Sea Scouts for youngsters ?

[Snowgoose-1]

I was asked if the Sea Scouts was a good idea for a young lad.
Any experience that I could pass on would be helpful.
Thanks

 

[veshengro]

I appreciate it will be different and more in keeping with todays ethics but I would say yes. Rope work, Boat handling etc: is still taught (I hope) and just being part of a crew or group will help some youngsters to come out of their shell and develop.
Later perhaps. Sea Cadets...and that was really good times.

1956

 

[ribdriver]

Scouting clearly offers all sorts of opportunities and chances to undertake all sorts of activities, also teaches young people a lot about teamwork, challenging themselves, behaviour, pride and much much more. Also discipline without being too OTT.
Add in boats and well....what's not to appeal, especially if they like boats and the sea.

I was a sea scout years ago and got so much from it. Am now a scout leader (sadly not sea scouts due to location) and it is very rewarding when we see the scouts achieve so much.

On the above point of coming out of their shell - this is one of the best bits to see, and very common. It's often a case of being given opportunities that they might otherwise not get - especially these days.

 

[[70521]]

It has been some time since I was a Sea Scout and have no contact with the Scout Association. I suggest you ask the local Sea Scout Group if the young lad can attend a few meetings, assuming there is no waiting list due to the lack of leaders, and see what he thinks.

 

[ylop]

I was asked if the Sea Scouts was a good idea for a young lad.
Any experience that I could pass on would be helpful.
Thanks

A strange question, we don’t know “the lad”, “the local sea scout group” or what the person asking the question considered a “good idea”. However in general boys and girls often enjoy scouting and get a lot out of it. Sea Scouts are just like other scouts but with some emphasis on nautical activity.

 

[LiftyK]

Many excellent years in Sea Scouts. I learned many skills that were valuable for a lifetime of enjoying leisure life afloat. Go for it.

 

[LittleSister]

It's an excellent idea. What's the worst that can happen? He (or a she) goes along a few times, doesn't like it and stops going.

I was in the Cubs, the (non-Sea) Scouts and later the Sea Cadets. I wish I could go back and thank all the leaders and supporters of those groups and tell them how much I appreciate, if rather belatedly, the huge benefits I received from all their efforts, enthusiasm and guidance.

Looking back I learnt so much in the way of skills (and values) which still help me all these many years later; about discipline, self-discipline, teamwork, and confidence in my own capabilities and limitations; and had so many exciting new experiences and great adventures. I can now also see that it gave me, as someone who had few friends and limited social horizons as a child, an opportunity to socialise and develop as an individual.

On the other hand, I did develop an addiction to boating while in the Sea Cadets, and that has cost me a fortune in the half-century or so since!

 

[SaltyC]

As others have said, it all depends on the individual and parental support as a taxi service as a Sea Scout group may be further away than the local Scout group. They do exist inland and are generally based near a lake / reservoir with access to dinghies.
Yes, they get access to activities they may not otherwise have, as with all Scout activities they learn practical skills and life skills like team work and communication.
I am aware of individuals who have been isolated at school for whatever reason, Sailing has given them a skill and confidence allowing them to develop rapidly as they realise they have skills and can achieve things with perseverance.
Taking groups of youngsters on a yacht for a weekend is a revelation as you see them gain confidence and work as a team not an individual.
Find a local group and let them attend a few weeks and they can decide for themselves.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

Many thanks for all the contributions. I will pass the information on to my neighbor . So nice to have user contributions. I only wish I had joined when I was a a lad.

 

[obmij]

I was in the scouts & my son is in the sea scouts. Different troops but the same coastal area. There isn't a huge amount of difference between the two. The focus for both is mainly the scouting side of things (that being camping, making fires, kicking around etc). They do get out on the water though but it's not like a sailing club where that is the primary focus.

I would definitely recommend joining the scouts and if the troop are 'sea scouts' then that's as good as any, but if the intention is to sail every weekend then a sailing club is the way forward.

Or do both

 

[ylop]

I was in the scouts & my son is in the sea scouts. Different troops but the same coastal area. There isn't a huge amount of difference between the two. The focus for both is mainly the scouting side of things (that being camping, making fires, kicking around etc). They do get out on the water though but it's not like a sailing club where that is the primary focus.

I would definitely recommend joining the scouts and if the troop are 'sea scouts' then that's as good as any, but if the intention is to sail every weekend then a sailing club is the way forward.

Or do both

I think every Sea Scout group (troup?) is different depending on what facilities, instructors, resources etc they have. Our nearest one doesn’t have any dinghies but has kayaks, canoes, sups and will be found on the water virtually every weekly session when it’s daylight (and the older ones do some night paddles as well). Do some multi day weekend trips in canoes and an annual sailing weekend too. Use the winter for the “more traditional” scouting stuff. Thats why I said earlier you can’t comment properly without knowing the child and the particular group, other than to say generally positive stuff about the concept. I do agree if you really want to be racing performance dinghies then a sailing club is probably better. If you just want to have fun mucking about on the water then some dinghy clubs are too serious for that - and it’s great to see kids learning to row/paddle/tie knots/throw lines/first aid/navigate all skills that may not be a priority at a race focussed club.

 

[Mark-1]

I suppose Sea Cadets is another option. I saw a Sea Cadet branded Rustler 42 picking up bouys in Portsmouth Harbour this Sunday just gone, pretty good to see, out of season.

My lad does 'normal' cubs which he loves. He's on the water a lot so I think Sea Scouts might a bit too much boating, but ICBW.

 

[PeterV]

As ylop says, check with the local groups. My Sea Scout troop was afloat every weekend all year round in pulling boats, whalers and sailing dinghies, another one nearby hardly ever went afloat. Sea Cadet units have as much variation as well.

 

[Tamar]

Not sure about sea scouts but the sea cadets are great for kids I reckon. There was a nice sea cadet ship along side us last summer full of kids learning stuff and having fun.TS Jack Petchey... They had been out in some rough stuff and were recovering.
When I was in the sea cadets in the late 60s we used to stay on RN ships and go to sea.

 

[[70521]]

Not sure about sea scouts but the sea cadets are great for kids I reckon. There was a nice sea cadet ship along side us last summer full of kids learning stuff and having fun.TS Jack Petchey... They had been out in some rough stuff and were recovering.
When I was in the sea cadets in the late 60s we used to stay on RN ships and go to sea.

Really depends on the individual. I was a Sea Scout and the thought of all that marching and having to polish your shoes till you could see your face in them was not for me.

From time to time we tie up alongside TS Royalist in Poole and there is an awful lot of saluting that goes on, bosuns calls at all times of day as bits of cloth get raised or lowered. I'm not into all that stuff, but many are and I hope I don't offend those on here that are.

Note: I rarely, if ever, 'wear' a red ensign unless in foreign waters and don't get all the defaced red, blue, defaced blue and white ensigns. I sail with people who can and do.

 

[Mark-1]

Really depends on the individual. I was a Sea Scout and the thought of all that marching and having to polish your shoes till you could see your face in them was not for me.

From time to time we tie up alongside TS Royalist in Poole and there is an awful lot of saluting that goes on, bosuns calls at all times of day as bits of cloth get raised or lowered. I'm not into all that stuff, but many are and I hope I don't offend those on here that are.

If you don't have sailing parents or friends it's a pretty easy way to get on the water, salutes or not.

You can rock up to a club as a junior who can't sail but it's not easy and not every club will cater for you.

 

[iain789]

Everyone's needs and expectations will be different, and the Scouts will not suit every child, but may be the making of others.
I joined the Sea Scouts about 60+ years ago, and can honestly say it was one of the better things that I have done in my life. I learned how to sail, and to enjoy all kinds of other water based activities. I learned ropework, knots and splices, water safety and much else. We also did lots of more traditional scouting activities such as camping, hiking, and yes, some marching. In the warmer months we had dinghy sailing twice a week if the weather was reasonable, and in the winter we were occupied every Sunday afternoon with boat maintenance etc. I learned that sanding down a clinker built dinghy is purgatory, but the skills that I gained then have stood me in good stead over the years.
I suspect that our troop was a bit special. One of my contemporaries in the Sea Scouts became a Vice-Admiral. and another was Captain RN. My career Wasn't quite so glittering, but I did spend some time in uniform. More importantly, I made some very good friends, some of whom I am still in touch with after 60 years.
Things will of course have changed over the years, and I'm sure that some of the things we did then would be frowned on now (Health & Safety etc). If I had my time again would I join the Sea Scouts? In a shot!

 

[Tamar]

Really depends on the individual. I was a Sea Scout and the thought of all that marching and having to polish your shoes till you could see your face in them was not for me.

From time to time we tie up alongside TS Royalist in Poole and there is an awful lot of saluting that goes on, bosuns calls at all times of day as bits of cloth get raised or lowered. I'm not into all that stuff, but many are and I hope I don't offend those on here that are.

Note: I rarely, if ever, 'wear' a red ensign unless in foreign waters and don't get all the defaced red, blue, defaced blue and white ensigns. I sail with people who can and do.

Good for you

 

[ylop]

Things will of course have changed over the years

Not least that they now allow girls in too! That I think is a positive move, not just for the girls but also helps the boys understand the opposite sex.

there is an awful lot of saluting that goes on, bosuns calls at all times of day as bits of cloth get raised or lowered. I'm not into all that stuff, but many are and I hope I don't offend those on here that are.

Scouts aren’t immune to their flag rituals either. In most aspects of life I am entirely in your camp (although I do fly a red duster - mostly as a wind indicator for me when hiding under the sprayhood out of sight of the instruments). But what I have observed is that youth organisations manage to get a bit of order / control through these rituals and whilst they seem ridiculous to me in 2024, if it helps the “leader” manage the chaos then I am ok with it. Marching however… that’s child abuse!

 

[harvey38]

A bit like most clubs, if the person has an interest in the subject then they should enjoy it unless/until they take a dislike to persons/policies etc.

I don't know what percentage of time is spent on the water vs other SS activities but certainly the kids seem to enjoy their time when in Ramsgate marina.