Letter to Parents of Prospective Members

Dear Parents:

On behalf of Division 25 of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, the adult Ship 25 Committee and the Ship 25 Skipper’s Staff, we are very happy to know that your son or daughter and you are considering becoming part of Sea Scout Ship 25. Young adults can join our Ship if they are age 14 to but not yet 21.  They can also join if they are 13 years old and have completed the eighth grade. 

This letter covers almost all the details for your young adult and your family to join and participate. We hope your daughter/son and you will attend one of our scheduled Open Houses in March.  All details are posted on the Calendar section of our website.  At each open house, one of our adult Skippers and one of our youth leaders will meet with you to go over the Ship program and the participation of members and parents. Your son or daughter can experience the full Sea Scouting program including the opportunity to become a Quartermaster Sea Scout – broadly recognized as an acclaimed distinction for outstanding young people. Quartermaster Sea Scouts experience a lifetime of career and personal advantage because of the skills, knowledge, leadership, and character acquired through Sea Scouting programming. Many Quartermasters help lead the nation and your son or daughter can be among them.

Meet Our Organizations

Sea Scouting, a program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and its chartered organization, Division 25 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary (the “Auxiliary”), are supremely resourced with program, facility and personnel resources to provide your Sea Scout and family the skill development, citizenship and physical fitness program known as “Sea Scouts”.  The Auxiliary is the national volunteer component of the Coast Guard Family, which also includes the full-time Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserves. The Auxiliary in the Washington, DC metropolitan area consists of approximately 250 individuals who are organized into six geographic “Flotillas”.  The six Flotillas combine into metropolitan-wide “Division 25”.  Our metropolitan-wide organization is chartered by the BSA and Coast Guard to provide Sea Scouting for DC-area youth.  Division 25 approves our adult leaders and oversees our Ship.  Members of the Flotillas assist with training, instruction and other matters, as do experienced Scouters, members of the DC Harbor Patrol and commercial maritime experts.  The Auxiliary is the principal safe boating organization for our area and has significant personnel and facility resources to offer Sea Scouting.

Unique in all of Sea Scouting

Ship 25 is unique, in that our youth members learn directly from the Auxiliary and others who are the experts on boating safety.  Our Sea Scouts receive their training through participation in certified Coast Guard Auxiliary and Coast Guard training.  It is the taking of this training that allows Ship 25 Sea Scouts to receive their Sea Scouting ranks and other recognition items.  There are some Sea Scout–specific requirements and experienced Sea Scout adult leaders teach these.  A further unique aspect of Ship 25 is that we will expose youth members to the sophistication of commercial maritime operations and careers, including visiting and experiencing technically-complex shipping and passenger vessels.  We have a working relationship with Hornblower Group, which operates the five large tour ships and 17 water taxis in our metropolitan area.  They assist in helping to expose Sea Scouts to the world of professional commercial maritime careers.

Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 25-25

The Coast Guard Auxiliary formed a special unit focused on assisting Sea Scout Ship 25.  Called “Flotilla 25-25”, the unit is a companion organization to Ship 25.  Many of our adult Skippers and some parents are enrolled in Flotilla 25-25, which meets once a month immediately after a Ship 25 meeting.  This is the Flotilla our young adult Sea Scouts are encouraged to enroll in after they earn Ordinary Rank.

Meet our Staff

Ship 25 has a volunteer Ship Committee composed of 20 people. It is a distinguished group of citizens that oversees our Skipper’s Staff and evaluates the quality of their work. The Ship Committee, with the approval of Division 25, selected me to serve as Skipper and I work closely with 12 Assistant Skippers, who have the title “Skipper’s Mate”.  Collectively the Skippers are known as the “Skipper’s Staff”.

Members of the Ship Committee and Skipper’s Staff fulfill specific duties and have been fully trained and certified by the BSA and Auxiliary. This includes advanced training in Sea Scouting and Auxiliary policies on youth protection, health, and safety to prevent any form of child abuse – the highest priority. Each registered volunteer has successfully passed a criminal background check. The Committee and Skipper’s Staff is experienced at providing Sea Scouting and youth programming, having a combined total of over 200 years of Scouting experience. Division 25 believes our Ship program is as high in quality as any other Sea Scout Ship in the nation. 

Understand Our Mission

The Sea Scouting program has served the Nation and its families for over a century by providing opportunity and uplifting examples to youth during the critical developmental years of ages 14 through 20. The Sea Scouting mission is to prepare young people to make ethical choices by instilling the values of the Scout Oath, Law and Sea Promise.  A principal mission of the Auxiliary is to upgrade boating safety.  The Combination of Sea Scouting and Auxiliary personnel in accomplishing these missions provides your young adult access to knowledge and experience not available elsewhere in our metropolitan area.  Sea Scout Ship 25 supplements the efforts of your family, faith community and schools. While our website highlights educational, citizenship, skill acquisition, outdoor adventure, maritime education and cultural opportunities, our success is truly measured by how successfully we assist you to foster positive character, citizenship and personal fitness in your son or daughter.

Review Our Program

During the academic year, your Sea Scout is expected to regularly attend twice-monthly Saturday meetings and at least five of eight trips or outings (two day trips and two overnight trips). In addition, Sea Scouts who join us in the spring are required to attend our one-week aquatics-concentrated camp in late June at Goshen Scout Reservation.  More-advanced Sea Scouts can participate in a week-long cruise in July, during which they serve as crew on a vessel.  We have posted a comprehensive program of all Ship meetings, activities, weekend outings, and service projects for the entire calendar year. When your Sea Scout joins, you will regularly receive details for each event, including cost, location and precise times.  The cost of everything is included in the dues, except for overnight trips, which are modestly priced.

Required Adult Involvement

All parents or guardians are required to assist our Ship Committee with occasional one-off tasks. You do not have to have any Sea Scouting experience. Each parent or guardian will assist with two or three tasks over a calendar year. Typical tasks include driving Ship members to an activity, chaperoning at a Ship event or assisting a Ship community service project.  Our parents are also encouraged to share their professional and avocational skills with our young people.  

Youth Group Fundraising

We conducted a series of focus groups during the summer of 2020 with parents whose children were potentially interested in Sea Scouting.  Those parents expressed strong reservations about being required to engage in product sales and other traditional youth group fund raising.  Therefore, Ship 25 does not sell products such as cookies or popcorn, so you will never be asked to manage a product sales activity or purchase boxes of candy.

Youth Protection Policies

Our Ship follows the Sea Scouting’s Youth Protection policies to protect your Sea Scout and others involved. Our Ship Committee and the Skipper’s Staff follow mandatory practices, which I summarize below:

• Two Leaders on Outings. A minimum of two registered and Youth Protection trained Sea Scouting or Auxiliary adults must be present. Both persons must be at least 21 years old and at least one of these people must be a female.
• Two Adults on Cyber Communication. There are no one-on-one online or digital activity or electronic communications. Two Ship Leaders and a parent or guardian are always included in any email or text with a youth member, ensuring no one-on one contact exists in text, social media, or other forms of online or digital communication. Video or Zoom advancement meetings between a Ship Leader and a Scout require a parent or guardian to be present with the Sea Scout during the entire meeting.
• No One-On-One Contact is allowed between Youth and Adults. When a situation requires a personal conference, the meeting is conducted with knowledge and in the view of other adults and youth.
• Separate Accommodations for Youth and Adults. No youth is allowed to sleep in a cabin or tent with an adult. Separate shower and bathroom facilities are used for adults, youth and separated by gender. The only exception is when separate facilities are not available and scheduled and posted times are used to separate adults from youth and males from females.
• Buddy System: Self-selected groups of 2 or 3 youth assure Sea Scouts are never alone during activities.
• Privacy is Maintained. Sea Scouts and adults respect privacy in situations like changing clothes or taking showers. Adults are not allowed into such areas unless a health or safety issue requires it. In such cases, two adults are required.
• No Inappropriate Digital Use. No use of digital devices is allowed in circumstances where privacy is expected or requested.
• No Secret Organizations. These are prohibited in Sea Scouting and in our Ship.
• No Hazing or Bullying is permitted.
• Youth leaders are carefully advised. We monitor and advise our youth leaders to assure safety and compliance with Auxiliary and Sea Scouting policies.
• Discipline. This is always positive and constructive. No corporal or negative activities are allowed.
• Appropriate Clothing Required. Bathing suits are required and no revealing clothing is allowed.
• Mandatory Reporting. All Ship Leaders are required by law, Sea Scouting and Coast Guard policy to report youth protection-related incidents or suspicions. Any good-faith suspicion or belief that a child has been abused or exposed to any form of exploitation or obscenity is required by law to be reported to local law enforcement. Skippers in particular are under an obligation to report to law enforcement any information from a child or adult indicating child abuse may have occurred whether or not in connection with the Ship – Please do not joke or engage in humor about these topics in the presence of Sea Scouts or Ship volunteers. We are also required to notify our local professional Sea Scout Executive and the Division 25 Commander of such matters.
• Parent Reporting. Any parent who has reason to believe that Sea Scouting youth protection policies are not being followed should notify our local professional Sea Scout Executive by calling (301) 530-9360 and the Commander of Division 25 at (202) 656-6312. Instances of actual abuse should be reported directly to law enforcement, as well as the BSA Scout Executive and Division 25 Commander.
• Safe Overnight Activities. Only Sea Scouting-registered adult leaders and Committee members are allowed to attend overnight activities, because this assures each adult has undergone a background screening and has completed Youth Protection Training.  

Join the Ship

Your young adult and you can come to any of our upcoming open houses or regular meetings (check our online schedule). We will explain our Ship 25 program and sign your family up if you wish — and we have all the forms necessary. One is a health form to be completed by your child’s health professional that you will need to return to us. We will also discuss information posted on our web site regarding how and where to obtain the required Sea Scout uniforms and necessary personal equipment. We will explain applicable dues, and activity fees, including the $165 per-trimester dues you will be asked to pay. 

If your family cannot afford to pay the entire fee, we have a fund to assist. Our fees cover all costs, so we do not engage in any product sales (cookies, popcorn, etc.). We have one fund-raising reception event each November to gather contributions to benefit our own Sea Scouts whose families cannot afford all of our dues and fees.

Attend Ship Meetings

Ship 25 meets regularly during the academic year from 10 AM until Noon on two Saturdays of each month.  Attendance at Saturday meetings is generally required.  Sea Scouting programming is challenging and is age-appropriate for students in high school — excessive absences will diminish your child’s enjoyment and slow advancement. Part of the reasoning for selecting our Saturday morning meeting time was to conflict less with school and athletic activities. Ultimately, excessive absences will prevent a Sea Scout from being able to advance at the same rate as peers. However, we welcome any Sea Scout regardless of attendance or interest in advancement as long as dues are paid – it is ultimately up to each Sea Scout and family to determine the priority that participation and advancement plays.

Each Ship meeting will include beginning and advanced training (depending on experience) in Seamanship, citizenship, fitness and other topics necessary for your Sea Scout to earn awards and advance through Sea Scouting “ranks”, discussed below. Sea Scouts should arrive just before 10 AM and stay for the entire program.  If your Sea Scout needs to arrive slightly late or depart slightly early due to a schedule conflict, that is fine with us. Sea Scouts are not made to feel embarrassed or awkward about it. Parents generally do not attend the regular meetings but are welcome to observe at any time. There are several nearby coffee shops and other commercial establishments along the DC Wharf with internet service if you choose to wait near the Harbor Patrol Headquarters.

COVID

Sea Scout Ship 25 follows all Coast Guard, Sea Scouting and District of Columbia anti-COVID policies.  

Ship Structure

Each Sea Scout is assigned to a 10-12 youth “Crew”, the members of which elect a Crew Leader, who in turn appoints an Assistant Crew Leader.  The Sea Scouts elect a variety of Ship-wide officers bearing nautical titles that function as President, Vice-President Secretary, Treasurer, Equipment Manager, Webmaster, Chaplain’s Aide, as well as other positions.  The youth President chairs a monthly Zoom meeting of all Ship-wide officers.  Our Ship Chair and Committee, which meets once a month on Zoom, head the adult structure. All parents are encouraged to join. The Committee appoints the Skipper Staff, comprised of adults who attend most Ship meetings and outings and engage on a very regular basis to advise the Sea Scouts on the running of the Ship. Parents interested in serving on the Skipper’s Staff should speak to the Skipper to get an understanding of what is involved and obtain the training necessary from the BSA and approval from the Auxiliary.  It is a distinctly rewarding leadership activity. The Skipper Staff can exercise a veto over youth decisions that might present safety or other significant problems.

Division 25 has a charter from the Sea Scouting and the Coast Guard to offer Sea Scouting to youth and has supervisory authority over all Ship operations. A “Chartered Organization Representative” represents Division 25 on our Ship Committee. 

The Ship and Division 25 are advised and occasionally visited by experienced Sea Scouting Council volunteers known as “Commissioners.” The Commissioners and other key volunteers in our Scout Council work with credentialed full-time Scouting professionals. The Scout Council, known as the “National Capital Area Council” owns and operates the facilities we will be using, organizes events involving multiple Sea Scout Ships, operates several scout shops and much more. Our Council is broadly known to be one of the best-run organizations of its kind in the United States.

Understand Advancement Process

Ship 25 uses Scouting’s historic and simple advancement system. Essentially, Sea Scouting compiles a list of skills to be acquired and citizenship and physical fitness activities to be experienced. The acquisition and experience process is organized into a multi-year process known as “advancement.” The entire process is outlined in the Sea Scout Manual and progress will be enabled and tracked on a free website and smart phone application called “Scoutbook.” All program costs for advancement activities are included in the $165 per trimester dues.

For the first year, your Sea Scout will work on advancement requirements leading to the earning of “rank” badges with the iconic names “Apprentice” and “Ordinary”.  Ordinary Sea Scouts possess knowledge, confidence and leadership beyond their years and are capable of self-sustaining in the marine environment, during a disaster or when challenged by complex social circumstances. Your Sea Scout will also begin to exhibit the character of a leader, as she/he will be provided the opportunity to lead age peers.  This will also allow the young adult to enroll in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, if they are interested.  All award costs are all covered by the trimester dues payments.

The final two ranks are “Able” and “Quartermaster” The requirements for these ranks include accomplishing difficult task and mastering complex information in both required and optional subjects.

These final two ranks will increasingly require your child to demonstrate leadership in front of peers and the non-Scouting community – including the Auxiliary.  Your Sea Scout will blossom with confidence and cheerfulness that comes with acquiring and using skills and leadership. The farther your Sea Scout advances through the Sea Scouting system the more he or she will benefit. For a select number, the advancement process will culminate when they plan and lead the Ship in a Quartermaster project to benefit the Auxiliary or non-Scouting community. Flip through the Sea Scout manual and you will be astounded by the experiences and skills acquired by that point. Youth who desire to attain the rank of Quartermaster will need 2.5 to 4 years.  Feweer than 25 Quartermaster awards are presented each year, making this a rarified distinction. 

Fees and Costs

Compared to the costs of comparable youth activities, Ship 25 is a bargain. $1,500 is a realistic estimate of the grand total of all annual dues and fees for a Sea Scout who participates frequently. These are entirely inclusive fees, including food, program materials, awards, transportation, and patches and just about everything else.  Ship 25 fees may seem a bit more than some other youth organizations, but the reason for this is that these are entirely inclusive, and we do not require our youth members or their families to sell cookies, popcorn or anything else. We put your family time into Sea Scouting and not product salesmanship.  The only cost outside trimester $165 Ship dues are the costs of optional overnight outings, the week of summer aquatics camp or the week of a long cruise.  No child will be turned away because of a family’s inability to pay full fees, as we have a fund to provide some assistance. 

Here is what your Sea Scout will receive for these fee you will pay:

$500.00 — Annual dues per youth member. This is payable to the Ship Treasurer in $165.00 installments on October 1, February 1 and June 1. Dues cover all BSA registration and insurance, program expenses incurred during our twice-monthly meetings and the cost of numerous events, patches, awards, rigger’s belt and a Ship hat. This includes local transportation via Skipper-driven van for select activities. This also includes lunch if meetings do not end until 1 PM. You will not be asked to sell or purchase products or pay any extra fees during the year – ever.

$500.00 (estimated) – Annual week-long aquatics camp organized by the youth officers.  Classes include swimming, lifesaving, rescue swimming, sailing, canoeing, rowboating, kayaking, stand-up sail boarding, rifle shooting, shotgun shooting, high ropes course and endurance hiking.

$300.00 – Cost to attend two of three overnight trips to regional locations, such as a Coast Guard training center or marine port; usually a two-night trip within 150 miles. All food, program materials and recognition items are included in these fees, which are payable to the adult Ship Treasurer using your VISA card on the Ship website.

One-time costs not included in above:

$118.00 – Purchase of a Seas Scout Uniform. Your Sea Scout will need a dark navy uniform consisting of a button-up shirt, custom tee shirt and long pants.  These are all purchased on-line by following the detailed instructions elsewhere on this website.

$100 – National Joining Fee.  This is a one-time fee that purchases liability insurance to protect your Sea Scout. 

Annual Reception Contributions

Because we believe our fees are all-inclusive and modest, and because we desire to focus Scouts on experiencing the Sea Scouting program, Ship 25 does not engage in any product sales or similar fund-raising activities. The sole exception to this policy is that an adult family member is urged to attend and support an annual reception in November at which a single tax-deductible contribution will be solicited from each family to be used for two purposes only:

2/3 of the amount raised will be retained by the Ship Treasurer to supplement fees of Ship 25 youth whose families cannot afford to pay all the above fees. Use of the funds requires agreement of the Ship Committee Chair, Skipper and Chartered Organization Representative (the person who represents the Auxiliary to our Ship). To protect the privacy of the benefiting Sea Scouts, recipient names and details are not announced. Contributors wishing to know how these funds are being used are invited to inquire of the Skipper or Ship Committee Chairman.

1/3 of the amount raised will be contributed to The Auxiliary, Harbor Patrol and our local Scout Council. The Auxiliary and Harbor Patrol are our gracious hosts, and we wish to be supportive of their activities. The Council is the volunteer-governed and professionally staffed organization that operates Scouting locally. The Council employs a preeminent group of credentialed full-time youth program professionals and operates magnificent facilities for our Sea Scouts to use.

Division 25, the Ship Committee and Skipper’s Staff join me in hoping your young adult and entire family will join Sea Scouting and that your Sea Scout will find great joy and reward as a member of Ship 25.

Sincerely,
Craig Burkhardt
Skipper