Sea Scouting Mt Diablo Silverado Council, Boy Scouts of America

W. C. Wells, RMC (USN-Ret.), Editor Page 1 of 4 9/12/2013

About Sea Scouting Sea Scouts is a specialized segment of the Venturing program, which was organized to develop

members' sailing and boating skills and promote knowledge of our maritime heritage, in addition to character and

leadership development. Many coastal and inland-water Sea Scout units have their own vessel which may be large

or small. Sea Scout units, called "ships," focus on sailing and cruising either sailboats or power vessels.

During the boating seasons, Sea Scouts learn to maintain and operate a vessel, with a focus on learning the safe and

proper methods of handling boats. Sea Scouts also learn the meaning of buoys and lights, how to take advantage of

wind and tide, and how to drop anchor or approach a dock.

What did you do this weekend? Sea Scouts in Action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uux1Il07e30

Sea Scouts in the San Francisco Bay Area take Safety at Sea training from the US Coast Guard at Yerba

Buena Island in October. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8llm1Sj5VU

Regatta Training, Richmond, in March: https://richmondconfidential.org/2012/03/15/out-on-the-bay-sea-

scout-training-for-young-people/

Swimming, lifesaving, first aid, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation courses are taught with the ship by our own

officers.

Most ships hold formal meetings conducted in either full dress or work uniforms. Occasionally movies are shown,

contests between crews are held, or inter-ship visits are arranged. Super activities in the San Francisco Bay Area

may include cruising to and participating in:

Seafarer’s Regatta, Martinez, in April: http://wrseascouts.wordpress.com/?s=seafarer

Old Salt’s Regatta, Redwood City, in May: http://wrseascouts.wordpress.com/?s=old+salt

Ancient Mariners’ Regatta, USS Hornet, Alameda, in May:

http://wrseascouts.wordpress.com/?s=ancient+mariner, http://www.ancientmariner.us/, video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uux1Il07e30

Summer cruises

Lighted Boat Parade, Jack London Square, Oakland, in December

Some Sea Scouts in the council also compete in sailboat races:

The William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup: http://seascoutcup.org/

Konocti Cup (Clear Lake): http://www.kbsail.com/2013_Cup_Results.htm

Ships are assigned to districts, but the council program and Sea Scouting events are coordinated at the council-level

and above.1

Early History of Sea Scouting (1909-1912) in the United Kingdom Robert Baden-Powell grew up being constantly reminded of his family's naval connections. His maternal

grandfather was Admiral William Smyth. In 1872, when he was 15, Baden-Powell accompanied his brothers on a

cross-country expedition by collapsible canoe. They slept in tents and cooked their meals over open fires. Little

wonder then that B-P was to write later on in his life that he started his Scouting as a Sea Scout.

Sea Scouting had its beginning at a campfire in England when Baden-Powell voiced the hope that older Scouts

would be interested in learning about boat management and seamanship. He stressed the need for young men to

prepare themselves for service on their country's ships. Sea Scouting was introduced by Baden-Powell with the

assistance of his brother, Warington Baden-Powell, K.C., an Admiralty lawyer, sailor, and inventor of canoe sailing.

Lord Baden-Powell personally held a Scout camp at Bucklers Hard, Hampshire in August 1909 which marked the

start of Sea Scouts, though they were not officially named such until 1912. Warington Baden-Powell wrote the

1 Adapted from Sea Scouts, http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Venturing/seascouts.aspx,

Sea Scouting Mt Diablo Silverado Council, Boy Scouts of America

W. C. Wells, RMC (USN-Ret.), Editor Page 2 of 4 9/12/2013

handbook, Sea Scouting and Seamanship for Boys, in 1910 with a foreword by Robert Baden-Powell.

A special uniform was approved in 1910, and was enthusiastically received by the young men of

Britain, soon finding its way to the rest of the world. Warington Baden-Powell is also the author of

Canoe Travelling: Log of a Cruise on the Baltic and Practical Hints on Building and Fitting Canoes, London,

Smith, Elder, 18712.

Ship Locator Contact information for some ship units may be found via the Venturers & Sea Scouts section of

https://beascout.scouting.org/ For other council ships, information is available from the council office,

http://www.bsa-mdsc.org/contact

Ship Units in Mt Diablo Silverado Council by District

District, Location

Ship Unit

Charter Organization Ship Unit Name

(Number)

Gender Years in Service (2013)

Aklan NONE

Chief Solano, Suisun

8001 Carquinez Strait Maritime Youth Program SSS River Otter (8001)3

Coed 0

Diablo Sunrise

NONE

Herms, Richmond

0052 Northland Nautical Foundation http://northlandnautical.org/seascouts.html https://www.facebook.com/sssnorthland

SSS Northland (52)

Male 79

Herms, El Cerrito

0107 Parents Club Of S S S Odyssey SSS Odyssey (107)

Female 28

Iron Horse NONE

Lake, Kelseyville

7711 Konocti Bay Sailing Club, Clearlake http://www.kbsail.com/

SSS Konocti Phoenix (711)

Coed 17

Meridian, San Ramon

1776 Parents of Ship 1776 SSS Show Biz (1776)

Male 8

Muir, Martinez

0072 Security Owners Corporation https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sea-Scout-Ship-Albatross-Ship-72-Martinez-CA/101464556562316 Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lJad7EBOWw

SSS Albatross (72)

Coed 50

Muir, Martinez

0236 Carquinez Strait Maritime Youth Program

http://www.youtube.com/user/Seawitch236 SSS Sea Witch (236)4

Coed 48

Silverado, Napa

7090 Native Sons Golden West Napa Parlor 62 SSS Chaser (90)

Male 72

Silverado, Napa

7091 Chaser Parents Club Inc (Ship 91) Coed 8

Silverado (Combined-unit ship for regattas only) SSS Nomad (1912)

Coed 1

2 Source: Scouts Canada Wiki: http://wiki.scouts.ca/en/Sea_Scouts 3 New unit for 2013, registered December 2012. 4 2013 - Sea Scout Ship Sea Witch in Martinez has given up their 46' boat to another council, and their youth are

currently teaming up with the Sea Scout Ship Albatross in Martinez.

Sea Scouting Mt Diablo Silverado Council, Boy Scouts of America

W. C. Wells, RMC (USN-Ret.), Editor Page 3 of 4 9/12/2013

Sea Scouting has been a program in what is now the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council Herms District (the

old Berkeley Council) since 1925. In 1925 the Berkeley Council budget included $610 for Sea

Scouting. The first organization of Sea Scouting was effected under the leadership of United States Fleet Admiral

(then Commander) Chester W. Nimitz and other interested sea going men living in Berkeley. Council records show

the organization of a Sea Scout Ship during the year 19265. The SSS Odyssey was chartered in 1932 (but had a

lapse in service and was re-chartered in 1967.) Since 1932, the Sea Scouts have been an active part of the Martinez

Community6. The SSS Northland was chartered in 1933.

In about 1938 the rock to finish the Berkeley Marina yacht harbor was obtained “almost free of charge” from the

Boy Scout quarry (now Camp Herms) in the Berkeley hills.7

The Boy Scout of America Sea Scout program has been co-educational since 19718

In 2012, the 100-year anniversary of the Sea Scout program in the United States of America, Sea Scout Ship 72, SSS

Albatross from Martinez, California, chartered by Security Owners Corporation, was selected as the 2012 National

Flagship9.

Four Largest Sea Scout Vessels in the Mt Diablo-Silverado Council

5 According to Victor Lindbald's History of Mt. Diablo Council Boy Scouts of America 6 http://www.seascout.org/21-sea-scout-news/66-2012-national-flagship-albatross 7 The Berkeley Voice, April 26th, 2013 8 http://www.ask.com/wiki/Girl_Scouts_of_the_USA 9 http://www.seascout.org/21-sea-scout-news/66-2012-national-flagship-albatross

Sea Scouting Mt Diablo Silverado Council, Boy Scouts of America

W. C. Wells, RMC (USN-Ret.), Editor Page 4 of 4 9/12/2013

The West Wind – Western Region Sea Scout Blog Blog: http://wrseascouts.wordpress.com/

The Western Region Sea Scout Blog is dedicated to providing Western Regional Sea Scout news, recruiting ideas,

program best practices and advancement tips. Content is created by the Western Region Sea Scout Petty Officers

under the direction of Western Region Commodore Glen Meskimen. The blog is edited and maintained by National

Sea Scout Committee Member Josh Gilliland.

Source: http://wrseascouts.wordpress.com/about/ (August 2013)

National and International Sea Scouting Web Sites

National Sea Scouting web site: http://www.seascout.org/

Florida Sea Base: http://www.bsaseabase.org/

National Sea Scouting calendar: http://www.seascout.org/calendar

National Sea Scouting news: http://www.seascout.org/component/content/article/23-special/embeded-modules/19-

sea-scout-news

Sea Scouts – Recruiting/Fundraising video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XT5pRJo3m8

The William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup (sailing race): http://seascoutcup.org/,

https://www.facebook.com/WilliamIKochInternationalSeaScoutCup

International Sea Scouting:

Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Scout

Facebook portal: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sea-Scout/103107099729350

Some Sea Scouting Publications Sea Scout Manual (2012) – a printed version is available from the Scout Shop - online version is available at

http://www.seascout.org/

How to Organize a (new) Sea Scout Ship (2002): http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/25-352.pdf

California Department of Boating and Waterways Web site: http://www.dbw.ca.gov/

On July 1, 2013, the Department of Boating and Waterways officially became a division under the Department of

Parks and Recreation. More: http://www.dbw.ca.gov/Merger.aspx

US Coast Guard Auxiliary Web site: www.cgaux.org/

Boating Safety Education: http://www.cgaux.org/boatinged/

On 23 February 2009, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary signed a Memorandum of Agreement to partner with

the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). More for U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary members:

http://auxbdeptwiki.cgaux.org/index.php?title=Boy_Scouts_of_America

US Power Squadrons Web site: http://www.usps.org/

American Boating Course: www.americasboatingcourse.com/

YSPS Youth Activities Committee: http://www.usps.org/national/membership/youth/

o Partners in Safe Boating: http://www.usps.org/national/membership/youth/participating.htm

Finley Sea Scout Service Award:

http://www.usps.org/national/membership/youth/pictures/USPS_Finley_Sea_Scout_Service_Award.pdf