Ohio Marinas Request Sea Scout Flotsam Scoop

The flotsam scoop, designed by Sea Scout Ship 41, is again in demand as  the boating season in Ohio heats up. The Ohio Sea Grant has ordered 20 scoops to be handed out as part of the Ohio Clean Marina program.  Over 50 flotsam scoops are in operation cleaning up Ohio's waterways.

Gabriel cleans up debris floating at Lorain Sailing & Yacht
Club as part of the Sea Scout service project.

Sea Scouts find reason to believe expiration dates on safety devices.

Sea Scout Ship 41 along with members of Bay Boat Club set off pyrotechnic visual safety devices at the beach. This exercise was conducted with the permission of Chief of Police, Mr. David Wright, to have done so without permission in a non emergency would have been breaking the law. Safety glasses and gloves were used in all demonstrations.

The goal was two fold, firstly, to give the scouts practice is using the visual safety devices and secondly, to determine the validity of and need for an expiration date.

Dalton had no trouble igniting the orange flare. We all found it very effective and highly visible in the daylight. 

Nate ignited the red flare with only a couple of strikes on it's head.  The flare burned for at least 3 minutes, we noticed hot drippings from the flare and understood the warning to hold the flare over the side of a boat in distress.

All the flares tested ignited but if the expiration date was well past the due date the brilliance and time of burning was reduced on a number of the flares.

After proper instruction by a Bay Boat Club trustee, the scouts fired 12 gauge distress shells

 

Despite the higher number of failures and poor performers with the expired signal shells Andrew managed to fire on successfully out over the water.

After an hour all flares and shells had be set off.  Our goals were met, the Sea Scouts trained and yes, expiration dated do matter. 

Future Sea Scout Training Vessel Arrives in Cleveland, Ohio

The Navy 44' Luder Yawl transferred to Sea Scout Ship 41 arrived safely in Cleveland over the weekend.

It was unloaded at Riverfront Yacht Services on the banks of the Cuyahoga River where it will be on the hard for a year while it is refurbished. Follow the progress on this blog.

The vision is for the boat to be re-commissioned as the Sea Scout Training Vessel, "Intrepid" and used to inspire future generations with a love of sailing.

Navy 44' Luder Yawl turned over to Sea Scouts.

A group of Sea Scout advisors and consultants, expert sailors, from Cleveland, Ohio, visited the Naval Support Facility, Annapolis to survey the Navy 44" Luder Yawl, "Intrepid". After a close inspection the group adjourned to the Harris Crab House to discuss their findings over dinner of crab cakes and stuffed soft shell crabs.

The group concluded that the yawl was sound and would make a beautiful training vessel for the Sea Scouts.

A restful night was spent in the Navy Lodge, Annapolis, then a filling breakfast at the mess hall and it was back to work preparing the boat for it's trailer ride to Cleveland, Ohio. The photo below shows three generations of "Intrepid", ours is the oldest and closest to the River Severn.

At noon, Tim Beattie of Beattie Marine Transport, Inc. pulled into the yard with his rig and the process of loading started.