Kids Aboard Boating, Fishing & Watersports Magazine
For Children & Families
Posted Friday, June 1, 2007
Boat Owners Association of The United States awarded Sea Scout Ship 1942, Dragonlady, of Arlington, VA, with the 2007 Sea Scout Flagship Award at the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Annual Meeting held today in Atlanta, GA. The Award honors the top performing Sea Scout unit in the nation.
“We are particularly proud of this year’s winner since Ship 1942 is our ‘hometown’ Ship,” said BoatU.S. Assistant Vice President Ryck Lydecker, who presented the award to Andrew Scheuermann, 18, the Ship’s boatswain (youth leader), and Sea Scout Skipper Tom Ballew.
The award recognizes excellence in program quality, youth achievement and adult commitment. The Ship and its crew of Sea Scouts compiled an impressive record of accomplishments last year, logging 54 days of on-water activities, including 21 days of overnight cruises and a week-long Chesapeake Bay cruise. In the past two years, the Ship has produced six Quartermaster Sea Scouts, the highest rank achievable.
Like all Sea Scout units, Ship 1942 uses boats, seamanship and nautical skills to develop character and leadership qualities in young people, both male and female. With 46 youth active in the program, Ship 1942 needs to keep a whole fleet of vessels available for training, racing and fun. The fleet ranges from day sailers and small cruising boats kept nearby on the Potomac River to five cruising sloops from 27 to 39 feet on the Chesapeake Bay at Solomons Island, MD.
Regular activities range from formal training in boating handling, rules of the road and safety drills to boat maintenance, electronics and engine repair, with a good measure of fun thrown in.
Ship 1942 Dragonlady is sponsored by St. George’s Episcopal Church in Arlington.
This is the sixth year for the BoatU.S. Flagship Award, originated by BoatU.S. in 2002 to mark the 90th anniversary of Sea Scouting – a co-ed program for young adults age 14-20 with over 7,000 youth participating in 550 Ships nationwide. A perpetual trophy bearing the names of the annual winning Ship resides at the BSA National Scouting Museum in Irving, TX. For more information, contact: SeaScouts@BoatUS.com
