2018 SeaBase

On August 2nd, 7 scouts and 5 parents from Troop 3303 set sail from Marsh Harbor in the Bahamas as the crew of a 53' sailboat, the Zephyrus. Over 6 days the crew learned to work together to sail between the Abaco islands. As we left port on the first day, we hit some shallow water as the tide was going out and managed to get hung up on the bottom. After much effort by the captain and our entire crew, and a little help from a rising tide, we were able to break free and continue on. While we were hung up we used the time to kick off the trip with a swim test of 3 laps around Zephyrus.

During out trip we visited three islands:

Treasure Cay: Our first stop was in Treasure Cay on Sunday where we attended the service at a local church. We followed this up with an afternoon on the sandy white beach (one of the top 10 in the world!) where the sand was fine as talcum powder and cool on your feet. We spent a few hours playing in the waves where the fish were swimming around everyone.

Man O War Cay: where we explored the small village, found some conch shells which the scouts later used to make music back on board. One evening, we heard someone on another boat blow their conch horn, and our guys responded with a 3 person orchestra of sound.

Hope Town: Here we visited the Elbow Cay lighthouse, one of the oldest working lighthouses in the world. We went on a 6 mile bike ride and still had time to enjoy time snorkeling to cool off.

While on the board the vessel, the crew worked together to sail the ship, keep her clean, cook the meals, and take turns on safety watch at night. In the evening, we played cards, watched the stars, told stories, and competed to see who could find the best place to sleep on board.

By the end of the trip, we had learned a lot and completed a number of new achievements which included: Captains Club award, Snorkeling award, and several of the Scouts achieved the Duty to God award. Additionally, we completed most of the requirements for the Sailing merit badge.

We all had a great time and though we have known each other for years, we got to know everyone even better. It will be a trip that we remember for a long time.