Your Yacht Club In Action ~ Supporting The Local Communittee
 |
|||||||
|
Recycle for the Sea Scouts! In addition to inkjets, laser cartridges, cell phones, palm pilots, Ipods and laptops, we are now accepting digital cameras, video consoles (include all accessories), video games and DVD movies in original packaging (no scratches, no laser disks, no burned DVDs, no X-rated or super-value), for our Sea Scouts recycling fundraiser. Please drop your items at one of the following locations. If you aren’t sure whether or not your items qualify....check out: www.cartridgesforkids.com. Worried about your personal information? Check online with your devices’ manufacturer and see how easy it is to safely donate your laptop, phone, PDA. And please do not hesitate to contact me if you know of a business, school or church that would like to 'step aboard.' Our list has continued to grow as we gain support for a terrific group! We have so many drop off locations that it takes Jimmy in his SUV and myself in ‘baby car’ to pick them all up! Cartridges for Kids Drop Off Locations AFFILIATED Customs Brokers USA, Inc. Blackberry House, Blaine City of Lynden and Curves, Darigold Plant, Lynden A.N. Deringer, Blaine Mail Boxes International across from Cost Cutters, Blaine Printing for You, ProPack Inc., Blaine Semiahmoo Marina & Mart, Semiahmoo Donald Starr, CPA, Blaine United UPS Supply Chain Solution, Blaine West Marine Express, and our NEWEST LOCATION: The following is a recap of the amounts we have been able to donate so far from recycling for the Scouts: 2006 – $374.65; 2007 – $281.90; 2008 – $252.05. (Other monies have been donated in the past from raffles.) There are monthly Ship's Committee Meetings and we have our own Geoff Stevenson to represent our Yacht Club. Please thank Geoff for 'stepping aboard' to give a voice (and his knowledge of sailing and boats) to our Club. Without a doubt, boat maintenance is the Sea Scouts single largest expense. The Scouts have some fairly significant expenses coming up in the near future when they haul out the Charee(around $2,000), and moorage for the MV Plover Accepts A Check From SYC Richard Sturgill (Center), accepts a check from Semiahmoo Yacht Club Commodore Henry "Ozzie" Osgood and Vice Commodore Bob Ruth for the purchase of a heater to keep passengers warm in cooler weather. The Club has donated funds to the Plover for three consecutive years. The Plover is the oldest passenger foot-ferry in Washington State. Built in 1944 in Seattle, the MV Plover was used to shuttle cannery workers to the Alaskan Packers Salmon Cannery on Semiahmoo Spit, now home to Semiahmoo Resort and the Semiahmoo Yacht Club. MV Plover provides passenger foot-ferry service during the summer season, Memorial Day through Labor Day, shuttling up to 17 passengers along with bicycles and strollers to summer activities happening on both sides on Drayton Harbor. On the return trip from Semiahmoo Resort, the Plover takes a scenic tour of resident Harbor Seals and a sunken tug. The MV Plover is located at the Blaine Marina near the Blaine Moorage Dock at Gate II. On the Semiahmoo Resort side, the Plover docking area is on the pier behind Pierside Restaurant. |
|||||||
 |
Blaine Sea Scouts
The Blaine Sea Scouts is a co-ed sailing group of scouts ages 14-19. We are a nautically-themed Venturing group chartered under Boy Scouts of America. Our scout group, called Sea Scout Ship Boundary, adds its numbers to the hundreds of thousands of international youths over the past century who have have followed the scout motto, "Be Prepared." Given our 32' sloop, the Charee, and our chilly Pacific Northwest sailing waters, this motto is very fitting. |
||||||
|
SEA SCOUT SHIP LOG ~ May & June, 2006
May and June included both grimy boat work and polished, formal appearances as well as continued planning for our long-cruise and skill/knowledge building. In addition to finishing the big haul-out repairs on the 26' Luna Sea, we also had Honor Guard duties at both the Semiahmoo Yacht Club (SYC) 25th Anniversary and the Blessing of the Fleet in Blaine. We attended the Safety at Sea event at the Maritime Academy in Seattle and manned a booth at the Blaine Community Fly-In. We took possession of several donated boats, including a 24' sailboat, a 17' Inuit-design Umiak, and several dinghies. We also continued to plan for our upcoming 10-day adventure in the San Juan islands August 4-14. SYC 25th Anniversary & Opening Day: The helpful ladies at church measured and stitched to get the man-sized garments to fit the teen scouts. Their labors paid off as scouts showed up impressively at the SYC celebration. Though it was raining, the Sea Scouts marched out proudly in dress blues. With steps and picnic tables to dodge, the Bosun's orders were followed precisely. Many thanks to Staff Sergeant John Clough from the Marine Recruiting Substation in Bellingham whose help made us look like pros (almost)! A quick change into "civies" and we joined the boat parade in the Charee. Giving up on the sputtering engine we issued a radio warning and hoisted our sails since our scout motto is "Be Prepared." We started 2nd, finished last, and had great fun! Saluting the commodore while preparing for a downwind gybe gave the skipper a few more grey hairs. Kudos to the club for their patience, "great eats," and continued moral and financial support. Blessing of the Fleet: Thanks to Jan Hrutfiord, Pam Taft from the Port of Bellingham, and others for the chance to participate in this longstanding Blaine maritime tradition. One of two "Blessings" conducted in Washington State; it afforded the Scouts a chance to honor the maritime history of the community and to reflect on the power of the sea. Carrying the memorial wreath down to the "Arctic Sea" reminded us that we are part of long chain of history. Safety at Sea - Seattle Maritime Academy: Scouts spent a day with experts and other scouts learning to do damage control, fire prevention and management. Both the King County Sheriff and Seattle Police Department Marine units brought their boats and shared about their knowledge and experiences. It was a blast using fire extinguishers and getting soaked in the damage-control unit! San Juan Long Cruise: We are still refining our plans for the August 4-14 cruise to the San Juan Islands. Seven islands and 10 days later we plan to disembark tanned, exhilarated, and full of tales of adventure. Preparing for that journey, though, is tons of work and we are still looking for folks to help. There are many ways ranging from cooking meals to freeze to helping stitch upholstery to sharing all or part of our journey at sea as additional (much needed) adult crew. Please contact Yvette or Angus if you can help in any way Other Community Events: In June we manned a booth at the Blaine Community Fly-In. Local kids threw bean bags through a galleon's sails and scouts shared info about our program. We are also planning to be in Blaine's Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Parade with the SYC. Scout Meetings: Meetings have been filled with long cruise planning and working on practical nautical skills. Building dock lines with eye splices and butt splices was challenging. That was balanced with an evening of scrap booking to prepare for recruiting. Our last meeting in June was hosted by the Binder family in Birch Bay Village. We rowed and paddled directly from their back yard which was practical and fun! Boat Maintenance: Thanks to Gene Carter and Dave Morley for helping out with a mast inspection on the Charee. The sun and harsh Pacific Northwest are taking toll on the varnish and wood of our mast. But the Charee is starting to shine again with a bit of touch up paint and the slow-going removal of the floor paint from our teak deck. Finally, the Luna Sea is now floating in Birch Bay Village marina after 4-months on land. Restepping her mast, removing the head, and replacing the rigging were some of the many repairs done. Though there are still many things to do, sailing up to Birch Bay on a glorious May day was a fabulous intermission between work sessions. She moves out right sharply now and will give a great deal of challenge and fun to some of our more advanced Scouts and sailors. Thanks to all those who donated time and energy to her haul out. Boat Donations: We gratefully took possession of some donated boats for both program use and to sell to run the program. We expanded our fleet with the addition of a 17' Inuit-designed Umiak built and generously donated by Craig Fenske and Britt Nielsen. It takes at least two people (better with four) to operate this vessel, though we plan to fit her with a mast and sail. We also have a 24' Brundlemier sailboat, "Sea Piper," for sale as well as some rubber dinghies. Nautical Equipment: If you are updating equipment please consider us for the old. We are currently looking for GPS navigational equipment, a fathometer, a water tank or bladder, porta-potty, oars (several donated dinghies came without) and some other odds and ends. Again, thank you to all who show such support for our program... it makes a huge difference in the lives of these scouts. You truly help build both memories and practical skills that will serve the young people throughout their lives. Yours in God's Service, |
|||||||
