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Skipper Jared Minard
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Thanks to a donation from a community member, the Marvin Shields is now the proud owner of a second vessel for our ship. The Aurora is a 38' sailing vessel. With the help of Platypus Marine, we were able to pull it out of the water for inspection and repairs.
Congratulations to Ozzy for being our ship's first SEAL graduate! Ozzy was able to attend SEAL Tampa Bay on the heals of Hurricane Elsa. SEAL (Sea scout Experience Advanced Leadership training) is designed to teach leadership skills while underway. It is a demanding and hands-on leadership experience. During his course, Ozzy was able to showcase his skills in seamanship including navigation, sailing and marine safety. The leadership skills and knowledge of the Sea Scout program that he brings back to the ship will be used to help his fellow scouts and our ship grow.  This past weekend we were blessed with the opportunity to finally get our Sea Scouts out on the water to celebrate the birth of our country. If you were able to watch the Fourth of July Boat Parade, you may have noticed a vessel decorated in semaphore flags with sailors dancing to their own tune singing sea shanties... yeah, that was us! The scouts had a blast zooming around on our dinghy and motoring through the procession of fellow vessels. After months of not being able to be out on the water together, it was truly amazing to use our boat after all of the repairs she has recently undergone. We couldn't have asked for a better day...well, except maybe a little sunshine! As the scouts are planning and prepping for their long cruise, we are waiting with bated breath to find out if we will still be able to tackle this grand adventure. With temperature checks and face masks aplenty, we can only wish and hope for travel to be safe enough for us to set sail. In wishing for the best I am reminded of the wise words of my idol.  With these last two months in isolation, a lot of differed improvements on the vessel are finally getting done! We have usable bunks, a new refrigerator, brand new windows, and we FINALLY have our AIS up and running. Our AIS (Automatic Identification System) allows other vessels and the community to monitor our location, course, and speed. This will come in handy during our Long Cruise to the Hood Canal later this summer.
As a scout leader I am always encouraging my Sea Scouts to help in their community. Something as simple as clearing someone's driveway of snow, or putting out the trashcans for a neighbor on trash day can bring joy to someone who may otherwise be having a tough time. Our Sea Scout Ship was blessed with the opportunity to help out our local residents who have been suffering these past few months due to Covid-19. Special thank you to Port Commisioner, Connie Beauvais, for setting up the potato and onion drive for our local residents and allowing us to take part in it.
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