THE

Traditions of the Past, Seamanship for the Future

32nd Annual Northeast Region BSA Bridge of Honor and Sea Scout Ball

by Deidre Buchner, RBOH Committee Chair

On March 29, 2014, the Holiday Inn Select in Swedesboro, NJ, saw a near sold-out crowd of 243 Sea Scouts from 29 Ships, out of nine States, as far away as Florida, four units attending for the first time.

Presenting Regional Commodore Noel Guzman, Regional Boatswain Eugene DeNezza, Outgoing Regional Boatswain Brenda Renninger, Regional Boatswain’s Mate Sam Goodman, and Keynote Speaker Captain Kathy Moore USCG.

Team SL-61-NY-13 Class Reunion

The RBOH event kicked off with an afternoon Skippers Information Meeting facilitated by Regional Commodore Noel Guzman, a Change of Watch ceremony was held with incoming New England Flotilla Commodore Marshall Parsons. At a separate Quarterdeck Meeting with the Regional Boatswain Brenda Renninger and Regional Boatswain’s Mate Eugene DeNezza, the youth discussed key topics of concern among the region and obtained feedback on how to improve communication among the groups. Al Beal, Marshall Parsons, Noel Guzman

At the youth session, Boatswain Ryan Stark from Ship 100 VA did a presentation on the “Sandy Hook Ducks” explaining the dedication and the symbolism of the ducks (see article in The Telegraph 1703, pp5-6).

At the meeting too there was a reunion of the SEALs from the 2013 Long Island Cruise. Team SL-61-NY-13, which earned the highest overall score of the 2013 courses in US, included Sea Scouts from outside the NER, who came together to share their experiences with the youth and encourage others to take SEAL. Additionally, at this afternoon meeting, Sam Goodman got a certificate for achieving the top national score and Brenda got an Instructors Certificate for being the first midshipman to serve two SEAL courses in one year. For the second year, we hosted a special fellowship activity where youth were encouraged to complete a Scavanger Hunt to find participants who met various clues in a booklet provided by Regional Boatswain Brenda Renninger. Those who turned in their completed booklets first were allowed access to the dinner buffet first and the second booklet turned in got released to the desserts first. Yummy incentive, and I personally witnessed the enthusiasm of the youth to complete their booklets as quickly as possible!

Top 2013 SEAL Sam Goodman, Ship 441 NY SEAL Midshipman Brenda Renninger, Ship 584 MD and Noel Guzman

Ship 100 VA Boatswain Ryan Stark

During the evening’s Bridge of Honor ceremonies, a combined crew from Pennsylvania Sea Scout Ships 484-Philenape and 178-Polaris performed the Land Ship Ceremony, and they did a great job. Onboard we had Skipper Henry Burk, OOD Steve Leopold, and Boatswain Amanda Duprey. Bravo Zulu!

Our Keynote Speaker was Captain Kathy Moore, USCG Sector Delaware Bay out of Philadelphia, PA. She shared a couple stories from her career, including the Conrail freight derailment into the Mantua Creek near Paulsboro, NJ. Here she reminded us to always be prepared to share our skills even if not in the traditional manner they were intended. Who immediately thinks of calling in the Coast Guard to help with a train wreck? You do when navigable waterways are involved. She closed her presentation reminding all present not to lose their integrity, as once lost it can never be retrieved. You can perhaps build trust again, but once your integrity is damaged, it remains so. She cited many examples where the loss of integrity has led to terrible decisions and resulting negative situations in politics, business, schools, and even families. It was a message not lost on this Sea Scout.

Ship’s Company at Attention

Land Ship Crew

Captain Kathy Moore Acknowledged

Longstreth-Carey Sea Scout Leadership Service Award

Change of Watch New England Flotilla

Regional Sea Scout Venturing Leadership Award

Swearing In of new Regional Boatswain

At the Bridge of Honor we recognize our Sea Scouts, adult and youth alike. Here is a listing of those honors:

2014 brought the inaugural Longstreth-Carey Sea Scout Leadership Service Award, given to a nominated adult, recognizing their outstanding service to Sea Scout youth within the Northeast Region. The award is named for the founders of Sea Scouting in the United States, Charles T. Longstreth and Arthur A. Carey, who were both early Scout leaders from the Northeast Region. This year’s recipient, Skipper Doug Yeckley from Ship 548 MD, was truly honored and received a standing ovation during the presentation of the new crystal award.

The Regional Commodore also acknowledged the twelve years of service given by New England Flotilla Commodore Al Beal and announced his well-deserved retirement. After Al was given a special appreciation plaque, and received a round of applause, his successor Skipper Marshall Parsons was welcomed to the Land Ship and introduced to the assembled NER.

Additionally, the new Regional Sea Scout Venturing Leadership Award was presented to outgoing Regional Boatswain Brenda Renninger and she was thanked for her support of the NER during her tenure. We also learned that Brenda will remain as an official mentor for a one year term, providing insight to the new Regional Boatswain and Regional Boatswain’s Mate.

We also provide several annual recognitions that are nominated by the attending Sea Scout Ships, including:

Sea Scout of the Year (21):

Michael Sorensen - SSS Adam Hyler - Ship 24 NY

Alex Plesnar - SSS Spear - Ship 25 NY

Candace Kottmyer - SSS Yorkshire - Ship 25 PA

William Raymond - SSS Integrity – Ship 30 NY

Taylor Martin-Graham - SSS Nobska - Ship 40 MA

Mercedes Matlock - SSS The Sea Dogs - Ship 59 MD

Michael David Lieberman – SSS Dominion – Ship 100 PA

Zach Meeink - SSS Polaris - Ship 178 PA

Joshua D. Goldsmith - SSS Eagle - Ship 198 DE

Joseph A. DeMarco - SSS Slayer - Ship 201 PA

Kyle Mountney – SSS Sea Dart II – Ship 228 NJ

Isabella Rudow - SSS Vigilant - Ship 441 NY

Michael Panettieri - SSS Water Music - Ship 460 NY

Allyson Leopold - SSS Philenape - Ship 484 PA

Lorianne Reinhart - SSS Sea Eagle - Ship 548 MD

Katherine Rivers - SSS Dragon - Ship 584 CT

Kelsy Gartung - SSS Resolute - Ship 747 VA

Emily Gibson – SSS Longrider – Ship 759 MD

Alexander Maxwell VI - SSS Stars & Stripes - Ship 1784 CT

Jeanine Reilly - SSS Dragon Lady - Ship 1942 VA

Rachel J. Reichner - Ship 2037 NY

Presenting the Recipients of the Northeast Region 2014 Sea Scout of the Year Awards

Regional Commodore Award of Excellence (7):

SSS Spear - Ship 25, Ithaca, NY

SSS Yorkshire - Ship 25, York, PA

SSS Eagle - Ship 198, Lewes, DE

SSS Slayer - Ship 201, Jenkintown, PA

SSS Vigilant - Ship 441, Queens, NY

SSS Sea Eagle - Ship 548, Avenue, MD

SSS Dragon Lady - Ship 1942, Arlington, VA

We also recognized Sea Scouts who had achieved an advance rank in the program over the past year, as shared by their Ships. We acknowledged 5 new Quartermasters, 10 new Eagles, and 8 new Venturing Silver recipients from the Northeast Region. Bravo Zulu to each and every one of you for the dedication, time and effort required to achieve these ranks and recognitions.

Another highlight is the semi-formal Sea Scout Ball. Over 100 Sea Scouts joined in the fun on the dance floor,

enjoying the non-stop tunes from “Rock Your Body” with DJ Alex Robles. The sound of laughter and stomping feet

from the ballroom was a good indication of the fun and playfulness of our youth.

For this year’s Ball, we crowned:

2014 Sea Scout Ball’s Royal Court:

King: Brad Keels, Ship 25, PA

Queen: Amanda Montz, Ship 759, MD

Prince: Ryan Stark, Ship 100, PA

Princess: Michelle Reilly, Ship 1942, VA

Jester: Michael Sorenson, Ship 24, NY

We also had several Sea Scouts “Let It Go” watching videos in one breakout room as well as enjoying some quiet conversation in the lobby seating area. And everyone enjoyed the bagged “mid rats” with soda!

On Sunday, we hosted devotions at 0900 hours. The homily was about “Noah” while learning how the use of humor is very important in our day-to-day interactions, and that when we are given a second chance, we should make the most of it. Thanks to Beth Parks, Ship 228-NJ, for delivering the timely message, and for Sea Scout volunteers from Ships 178-PA and 2037-NY who helped with the readings and songs.

At the conclusion of the Regional Bridge of Honor, attendees each brought home a ceramic coffee mug and a blue & white Sea Scout tote bag. They also were treated to a little rubber duck from Ship 100-PA in remem-brance of the two Cub Scouts killed at last year’s school shooting in Newtown, CT.

Looking Ahead

Mark your calendars now. The 33rd Northeast Region Bridge of Honor and Sea Scout Ball will be held on

Saturday, March 21, 2015 at the Holiday Inn Select, Swedesboro, New Jersey. Watch for more details!

Please be sure to take a moment and complete the feedback surveys which were sent to all participating Ships. Your input helps us make next year’s RBOH even more fun for everyone.

Lastly, thanks for the great photos provided by Mate Lois Goodman, Ship 441 NY, Skipper Jan Rose, Ship 460 NY, and Mate Helen Fricke, Ship 460 NY.

2014 Schedule for derPeLiKan

30 May- 1 June Piloting Course

13-15 June Antique and Classic Boat Festival

20-29 June SEAL

1 -12 July S-191 Long Cruise

17-20 July S-1176 Long Cruise

25-28 July S-7916 Long Cruise (tentative)

9-10 August ` Raft-up

11-18 October Sea Badge Underway

Fun Fact: How do you know Spring has arrived?

Not the arrival of the vernal equinox, not the daffodils blooming, not the return of the robin, ra-ther it is the launching of the derPeLiKan into Chesapeake waters!

Friends of Sea Scouts of Maryland received der PeLiKan as a donation with the stipulation the boat to be used to give special opportunities to young people. The 46-foot Morgan sailboat has been christened as a Sea Scout floating classroom, not assigned to any one unit but for use by all.

Another Fun Fact: Jerry Crabtree, former Chair of the Chesapeake Flotilla, came up with this "meaning" of its name. He determined that the upper case "P" "L" and "K" in the name signify "Pride," "Leadership," and “Knowledge," respectively. This year marks der PeLiKan's 17th year of service to Sea Scouts from across the country. Since her donation in 1997, she has logged more than 300 days under way and provided sailing experience and leadership opportunities to over 1000 youth. Der PeLiKan, the centerpiece of the Chesapeake Flotilla's training program, is used for both adult and youth courses noted above. The boat has 8 berths, 2 heads and a galley.

If you are interested in making use of derPeLiKan for your Sea Scout ship, please contact Skipper Joel David at cell# 703-587-9920 or jdavid5158@aol.com.

Provisional Long Cruise Onboard the M/V Sea Dart II

Ship 228 NJ is pleased to announce their Long Cruise for 2014 registration. We will be cruising the New England

area and making several stops on our ten day journey August 8-17. Contact us for the Application Packet along

with the BSA Medical Records to be filled out by registered MALE scouts 14-21 and any registered MALE adult

leaders. We currently have ten open bunks and registration is on a first come first serve basis. We apologize

for the inconvenience but Sea Dart II is currently not equipped to berth both males and females together.

The M/V Sea Dart II is an historic 65 foot diesel T-Boat.

All forms and a $100 deposit are due no later than July 1,

2014. If you are interested, please contact Brian Zambuto,

Ship 228 Committee Chair at seadart228@gmail.com.

Provisional Long Cruise with Ship 584 CT SSS Dragon

We are pleased to announce the Long Cruise for 2014. Only $350 for the trip July 20-26 out of New London,

CT for Long Island Sound. You will get training on sailing, watch standing, seamanship, navigation and piloting,

and what makes a good shipmate. Contact us for the Application Packet.

If you are interested, please contact Skipper Allen Iott, Ship 548, at aiott@tvcconnect.net

or cell #860-912-1417. Thanks.

QD101 – Ship 548 Quarterdeck Training by Skipper Doug Yeckley

On September 27-29, 2013, a joint contingent of Sea Scouts from Ship 548 (from Avenue, Maryland) and Ship 191

(from King George, Virginia) spent the weekend at the Coast Guard Station in St. Inigoes. They assembled there for

Quarterdeck Leadership Training. Some of the classes participated in were Moral Ethics, Recruiting, Team Building,

Teen Procrastination, and Public Speaking. We also planned our calendar for the year and we learned about our new

leadership positions and responsibilities. The highlight of the weekend was when the Coast Guard took us for a ride on

their new boat and played some hoops with them. And the youth all agreed they enjoyed the evening we made a camp-

fire and ate s’mores underneath the stars.

Sea-Son’s Greetings!

On Sunday December 15, 2013 the Coast Guard Station St. Inigoes had their annual Christmas Party for the children of the station personnel. They had a Christmas Tree with presents underneath, lots of food and soft drinks brought in by the parents. They played some games and waited for Santa Claus to arrive. At the appointed time Santa (Steve Alexander, member of Auxiliary Flotilla 21-11 and Sea Scout Ship 759) came into the station dock on the Station’s 45 foot patrol boat. Also aboard were two Elves (Zach Stauffer and Patrick Russel, Sea Scouts of Ship 548 in Avenue)

After Santa waved and did his ho, ho, ho’s the two Elves helped Santa give out the presents. The little ones and some of the big ones had their picture taken with Santa and because he was at his busiest time of the year he and his Elves had to leave.

Senior Chief Philip Robinson, Officer in Charge of the station asked the Sea Scouts to come back in the spring to do some nautical skills training.

Chesapeake Flotilla Winter Training Weekend by Steve Nichols, Rear Commodore, Chesapeake Flotilla

The twentieth annual winter training weekend was held at Camp Round Meadow in Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland on February 28 through March 2, 2014. Mike Price is the Training Director for the weekend. The event used to be held in January, but now is held in March because of changes by the National Park Service to the opening dates of Camp Round Meadow. Seventeen ships from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York attended the training weekend. This year, the course offerings were revised to more closely follow the new Sea Scout rank requirements. Courses were offered to cover requirements for each of the Sea Scout ranks, and four specialty topics were offered, including electives, small sailboat topics, special/adult training topics and the Virginia Safe Boating Course. The format was eight one-hour classes on Saturday and four one-hour classes on Sunday. Most courses were one to two hours long. The courses were generally based on Sea Scout rank requirements. Some of the notable classes included the cooking class, taught by Steve Alexander, Piloting taught by Doug Yeckley, with help from some of the Sea Scouts, and Double Braid eye splice taught by Rob Haas. Ship 1009 took the lead in the cooking chores, directed by Hap Schneider, supported, in rotation, by most of the ships for serving and cleanup. There was a change of command ceremony for the Chesapeake Flotilla Boson. Pat Clemens is the outgoing Boson, and Myles Gallagher is the incoming Boson. All work and no play makes for a dull time, so a dance was held on Saturday night with Kim as the DJ. The movie “All is Lost” was shown as an example of what not to do at sea. As usual, all the Sea Scouts and adults pitched in to clean the camp’s six buildings and eleven heads to leave it “cleaner than we found it”, as is the way of Scouting.

Doug Yeckley’s Piloting Class

All Hands for Opening Ceremony

Chef Steve Alexander Demonstrates

Sea Scout Cooking Class

Rob Haas, Ship 1009 MD, Teaches Splicing

Rachel Reichner, Ship 2037 NY, Teaches Knots

Bravo Zulu to the Mess Crew

Photos courtesy Franklin Garcia, Ship 1942 VA

Change of Command from left to right:

Mike Price, Training Weekend Director

Steve Nichols, Rear Commodore, Chesapeake Flotilla

Pat Clemens, Ship 25 PA,

Myles Gallagher, Ship 1942 VA

Sea Perch 2014 Challenge On April 5, 2014, Ship 1942 participated in the Maryland Regional SeaPerch Challenge hosted by the Carderock Division - Naval Surface

Warfare Center and the US Naval Academy. 137 teams of middle and high school students competed in the event.

SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics program sponsored by the National Defense Education Program and Office of Naval Re-

search. It gives students an opportunity to learn about robotics, engineering, science, and mathematics. Students work in small teams to

build an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) using a kit, test their ROV underwater, and compete in regional and national

SeaPerch challenges.

Ship 1942 received two free SeaPerch kits through the help of our adult volunteer Jenny Kelso who works at Carderock. Below is what our

two teams thought of their SeaPerch experience.

Ship 1942 – Team Coast Guard

by Apprentice Sean Taylor

When I was in the 5th grade, I bought a book called “Build Your Own Underwater Robot.” In it were in-structions to build a SeaPerch ROV and a slightly more advanced ROV “Sea Fox.” I tried building one but I could not find all the materials I needed and I didn’t have access to power tools. Later in 6th grade, I joined Boy Scout Troop 1942 and had the chance to do activities with Ship 1942 sea scouts. I thought it might be nice if the ship could try doing the projects in the book but I never got around to asking. Last year when our ship was at the annual Henry Nygard Regatta, Skipper Ballew talked about the SeaPerch competition. I told him about the book I had and I lent it to him to read. A few months later, Skipper announced that we would be competing in the 2014 SeaPerch competition.

In January, 2014, we decided to make the 2 teams that would be competing in the SeaPerch contest. I was put in charge of Team Coast Guard with 3 other Sea Scouts: Able Philip Whittlesey, Apprentice Cate Boulter, and Sea Scout Amy Hilla. Our first meeting was in February, where we decided where we would meet and when we would meet. We started building our ROV a few weeks later. First, we built the frame with PVC pipes and made a few modifications to make the robot smaller. Then we built the motors and control box. Since none of us had soldered before, it took a while to learn to use the soldering iron to make the connections. And then for the next few weeks, we practiced in pools for the competition. We trimmed the flotation foam to achieve neutral buoyancy and practiced maneuvering the robot through small hula hoops underwater.

When it came time to compete at the USNA, we had to get up very early to be there around 8:00 am. After we got our competition schedule, we completed a math test with perfect score. As part of the competition, I had to tell the judges about creativity and engineer-ing of our ROV and our team answered questions about design and teamwork. We made a few more modifications to our ROV for the underwater obstacle course. And finally we were competing in the launch at the Hydro Lab. We got a good combined time on the obsta-cle course and on the speed run. We were also able to pick up all 5 rings in 2.5 minutes. We were disappointed that we didn’t make the finalists but we enjoyed the experience.

Ship 1942 – Team Navy

by Apprentice Michelle Reilly

The SeaPerch experience was one of a kind and all the steps along the way helped me gain a better understanding of mechanics. I was unsure what to expect at first, but enthusiastically volunteered to be a team leader. After the team logistics were sorted out, our team gathered regularly, made up of myself, Apprentice Jeanine Reilly, and Sea Scout Riley Mazariegos. We were pleased with the time we were making until we got to the end and found that our robot was not working. The long troubleshooting process was frustrating, but truly mimicked what we would experience in a field of engineering, and it helped us appreciate and understand the importance of troubleshooting.

We had taken every possible precaution and thought of every possible source for the problem. We had redone multiple soldering connections, both on the control board and motors. It was difficult for our team to redo the connections when our soldering iron’s tip did not always work. Thankfully, our team did not give up and with the help of the generous adults in our Ship, we proceeded until we thought we had succeeded and were ready to test our robot in the water. Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived at

the pool, the motors were no longer working with our control box.

Just as we were about to call it off, we suddenly discovered the solution, which resided in the circuit board as expected - one connection was deeply soldered and rested among the connections of the one switch that controlled the only motor that had worked. Using this one connection as a standard, my teammate reheated all the soldered connections. That was the moment at which the team no longer had to withdraw from the competition.

In a last minute check of our robot and its connections, we found that one of the switches had been damaged in transit but we were able to produce a temporary fix, which only allowed half of its original function or direction.

When we arrived at the competition, we discovered that there was a repair room, where we were allowed to fix any issues as well as ask for advice from the volunteers. One of the volunteers helped pinpoint the issue on the control board, and we once again had a fully functional ROV. We were quick on our feet and resolved small issues as they arose. This refreshing mindset allowed us all to enjoy every aspect of the day of

the competition. We may not have been sent off to nationals among the top ten, still the experience gained was invaluable, including leadership and teamwork skills along with soldering skills, and especially troubleshooting and remembering to be extremely resourceful.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR ! ! !

The Northeast Region will be hosting the Seabadge Conference on the weekend of September 19-21, 2014 onboard the liberty ship SS John W Brown in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Seabadge SB-20-MD-2014 course fee is $185.00. This includes all materials, meals and berthing.

Seabadge is intense leadership and management training

focused on the “how-to” aspects of managing a successful youth

led Sea Scout program.

While Seabadge was developed as an advanced leadership training program for experienced Sea Scout adult leaders, the driving theme for the training is “Focus on Youth” which makes the course especially valuable for any Scout leader dealing with older youth. Seabadge does not cover topics like boating, knots, or other program-related materials found in the Sea Scout Manual.

The curriculum includes twenty sessions with established objectives that are presented in a motivating, interactive, and in-formative forum. All registered Scouters are invited to attend this awesome training opportunity.

Applications must be postmarked no later than midnight Friday, August 1, 2014. Due to the high demand for the limited number of participant openings, your immediate attention is requested.

For more information contact Seabadge SB-20-MD-2014 Course Director Skipper Ben Feril at 410-287-8892 or by e-mail at bengmferil@msn.com. You can get copies of the 2014 Application on the NER Website at http://www.nerseascout.org/

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Just for Fun . . . Build a chain of words by adding one or two letters at each level to the word before.

Answer to the last puzzle:

Courtesy of http://www.merriam-webster.com/

1. Which type of rock has fine grains and makes up most of the oceanic crust – basalt or granite?

2. Eustasy can be caused by which phenomenon – melting glaciers or hurricanes?

3. Which surface would have a higher albedo value – asphalt or fresh snow?

4. The elongated shape of a drumlin is caused by which phenomenon – high winds or glacial movement?

5. Orogenesis is a building process that creates which feature – mountains or dunes?

6. Which country southeast of Florida consists of more than 3000 islands, islets, and cays?

7. The Scotia Sea separates Antarctica from which other continent?

8. What small Central American country southeast of Mexico was settled by English woodcutters in the 1630s?

Just for fun . . .

Are you a Geo-Genius? Test your knowledge with questions from the National Geographic Bee.

Sorry for the slight delay in delivery. How do you like our

new look? The Telegraph has a new format design, with

an updated masthead and layout courtesy of Commodore

Guzman. Would love your feedback c/o the Editor-in-Charge

at deidre57@verizon.net.