Frequent meetings - Forwarded
Bruce C Johnson (bjoh@loc.gov)
Tue Jun 16 06:21:08 1998
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 1998 17:04:20 -0500
From: "William H. Sills" <whs@idcnet.com>
Reply-To: whs@idcnet.com
To: seascout-net@scouter.com
Subject: Frequent meetings
All of the ships in our Sinnissippi Squadron meet weekly PLUS have weekend
activities. Actually, the formal weekly meetings are supplemented by almost
constant activities. Some bunch is always sailing, socializing,
water-skiing or meeting nearly every day in the summer and once or twice a
week during the school year.
Perhaps sailors and iceboaters place less emphasis on the formal meetings
because so much time is spent afloat or on the ice.
Our program is such an integral part of the lives of our Sea Scouts that
there is no question about it being an ancillary activity at all. Perhaps
that is the type of program referred to by Eric K.
The Thursday night meetings of ships 1, 2, 3 & 4 move to Wednesday nights
during the soft water season to coincide with the Wednesday night races.
Ships 5 & 50 always have combined weekend meetings/activities. Because we
are in a resort area and the kids work on most weekends, the rest of our
activities are by boat crew or just the available Sea Scouts.
For example, all of our boats were in use last weekend. The crew of
youngest Sea Scouts spent the weekend aboard MV Arapaho out of Racine,
Wisconsin and sailed the swing keelboats. MV Arapaho had electrical
problems during the ship 9, Wilmette trip so the SSS Arapaho skipper and
mate worked on her all weekend at her slip.
The older high school kids were racing sailboats and water-skiing on the
Century. The younger high school kids were on the Chris Craft. That took
all of our smaller power boats. The sail boat races took the sailing fleet.
Ship 5 sails on weekends and plays roller hockey three times per week. Ship
50 concentrates on water-skiing during the summer.
The college age kids all have to work on weekends. However, because Monday
is their "day off" they spend that day water-skiing today with the skipper.
Now, to be able to accommodate them, we have had to get a bunch of mates to
work with the young skipper and also with rest of the older guys that are
skippers of the other ships. We have been very lucky and enjoy plenty of
mates with varying work schedules. Those mates, coupled with our young
skipper and our experienced skippers, are sufficient to be on hand to keep
the Sea Scouts busy, accommodate their schedules and observe the Rules,
Regulations and Policies of the Sea Scout Fleet Committee and the BSA.
My job, as squadron commodore, is to co-ordinate everything. Boy, do I love
my computer and e mail!!!
We run things like they were when I was a Sea Scout and Air Scout. The
program is one of the defining parts of our Sea Scouts' lives. They have
lots of fun, dress up for ceremonies, obey our rules of behaviour and run
the program. If they don't repair the sails when they tear or refill the
gas tanks, they don't get to use them. Life is hard!!! <VBG>
Also, the kids often change the meeting dates when school functions
interfere with the regular day. Since we are a youth run program, we
accommodate them. That is also where it is essential to have lots of
mates!!! I just insist that each skipper keep me informed about the
changes.
Anyway, our method ain't easy but it works.
YISS;
Bill Sills
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