What's the average length of time it takes a high-speed, low-drag Sea Scout to go from Apprentice to Quartermaster? What do you find as sticking points, hurdles, or obstacles to overcome?

 

Trail Pounder

I guess it's up the Sea Scout and what they want to accomplish and how serious they are about this. Also some ships are not traditional and do not use the advancement program. I would think that a well motivated Sea Scout could advance in 3 years by the time he or she is 17 they could have the Quartermaster. The hurdles are commitment on their part, school, sports, band, hobbies, social life many many. Youth in this age group seem to have Cars and Girls or Cars and Boys on their minds and also if the program is fun and exciting.

Can Sea Scouts organize their Ship program around careers?

 

Does anyone remember the Red, White, and Blue divisions of the Sea Exploring program and are they in the Sea Scout Program today?

MW, We had our first Monthly Quarterdeck Meeting. We met in our Blue Work Uniforms with our ship's new hats. We then conducted a Landship Ceremony, well actually walked through it. We've got to work on some of the Drill items and especially the salute. Our Bos'n got presented a Bos'ns Pipe. We swore in the Petty Officers, learned The Sea Promise, had a consultant come in working on Marlinspike Seamanship, had another guy give a History of Sea Scouting in the USA and a guy gave us a 2 person Sail Boat for free. Ship's comaraderie and morale was pretty high. 100% of the ship's company was in correct uniform. Two hours went by so fast.......

dana_renner, I remember them.

 

The red, white & blue fleets were a fascinating experiment and provide us with a real learning experience.

 

In 1949 Sea Scouts became (reluctantly?) Sea Explorers.

 

In 1965 the Sea Explorer program became Sea Exploring with the addition of Blue, White and Red Fleets.

 

Blue Division Sea Explorers were adherents to the traditional Sea Scouting program in every sense. They maintained the uniform, advancement and leadership patterns developed by Keane in the 20's that made Sea Scouting what it is.

 

White Division Sea Explorers had a nautical emphasis, but did not follow the traditional program, possibly utilizing the alternate advancement program of Small-Boat Handler and Qualified Seaman and uniforming being considered optional.

 

Red Fleet Explorers had an aquatic-based program participating in water-related hobbies like scuba, water-skiing or a career focus such as oceanography, probably pursuing no advancement or uniforming at all.

 

Vestiges of all three fleets exist today, but the blue fleet type of program is the one that endured with strength. There's a lesson in that.

 

Yak Herder I believe that the Blue Division Sea Scouting program is the strongest. But can a ship incorporate a Maritime Career Interest into their ship program? Such as a career interest in Maritime Weather, or Merchant Marine still by all intents and purposes be a blue division ship with uniforming and advancement, Or can a ship use A US Maritime Service Uniform adaptable for use by the BSA of course earn the Safe Boating and Advanced Seamanship Course and use Sea Scout Manual and Naval Science curriculum? Something like a NROTC Ship.