scouts had great success with the “catch-and-release event.”

Sea Scouts registered for this event through a sign-up genius disseminated through the Sea Scout Committee Wardroom Meeting. This initiative fostered the opportunity for Sea Scouts to earn volunteer service hours toward rank advancement, increase Sea Scout visual presence, as well as support Cub Scouting and conservation. This Sea Scout outreach and support initiative was made possible through the collaborated efforts of the NCAC Sea Scout Committee, Pack 1144, and the newly selected National Service Territory 12 (NST12) Boatswain, William Kennedy. Boatswain William is transitioning from NCAC Boatswain’s Mate for Program to his new Territory leadership role.

Sea Scouts provide an excellent opportunity for adventure focused on youth ages 14-21 who are interested in white water rafting, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, powerboating, and SCUBA diving. To find a Sea Scout Ship near you, log-on to www.beascout.org. The opportunity is also available to start new Ships within NCAC and National Service Territory 12 (NST12). For those interested in learning more about Able Scout Quinn Laffey’s Quartermaster and Conservation Project, a hyper-link to a Dropbox is provided for Reel-n-Recycle.

Please reach out to Sea Scout Ship 1942 if interested to learn more about the engagement!

 

 

 

 

Six Sea Scouts, Three Adventures, One Ship

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Six Sea Scouts, Three Adventures, One Ship = SEAL

“A rising tide lifts all boats,” isn’t just an aphorism in Ship 1942 SS Dragonlady. The legacy of Ship 1942 with Skipper Tom Ballew at the helm has a long-standing tradition of sending Sea Scouts to Sea Scout Advanced Leadership Training (SEAL). Sea Scouts across the country in a variety of Sea Scout Ships apply to attend the 9-day intensive leadership on-the-water training held in locations such as New York, Tampa, Colorado, Tennessee, Galveston, San Francisco, and Seattle to name a few. Sea Scouts can apply for this advanced leadership training in a variety of Sea Scout disciplines from white water, paddle craft, sailing to living aboard motorized vessels.

The unique opportunity to have six Sea Scouts attend came to fruition because SEAL applications were opened to Scouts BSA. Any Scout who has reached the rank of First Class and age 14, and any Sea Scout who has reached Ordinary, can apply to attend SEAL. Three Eagle Scouts from Ship 1942 who are dual registered in a Troop took advantage of this opportunity to join their fellow Sea Scouts from Ship 1942.

When the information that SEAL was open to Scouts BSA was released, the Ship 1942 training chair took advantage of this unique opportunity and broadcasted it widely across the National Capital Area Council (NCAC). This led to a total of seven youth to attend four different SEAL Courses. All of the scouts earned their SEAL Certificate and coveted SEAL Pin including the 6 scouts from Ship 1942 and Life Scout Austin Snip from Troop 447. Each SEAL course follows a national curriculum but focuses on different vessels based upon their demographic location.

Photo credit: Maura Maupin

Eagle Scouts Aiden Maupin, Colin Maupin, and Liam Maupin from Troop 413 and Ship 1942 all selected SEAL Colorado White Water Rafting as their first choice. They were joined by Ship 1942 Boatswain Sebastian Morales-Talero for this 9-day camping and white-water rafting experience. Where the three brothers were placed in different crews by design, Liam Maupin and Boatswain Sebastian had the opportunity to be in the same crew, as SEAL Colorado had three separate crews and the Ship had four participants.

Photo credit: Tom Laffey

Quartermaster Candidate and Eagle Scout Quinn Laffey did not receive his first choice which was Tampa, Florida. Quinn was placed in SEAL Tennessee, which is a paddle craft course, but Quinn embraced this opportunity like a champion and had an awesome experience! Quinn utilized his prior skills from Northern Tier and relied upon a more recent certification he received while obtaining his USPS Pilot “P” rating to prepare for SEAL Tennessee. Ship 1942 is a sailing ship, but Quinn’s diversified Scouting and Sea Scouting experiences more than prepared him for the challenges of the Tennessee rivers.

Photo credit: Charleen Kennedy

William Kennedy, the current National Service Territory 12 (NST12) Boatswain who is also an Eagle Scout and Able Sea Scout joined SEAL Seattle and had the experience he had dreamed of aboard the SSS Propeller located in Seattle, Washington. William thrived in the SEAL intensive environment and hopes to return for more adventures on the SSS Propeller, a 1952 65’ U.S. Army T-Boat. SEAL Seattle participants navigated the San Juan Islands throughout the 10-day course. SEAL Seattle participants had the option to join the SSS Propeller crew for an extended stay to support Seattle’s Seafair Weekend Festival. To prepare for SEAL Seattle, NST12 Boatswain obtained multiple certifications including NASBLA Boaters Safety Education Course, USPS Boat Handling, USPS Marine Navigation, Pilot “P” rating, and a 16-hour hands-on US Power Boating Certification.

Quinn, Aiden, Liam, Colin, and Sebastian all earned the 50-Miler Award for paddling over 50 miles during their adventure. The SEAL Colorado participants also earned the BSA White Water Award. To prepare for SEAL Colorado, the Maupins completed an NASBLA Boaters Safety Course, and Boatswain Sebastian attended an in-person Marine Navigation Course offered through Ship 1942 and had completed Northern Tier. These accomplished Sea Scouts have shared their enthusiasm for the course and look forward to applying the leadership skills gained.

SEAL Adventure

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S.E.A.L., Sea scout Experience Advanced Leadership training is the Sea Scouts BSA highest leadership training for youth, which is now open for Scouts BSA as well. It is a demanding hands-on leadership experience that takes a lot of preparation. The course is designed to develop leadership skills in young adults in an “at sea” experience, but seamanship and nautical skills are merely the means, not the end. Sea Scouts need to have the rank of Ordinary (the second rank in Sea Scouts BSA, after the rank of Apprentice) or be a Venturing Pathfinder or a Scouts BSA First Class Scout by June 1st of the year of the SEAL training.


Furthermore, both Sea Scout, Venturer, and Scout need to study Chapter 4 of the most current edition of the Sea Scout Manual, have to be able to perform basic coastal navigation, and be able to tie all knots required for Apprentice and Ordinary rank (15 knots) within 3 minutes. They also need to know most basic names of all sailing vessel parts, helm commands and relative bearings, which can be found in the Sea Scout Manual. All participants must also have their State’s Boater License in order to pilot a boat or ship.

Troop 447 Life Scout and SPL Austin was accepted to attend the NY/NJ SEAL training off of Long Island NY on the 65’ motorized vessel Sea Dart II, out of Linden NJ the last week of June. Austin had only 6 weeks after he was accepted to this course to be fully prepared for this adventure. Fortunately was offered help for this by the new National Service Territory Boatswain William Kennedy, who gave Austin a crash course in Coastal Navigation, and in the use of Austin’s newly acquired Boatswain pipe, the high pitched device with which commands are given on a ship.

Austin also studied the required Chapter 4 of the Sea Scout Manual and earned his MD Boater License, all while earning his PADI open water certification (not required, but scheduled 2 weeks before the SEAL course). He also got a full Sea Scout uniform, which was a requirement for this course. Fortunately, the uniform can be found at any local Walmart, the dark navy shirt, and shorts or cargo pants from Dickies (a higher end, but more expensive option can be found at any 5.11 store).

We dropped Austin off on the dock in Linden New Jersey on Saturday, June 25 and received sporadic messages during the week, as cell phone use is restricted on board during most of the day, so the candidates can focus on the rigorous training. Fortunately we were able to follow the vessel in real time through on online maritime locator system. From Linden, they visited Port Jefferson on Long Island NY, through the Long Island Sound to New London CT for the U.S.C.G. Academy, to Bridgeport CT, to Throgs Neck NY for the State University of NY Maritime College and back to home port of Linden NJ. During the trip Austin and his fellow candidates practiced and performed the twelve areas of leadership management of the SEAL course and experienced life on board of a vessel, including cooking, cleaning and preparing for the journey of the next day.

When we picked Austin up a week later, he was exhausted, but he was happy to report that he had successfully completed the SEAL training, and that he was now the proud owner of the coveted SEAL Award pin, the Silver Dolphin pin and SEAL certificate! In the 5 hour journey home it was a non-stop waterfall of stories from his adventure. In the end he shared with us that it was an exhausting trip, but more than worth it.

Sea Scouts Safety @ Sea 2021

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It is called “the best kept secret of the BSA” and it is Sea Scouts BSA.

On Saturday, September 11, 2021, Life Scout Austin, an ASPL from Troop 447, visited the “Safety @ Sea 2021” event by the Coast Guard Auxiliary at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, MD. Ever since Austin had seen a small sailboat at Camp William B. Snyder as a Cub Scout, he wanted to join the Sea Scouts, but he had to wait until he had reached the age of 14. The event is sponsored jointly by the United States Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region, United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, FOSSOM Inc. (Friends of Sea Scouts of Maryland), and Sea Scouts BSA.

Since Sea Scouts BSA were sponsors, Scouts were allowed to participate in the 2021 Safety @ Sea event. This annual event gives Scouts and Scouters a close look at the many facets of Maritime safety in sailing, motor boating, paddle crafts, etc. It also introduces the Scouts to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and membership in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the all-volunteer branch of the Coast Guard.

For Scouters it was an excellent opportunity to brush up their skills or to network with the many Units, NST-12 and National representatives, like NST-12 Commodore Stanley Kwok.
Among the most popular activities at the event were the Helicopter rescue demonstration and the “man overboard” drill and of course the live flares station.

Sea Scouts is the official maritime program of the BSA for male and female youth from 14 to 20 years. Sea Scouts BSA has 4 different ranks: Apprentice, Ordinary, Able and Quartermaster. Last year only 36 Sea Scouts achieved the highest rank of Quartermaster nationwide.

To get a valuable introduction in leadership skills for adults, Scouters of both Sea Scouts BSA and from Scouts BSA should consider the Seabadge training offered throughout the year. Check out the next opportunity at seascout.org/adult-training/seabadge/ .

To learn more about the Sea Scouts BSA program, please visit seascout.org.

Planning for the Future: Sea Scout Long Cruise Challenge 2020

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Participating in a Long Cruise is the goal of every Sea Scout ship; however, the planning process is both challenging and demanding. Especially for growing ships, the immense tasks that loom in front of Long Cruise planners can be daunting. All too familiar with these struggles – having experienced them firsthand – we asked ourselves how we could not only encourage, but also empower ships to pursue Long Cruise planning. A Long Cruise can be incredibly rewarding, not only for the scouts participating in the actual event, but also for the scouts involved in the arduous planning process.

We – the NCAC Sea Scout Quarterdeck – devoted many planning sessions to brainstorming ideas that would closely imitate the lessons and experiences gained from participating in a Long Cruise. Although it was unlikely that any ship would be able to participate in a real Long Cruise this summer, we continued to search for solutions. How could we incentivize Long Cruise planning, even in a time where communication was challenging? How could we make resources available to growing ships who have never had the opportunity to plan a Long Cruise before? How could we involve the entire community of Sea Scouts, not only in the National Capital Area Council, but also in the entire nation? The culmination of our efforts and extensive planning produced the Sea Scout Long Cruise Challenge 2020.

The competition officially launched on July 21st, and it will run until August 31st, giving ships a month’s time to commit to a plan, delegate assignments, and create a boarding manual and video for presentation. Creating meal plans, assigning roles, researching marinas and routes – Long Cruise planners will find that there is plenty that must be done in order to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. Whether planning a budget or arranging for transportation, the logistics and planning that is required for a Long Cruise also requires effective teamwork, reliable leadership, and resourceful delegation. Throughout the duration of the event, the NCAC Sea Scout Quarterdeck will continue to offer tips and advice through flyers and social media posts to ensure that all components of the Long Cruise plan are receiving sufficient attention.

Components of a submission include a Boarding Manual and short promotional video presentation that will be graded by a panel of judges. Success can be obtained through careful attention to three factors: depth and detail of information, professionalism of the material, and strength of the speakers. As long as appropriate consideration is exhibited for each component of the criteria, Long Cruise planning submissions also have the potential to showcase a ship’s creativity and resourcefulness.

The winning submission will have the opportunity to participate in a one-week Long Cruise aboard the SSTV der PeLiKan, a 46-foot Morgan ketch situated on the Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore, Maryland. Friends of Sea Scouting of Maryland (FOSSOM) – a 501(c)3 non-profit who operates the boat for the benefit of the Sea Scout program – will provide a BSA-registered captain, and cover fuel, moorings, and docking fees to an amount not to exceed $300. More information regarding the grand prize can be found in our event’s boarding manual. Ships interested in registering or are interested in obtaining more information can have their skipper send an email to NCACSeaScouts@gmail.com.
Long Cruise planning is similar to the large-scale projects one might see at school or at work. They can be incredibly frustrating. They can be challenging. They can be confusing. But the frustration, the obstacles, and the confusion all contribute to creating impactful, purposeful experiences that truly shape youth leaders. Large-scale planning projects create opportunities for growth, both within the team and within individuals. They create environments that require communication and conflict resolution. And the result of such arduous labor can create an experience of a lifetime.