Sea Scout Ship 198 wins top national honor

Ship 198 from Lewes in the Del-Mar-Va Council has won the 2020 National Flagship Award from the Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatUS) and Sea Scouts, BSA.

The award is presented to a Sea Scout Ship that demonstrates excellence in youth service leadership and strong adult mentorship, which results in a quality character development program and outstanding youth membership achievement during a calendar year.

Ship 198 is chartered by the Broadkiln Marina in Milton and is led by Ship’s Boatswain Cheyenne Snyder and Skipper Ron Krajewski.

Under Snyder's leadership, the group embarked on a recruiting campaign, as well as a well-rounded program involving active participation in outdoor district and council events, on-the-water activities, community service, and active participation in the Del-Mar-Va Council’s Nentego Lodge Order of the Arrow.

Ship 198 grew from 10 members to 28 active members and by year’s end amassed a record of accomplishment, with 50 percent of members advancing one rank.

Ten earned the BSA recruiting strip patch, and members participated in training to earn certifications in first aid, CPR, safe-boating courses, Scout BSA rank advancement and Order of the Arrow election into the council’s Nentengo Lodge Order of the Arrow.

Members also earned the Long Cruise Badge, and the Sea Scouts conducted introduction to leadership skills for ships.

The ship maintains an extensive on-the-water program conducting land-based and indoor-pool nautical training during the winter and early spring.

Weather permitting, members of the ship embark on their 32-foot Kirie Elite sloop Coupe de Tete, the 30-foot Hunter sloop Sea Angel or their Sea Scout training vessel, Miss Mell.

Members learned fundamentals of sailing, marine engines, marine radio procedures, piloting and navigation, and onboard emergency procedures as well as man overboard drills.

During their once-a-month weekend cruises, members have sailed to Cape May, N.J., and other locations in the Delaware and Chesapeake bays, and filled their time with advancement training as well as fishing, swimming, waterskiing, wakeboarding and operating personal watercraft.

Members attended the Northeast Region Area 6 U.S. Coast Guard/Sea Scout Safety-at-Sea training event at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, and the annual Salt and Sleet Sea Scout training rendezvous at Camp Fairlee, Md., as well as the Area 5 President’s Day Sea Scout training weekend in New Jersey.

Much of what the members have learned came to good use during their 2019 summer-long cruise, a 120-nautical-mile round-trip sailing voyage from Lewes to Baltimore by way of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.

While transiting the canal on board the Sea Angel and Coup de Tete, members responded to an electrical short circuit that resulted in an engine fire on the Coup de Tete. Using fire extinguishers, members prevented further damage, and the Coup de Tete was towed to Lums Pond State Park. The fire curtailed cruise plans, but youth leadership contacted Ship 123 from nearby St. Georges to coordinate activities at Lums Pond, including a weekend of paddle sports, camping and fellowship while repairs were being made.

The ship’s on-the-water program involved participation in the Northeast Region Koch Cup Qualifiers in October 2019 with crews placing first and third. The first-place team will be participating in the 2020 William I. Koch Cup in Galveston, Texas. Ship 198 conducted community service projects during the year that included planting dune grass in beach areas along the Delaware Bay.

In addition, members partnered with the City of Lewes to provide maintenance to city marinas and marina buildings, canal cleanup, and a safe boating and Sea Scout information both during the annual Maritime Day. In December, members partnered with the Lewes West Marine store to wrap Christmas presents for customers.

Ship 198 is also active in council and district activities. Members participated in their district’s annual Klondike Derby and are active in the Council’s Order of the Arrow Lodge as lodge vice chief and chapter officers. They participate in chapter, lodge, and section OA events while simultaneously promoting the Sea Scout program.

In November, Ship 198 served as color guard for the council’s National Eagle Scout Association reception where retired Lt. Gen. Ronald Blanck, Medical Corps, U.S. Army and former Army Surgeon General, was conferred the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.

The Sea Scouts are active at the national, regional, and area and council levels. The Del-Mar-Va Council boatswain hails from the ship as well as the Area 6 boatswain. Two adult leaders serve on the Northeast Region Sea Scout committee, and Eagle Scout Matthew Parsons, the 2019-20 National Chief of the Order of the Arrow, is an active member of Ship 198.

Other Sea Scout Ships making up the 2020 National Fleet include Ship 911 from Capital Area Council, Ship 1701 from Sam Houston Council and Ship 450 from Las Vegas Area Council.