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.
