One Week Aloft - Barque EAGLE By Eric Lane, Yeoman Ship 912 Florida

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THE One Week Aloft - Barque EAGLE By Eric Lane, Yeoman Ship 912 Florida In my time as a Sea Scout, there have

Sailing from my home port of Tampa Bay down the ICW to Key West and the Dry Tortugas with 7 people aboard on a

I am a SEAL graduate from cruise 61-2013, Long Island Sound.

I ve participated in many regional and district regattas, rendezvous, raft ups, and other events.

attend a United States service academy: my week on the USCGC Barque EAGLE.

The idea that a kid as young as 16 can board a 295 foot military training vessel for a week is astounding.

The feeling of joy was almost unexplainable, and I later found out that I was one of six chosen out of thirty

We were issued a copy of EAGLE Seamanship, which, quite frankly, was a godsend.

The last thing I wanted to do was show up to the boat which is owned by the school that I want to attend and not

1 THE One Week Aloft - Barque EAGLE By Eric Lane, Yeoman Ship 912 Florida In my time as a Sea Scout, there have been plenty of times that have engrained themselves upon my memory and personality. Sailing from my home port of Tampa Bay down the ICW to Key West and the Dry Tortugas with 7 people aboard on a 35 foot sloop rig was my first taste of a long cruise. I am a SEAL graduate from cruise , Long Island Sound. This past summer, our long cruise was down to the Spanish Virgin Islands off the eastern end of Puerto Rico. I ve participated in many regional and district regattas, rendezvous, raft ups, and other events. To be completely honest, though, there is one that clearly sticks in my mind and has solidified my drive to attend a United States service academy: my week on the USCGC Barque EAGLE. A select few have the opportunity or qualifications to apply, let alone be chosen to go. The idea that a kid as young as 16 can board a 295 foot military training vessel for a week is astounding. When I finished my application, the only thought was, Man, this would be really cool, but my chances have to be so slim it s ridiculous. Little did I know, about two months later, I received an saying USCGC EAGLE- Congratulations. The feeling of joy was almost unexplainable, and I later found out that I was one of six chosen out of thirty nationally. Preparing for EAGLE was a whole other story. We were issued a copy of EAGLE Seamanship, which, quite frankly, was a godsend. I would have never survived without having read that book beforehand. The last thing I wanted to do was show up to the boat which is owned by the school that I want to attend and not know what I m talking about. I was lucky though and found that I had over prepared and since we were only on for a week, we weren t required to do or memorize anything too crazy. When I boarded, I was shocked by just the experience of being on board. Pretty much the first thing that started to run through my head was Wow this is a big boat. How am I going to remember my way around? Little did I know, within about two or three days, for the most part, I was able to navigate not only knowing the proper way to go around but also the short cuts to get there as well.

Easily the best, and also scariest, experience was the climbing.

There is nothing quite as exhilarating as climbing on some shrouds that are only 6 inches apart and trying to

For those of you who believe that you have what it takes to sail on USCGC Barque EAGLE, apply.

2 Easily the best, and also scariest, experience was the climbing. We were required to do up and over training, which was just going up to the first yard arm, over to the other side, and down. Pretty cool, but not as good as when I climb all the way to the Royal sail, which is about 120 feet off the deck. There is nothing quite as exhilarating as climbing on some shrouds that are only 6 inches apart and trying to maneuver onto a platform in order to gasket a sail or something like that. For those of you who believe that you have what it takes to sail on USCGC Barque EAGLE, apply. If you get selected, volunteer for every job you can, including extra rounds on engine watch or something like that. Looking back, EAGLE is my greatest accomplishment yet, and certainly an unforgettable experience. P.S. All the photos were taken by me during the cruise using my new GoPro! <- Eric Lane with fellow Floridian USCG Cadet Morgan Rhodes

Sea Scout Rendezvous 2014 By Marshall Parsons New England Flotilla Commodore On June 6-8 th 2014, the New England Sea Scouts met the Venturers at Fort Trumbull

As depicted in the Disney movie Pirates of the Caribbean, the Ships and Crews came together to elect a leader and, of course, have some fun.

Despite all other scheduling conflicts and events in our region the event had in attendance of Four Ships and Six Crews from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New

Some of these events were sailing, ballooning, visiting the Coast Guard Station to participate in a Search and Rescue activity, touring the historic Fort

In addition the Scouts were treated to a visit by the Project Oceanography Boat and the ability to tour the NOAA Thomas Jefferson Ship that was working in the

Morgan during her 38 th sea trial voyage and one group of scouts was able to assist with receiving dock lines and setting the gang plank at the City Pier New

3 Sea Scout Rendezvous 2014 By Marshall Parsons New England Flotilla Commodore On June 6-8 th 2014, the New England Sea Scouts met the Venturers at Fort Trumbull State Park, New London, CT, for what the youth committee deemed the Gathering of the Brethren Court. As depicted in the Disney movie Pirates of the Caribbean, the Ships and Crews came together to elect a leader and, of course, have some fun. This was a first for Sea Scouts in our area and, considering the many challenges and obstacles this group had to overcome, the event was a success. Despite all other scheduling conflicts and events in our region the event had in attendance of Four Ships and Six Crews from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, totaling 65 people in attendance. The weekend was jam packed with many opportunities for the scouts to choose. Some of these events were sailing, ballooning, visiting the Coast Guard Station to participate in a Search and Rescue activity, touring the historic Fort Trumbull and Fort Griswold, touring Light Houses, and learning about the Coast Guard Research and Development Center. In addition the Scouts were treated to a visit by the Project Oceanography Boat and the ability to tour the NOAA Thomas Jefferson Ship that was working in the area and docked with our boats. We experienced sailing beside the Charles W. Morgan during her 38 th sea trial voyage and one group of scouts was able to assist with receiving dock lines and setting the gang plank at the City Pier New London. In the late evening of this event, the staff of Fort Trumbull reopened the doors to allow the youth to have a social within the fort, with DJ music, and then again on Sunday for a Scouts Own Service. Thank you to all those that that assisted the youth in planning this event. All that attended were blessed with beautiful weather, great opportunities, and new friendships which were created. (Photos supplied by Marshall Parsons.)

National Youth Leadership Training My NYLT Experience By Hayley Fogg, Ship 584 Groton, CT As a Sea Scout in Boy Scout and Venturing territory, I was up river without a paddle.

I was going to be volunteer staff at NYLT without ever completing the course myself so I was already at a disadvantage compared to the other staff members who had taken it and were familiar with the

Sea Experience Advanced Leadership Training for Sea Scouts and it totally done on board a ship for about one week.

I was invited to be on the course by Sam Goodman, who was the top youth leader for the course and called the Senior Patrol Leader.

4 National Youth Leadership Training My NYLT Experience By Hayley Fogg, Ship 584 Groton, CT As a Sea Scout in Boy Scout and Venturing territory, I was up river without a paddle. I was at a loss for many of the new terms and acronyms they use and my skill set was lacking in some areas. I was going to be volunteer staff at NYLT without ever completing the course myself so I was already at a disadvantage compared to the other staff members who had taken it and were familiar with the subject material. I was qualified to be a staff member for NYLT because the summer before I had completed a challenging program called SEAL. Sea Experience Advanced Leadership Training for Sea Scouts and it totally done on board a ship for about one week. I had the basic knowledge under my belt, but the challenge was decoding it and adapting it to a land based camping experience. I was invited to be on the course by Sam Goodman, who was the top youth leader for the course and called the Senior Patrol Leader. I attended staff meetings through video conferencing with the other staff members since I was the farthest traveling scout coming from Groton, Connecticut. We brainstormed ideas, talked about the material and practiced giving presentations. I was finally ready the night before the course started and nervous as ever because the next morning I would meet the 6 kids I would be teaching. They were a funny group of year old boys. When I formally presented the lessons I was responsible for, they all listened as quietly and respectfully as young boys can be in the hot sun and muggy New York weather. I quickly gained the nickname Sergeant Mother Hen from the other staff members as they chuckled at the fact that I was shouting orders and guiding them in emergency drills and the next minute I was brushing dirt off their backs, removing scary caterpillars from their tents, extracting splinters, and telling jokes. I got to know each of them personally and they looked up to me as a mentor and I will never forget how they always called me Miss Hayley. The group of staff members I worked with will be continuing on as a high adventure crew at the request of the Greater New York Council and we will continue to staff NYLT courses in following years. (Left to right: Hayley Fogg, Eli Silver, Samuel Goodman, Jeremy Dueñas, Christopher Moore, Christine Warne, Daniel Garcia) Photos courtesy Allen Iott, Ship 584 CT

Yacht Club over the weekend of August 1-3.

sculling and a capsize/righting contest with style points using the Sunfish and Laser small boat fleet.

5 Becalmed... But not Befuddled By Erie Canal Flotilla Commodore Bob Ellis The First Annual Erie Canal Flotilla Sea Scout Regatta was held at the Onandaga Yacht Club over the weekend of August 1-3. Almost three dozen scouts from Sea Scout Ships coming from New York and Pennsylvania camped out in tents on the lakeside lawn and had lots of fun learning and meeting each other. Unfortunately there was a killer lack of wind so the scheduled races were not held but instead participants held a rat race propelling the boats by sculling and a capsize/righting contest with style points using the Sunfish and Laser small boat fleet. Shoreside events included knot tying competitions, VHF radio merit badge, and timekeeping and compass skills. Skipper Rob Stone and Boatswain Sam Stone, Ship 876, organized the event and Jeff Freedman directed on-the-water activities with the help of Garry Klink who worked tirelessly to ready the OYC fleet. Here are some photos taken by Skipper Rob Stone capturing the crews and their activities. Participant Award Muster All Crews Sam Stone, Boatswain, Ship 876 NY Regatta Location and Fleet We can t wait for next year s Regatta! Hope you can join us!!

SSALBT Knows No Boundaries By Beth Parks, Ship 228 NJ In July, the Liberty Flotilla hosted a session of the Sea Scout Adult Leader Basic Training and had 12 students representing 7 Ships from across

National is looking to put the basic SSALBT online in the near future, with targeted topic modules to be done in small groups to encourage discussion and sharing.

6 SSALBT Knows No Boundaries By Beth Parks, Ship 228 NJ In July, the Liberty Flotilla hosted a session of the Sea Scout Adult Leader Basic Training and had 12 students representing 7 Ships from across the Northeast Region, coming from NY, NJ, MD and MA. Instructors Noel Guzman and Deidre Buchner facilitated lively learning and interaction between the participants. Three of the students were satisfying the prerequisite for the September Seabadge course; others were brand new mates or parents interested in learning more about the program. Here is a photo taken during a break (courtesy of Noel Guzman): Have you taken SSALBT? If not, schedule to today. National is looking to put the basic SSALBT online in the near future, with targeted topic modules to be done in small groups to encourage discussion and sharing. We will keep you posted on this enhancement and the timing of the roll-out. Coast Guard Change of Watch Sea Scout Ship 548 of Avenue, Maryland provided Color Guards for the Coast Guard Change of Watch Ceremonies at Coast Guard Station St. Inigoes on July 23, On the above date CWO2 Philip Robinson was relieve by BMSC Gregory Simcic at 11:00 AM as the Officer in Charge of CG Station St. Inigoes in St. Mary s County of Maryland. Members of Sea Scout Ship 548 of the National Capital Area Council performed the Colors Ceremony for the Change of Watch. Members attending were Rachel Stauffer, Yoeman, Brenda Renninger, Boatswain s Mate and Past Regional Boatswain, Zach Stauffer, Purser, and Skipper Doug Yeckley. The event remarks were made by Captain Kevin Kiefer, Commander of USCG Sector Baltimore, MD and the COW was attended by about 200 people. Bravo Zulu USCG! Photo courtesy of Brenda Renninger

Ship 1942 VA Honored With 2014 Sea Scout National Flagship Award Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) awarded its 12th Sea Scout National Flagship Award to the Arlington,

The Sea Scouts and their Skipper Tom Ballew accepted the award from Keith Christopher, national director for BSA Sea Scouts, who presented the Flagship trophy on behalf of BoatUS.

This award recognizes Dragonlady s exemplary program of seamanship and youth development. Bravo Zulu to the young men and women of Sea Scout Ship 1942.

7 Ship 1942 VA Honored With 2014 Sea Scout National Flagship Award Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) awarded its 12th Sea Scout National Flagship Award to the Arlington, Virginia-based Ship 1942, SSS Dragonlady. The Sea Scouts and their Skipper Tom Ballew accepted the award from Keith Christopher, national director for BSA Sea Scouts, who presented the Flagship trophy on behalf of BoatUS. This is the second time Ship 1942 has received this prestigious award; they earned its first Flagship Award in This award recognizes Dragonlady s exemplary program of seamanship and youth development. Bravo Zulu to the young men and women of Sea Scout Ship Ship 1942, National Capital Area Council, isn t the only great group of Sea Scouts out there. The 2014 National Flagship Fleet recognizes other ships for their outstanding programs over the past year: Ship 378, The Dawn Treader, Flint River Council, Georgia Ship 450, Heatwave, Las Vegas Area Council, Nevada Ship 601, City of Roses, Cascade Pacific Council, Oregon Ship 678, Tsunami, Cascade Pacific Council, Oregon Congratulations to each of these ships for their great programs in the past. We look forward to their continued involvement with the Sea Scout program around the country. Ship 1942 Skipper Tom Ballew, Boatswain Philip Whittlesey, and National Director Keith Christopher Photos by Franklin Garcia Wonder what it takes to merit the Flagship recognition? Here is the Annual Sea Scout Flagship Application, Sea Scout Ship Performance Outline, and the Ship s Performance Scoresheet for the BSA Journey to Excellence Award: JTE2013.pdf

NOTE FROM THE RBOH COMMITTEE CHAIR: At the recent 2014 Bridge of Honor and Sea Scout Ball, the Northeast Region was proud to introduce the following Sea Scouts who have achieved an advanced rank and

, Ship 201 PA, Emily Mathae, Ship 1942 VA, and Rachel Reichner, Ship 2037 NY. We introduced the following new Eagle Scouts (10): Javin Craig, Ship 25 NY, Joseph Lazarus, Ship 40 MA, Michael D.

Amour, Ship 178 PA, Michael Ferry, Ship 201 PA, Alexander Pacuraru, Ship 201 PA, Nicholas Reimold, Ship 201 PA, Spencer Robbins, Ship 201 PA, Paul Treacy, Ship 201 PA, and Kyle E.

8 NOTE FROM THE RBOH COMMITTEE CHAIR: At the recent 2014 Bridge of Honor and Sea Scout Ball, the Northeast Region was proud to introduce the following Sea Scouts who have achieved an advanced rank and recognition in the program. We introduced the following new Quartermasters (5): Alexander W. Lieberman, Ship 100 PA, Nicholas S. Lieberman, Ship 100 PA, Robert G. Gabage Jr., Ship 201 PA, Emily Mathae, Ship 1942 VA, and Rachel Reichner, Ship 2037 NY. We introduced the following new Eagle Scouts (10): Javin Craig, Ship 25 NY, Joseph Lazarus, Ship 40 MA, Michael D. Lieberman, Ship 100 PA, Eli St. Amour, Ship 178 PA, Michael Ferry, Ship 201 PA, Alexander Pacuraru, Ship 201 PA, Nicholas Reimold, Ship 201 PA, Spencer Robbins, Ship 201 PA, Paul Treacy, Ship 201 PA, and Kyle E. Mountney, Ship 228 NJ. We introduced the following new Venturing Silver Awards (8): Callie Kaplan-Wright, Ship 25 NY, Patrick Reagan Clemens, Ship 25 PA, Nicholas S. Lieberman, Ship 100 PA, Robin Gabage, Ship 201 PA, Patrick Gibbons, Ship 201 PA, Jeanine Reilly, Ship 1942 VA, Michelle Reilly, Ship 1942 VA, and Philip Whittlesey, Ship 1942 VA. Bravo Zulu to each and every one of you for the dedication, time and effort required to achieve these ranks and recognitions. MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Hold the date = Saturday, March 21, 2015 for the 33rd Northeast Region, BSA, Bridge of Honor and Sea Scout Ball at the Holiday Inn Select, Swedesboro, NJ. The theme is Learning to Navigate the Waters of Life. Check out the NER Website for the Boarding Manual at Come to this great annual event and join in with the fun! Hope to see you there! What did you do this summer? By Robin Gabage, SSS Slayer As Jenkintown PA s Ship 201's "2013 Sea Scout of the Year" I took full advantage of the KNF's Tall Ship "Kalmar Nyckel" crewmember program. S-201 has been placing Sea Scouts & Leaders in the KNF Crew Training program since 2008 and uses the Kalmar Nyckel as their primary cruising vessel. S-201 has over 2 dozen KNF trained and certified sailors since starting our joint program. These pictures were taken while the Kalmar Nyckel was in the Southern Chesapeake Bay in May (2014); I spent 2 weeks on board in May and embarked again on July 5th for 3 additional weeks. I achieved my goal this year to become a Deck Chief which means I got to command my fellow S-201 Sea Scout and Leaders while they were on board this Summer. Lots of fun plus lots of learning the ropes! Just ask me about my experiences when you see me at the next RBOH!!

Life-Saving Lighthouse Keeper Honored Submitted by Beth Parks, Ship 228-NJ and John Christofferson AP A lighthouse keeper credited with saving 21 lives during her 61 years of service has received a

The Coast Guard, local officials and others participated in a grave marker dedication ceremony on May 8, 2014, for Kathleen Moore at the Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, CT.

9 Life-Saving Lighthouse Keeper Honored Submitted by Beth Parks, Ship 228-NJ and John Christofferson AP A lighthouse keeper credited with saving 21 lives during her 61 years of service has received a grave marker more than a century after she was buried. The Coast Guard, local officials and others participated in a grave marker dedication ceremony on May 8, 2014, for Kathleen Moore at the Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, CT. They say Moore performed dangerous work, saving lives at a time when women couldn't even vote. Moore was a lighthouse keeper of the Black Rock Harbor Lighthouse on the small seaside community of Fayerweather Island. She retired in 1878 at the age of 84 and died in 1899 but never had a headstone. The Coast Guard is scheduled to commission a 154-foot Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter named the Coast Guard Cutter Kathleen Moore on Saturday, May 11, in Key West, FL. For more information on this USCG service, you can read the 2001 paperback Women Who Kept the Lights: An Illustrated History of Female Lighthouse Keepers by Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candace Clifford.

A FINAL THOUGHT FROM THE EDITOR Some four years after BP s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blew out in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists are still discovering devastating environmental effects of the

Even though BP did a complete job of cleaning up the spill, waterways and coastal properties, and put safeguards in place to hopefully prevent any additional leakage, scientists now estimate that

Commented Chris Haney, Defenders of Wildlife chief scientist, Prevailing wind and currents moved bodies away or they disappeared before coming ashore because of controlled surface oil fires, ocean

10 A FINAL THOUGHT FROM THE EDITOR Some four years after BP s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blew out in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists are still discovering devastating environmental effects of the 87-day uncontrolled released of oil and gas. Even though BP did a complete job of cleaning up the spill, waterways and coastal properties, and put safeguards in place to hopefully prevent any additional leakage, scientists now estimate that 800,000 birds died in the estuaries (much more than the 3000 bird carcasses initially recovered). Commented Chris Haney, Defenders of Wildlife chief scientist, Prevailing wind and currents moved bodies away or they disappeared before coming ashore because of controlled surface oil fires, ocean scavengers and decay. Common bottlenose dolphins in the spill zone also show steep health declines. And fish fared no better, exhibiting genetic changes in their gills. He refers to the study, which relied on computer modeling to calculate the likelihood of these factors, that the spill also caused heart defects in larval fish. Accessing the full scope of harm from this unprecedented oil spill is a vital step to recovery. Otherwise, we will not know how to best deploy our resources to restore the Gulf and to protect the endangered creatures, like sea turtles and Bluefish tuna, and other marine fish that make this sea their home. What can you do? During the event, two local Sea Scouts adults, Ray Drollinger (Ship 441 NY) and James Zatwarnicki (Ship 228 NJ) operated tug boats and large cargo ships used to clean up the spill and bring scientists and contractors to the area to work the project. Today, around the Northeast Region, not immediately impacted by this tragedy, we all need to be aware of disposing waste into our waterways, cleaning up the shorelines and marinas of trash left by others (accidentally or on purpose), and being good stewards of the oceans, rivers and lakes we enjoy as part of our Sea Scout program activities. As a Sea Scout, I promise to know the proper use. of all equipment in my care, including the water! A brown pelican is seen on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast. June (Photo by Charlie Riedel) A shrimp boat is used to collect oil with booms in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, LA. May (Photo by Eric Gay)

Just for Fun... What is this? Clever use of Photoshop? The Mother Ship about to land? A stealth naval vessel or camouflaged submarine?

But when the water in the reservoir gets too high, this drain keeps the dam from flooding the plains in the surrounding countryside.

Here is a photograph taken during a drier time of the season, from a slightly different perspective. Thanks to BING homepage images for this.

11 Just for Fun... What is this? Clever use of Photoshop? The Mother Ship about to land? A stealth naval vessel or camouflaged submarine? Most of the time, the bell-mouth spillway of the Monte da Rocha Dam in southern Portugal looks like this. But when the water in the reservoir gets too high, this drain keeps the dam from flooding the plains in the surrounding countryside. When a circular spillway is draining, it can look like a whirlpool in the sea. Here is a photograph taken during a drier time of the season, from a slightly different perspective. Thanks to BING homepage images for this. Note from the Editor: The Telegraph is always looking for suggestions for the Just for Fun section. Send your puzzles or photos to deidre57@verizon.net. Thanks! Are you a Geo-Genius? Test your knowledge with questions from the National Geographic Bee. Answers to the quiz included in the last issue. 1. Basalt 2. Melting glaciers 3. Fresh snow 4. Glacial movement 5. Mountains 6. The Bahamas 7. South America 8. Belize Hope you did well!

SEA SCOUTING AND THE COMMISSIONER DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS AND ITS HISTORY IN THE SCOUTING PROGRAM?

SEA SCOUTING AND THE COMMISSIONER DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS AND ITS HISTORY IN THE SCOUTING PROGRAM? Salvatore P. Ciampo Theodore Roosevelt Council SPCiampo@aol.com November 14, 2015 2 Thesis Review Committee