Troop 301 Florida Sea Base

April 15^th through April 21^St

Cost is $725 plus Airfare

Airfare cost is TBD

To participate a scout must be 13 years old on or before April 15th

Scouts are scheduled to be in School on April 15th so if you plan to attend your scout will miss 1 day of school.

• $100 deposit per person must be paid before July 30th
• $400 payment due on September 1st
• Final payment is due before January 15th 2011
• Airfare payment schedule and costs TBD

If you wish to participate please contact Joseph McGarry at joe.mcgarry@t301.org  or by phone at 631-863-2195

For More information you can visit

Http://www.bsaseabase.org

http://www.bsaseabase.org/Adventure/coralreef.aspx

Coral Reef Sailing

Florida Sea Base is anxious for your arrival and participation in the Coral Reef Sailing Program for the upcoming season. To aid in your preparation for the trip, we would like to go over some programmatic and physical aspects for the week that you will spend with us.

When you arrive at the Florida Sea Base between 1 PM and 3 PM, you will check in at the Registration office. You will then be met by a Sea Base staff member who will lead you through the orientation process for your adventure ahead. You will then go to the quarterdeck for the issuing of snorkeling equipment. Each participant, both youth and adult, will be issued a mask, fins, snorkel, and a Sea Base dive bag that you will use for the remainder of your week long adventure. You will also receive a bag to transfer all of your personal belongings into to take on your vessel. You will be assigned a storage locker for your effects you will not be taking with you. Everyone will then participate in a BSA swim review and a snorkel instruction lesson so you are comfortable with your gear and swimming in the ocean. If you have your own snorkeling equipment, you may prefer to bring it. Masks, snorkels, and fins sometimes give you a better fit if it is your personal equipment. After dinner, you will board your vessel and stay your first night on board the boat at the dock, or you may sail into the sunset if time permits. You will also have the option to have our professional photographer take your crew’s photo. The first evening you will have dinner at the base. You will be housed your last evening in bunk beds in air-conditioned bunkhouses. Hot water showers, coin operated laundry facilities, and pay phones are available for your use. The Ship’s Store carries souvenirs and many items you may have forgotten.

The following morning, you will untie your vessel from the dock (if you haven’t already left the night before) and head off for five days of unforgettable adventure aboard a large sailing vessel. The next night you will sleep aboard your vessel, anchored in a safe harbor … the third night will be spent back on base. The next 2 days will be spent snorkeling and fishing on your return to Sea Base. Your vessel has a head (that’s a nautical term for a bathroom) and a small galley (kitchen). The food on your sailboat is fresh, frozen or canned and can usually be supplemented by fresh catches while fishing underway. Breakfasts consist of eggs, cereal, French toast, etc. Lunches are sandwiches; dinners are steaks, hamburgers, and spaghetti. Advise your leader if you have special dietary needs. The program is very flexible in nature. You may decide to stop and snorkel many times in one day or just sail as much as you can, many crews like fishing more than snorkeling and the Captain can cater to those wishes. Your crew might plan on performing a service project for your vessel while underway or at the dock. As with all service projects, leadership and teamwork are essential.

All our vessels carry a fishing license that will cover you during your week aboard. Generally, the fishing tackle aboard Coral Reef sailboats is two heavy-duty trolling rods and reels with 40 to 50 pound test line. These are supplied as well as a small tackle box with several large saltwater lures and a variety of hooks and weights. This should be more than adequate to catch any of the large saltwater fish. If you are a gung-ho fisherman you might want to bring a medium weight freshwater rig – no more than 2 per crew. This tackle can be used while at anchor in several locations.

The fishing tackle aboard Coral Reef sailboats is two heavy-duty trolling rods and reels with 40 to 50 pound test line. These are supplied as well as a small tackle box with several large saltwater lures and a variety of hooks and weights. This should be more than adequate to catch any of the large saltwater fish. If you have freshwater fishing gear, you may bring a maximum of two medium weight freshwater casting rigs and tackle, however, these can ONLY be used at anchor.”

Your vessel has limited fresh water, so you will typically take “Joy” baths. A “Joy” bath consists of bathing in the saltwater with Joy dish soap and then having a friend pour a bit of fresh water over your head. Upon your return to Sea Base, you will return your snorkeling gear, clean your boat, prepare for the evening luau, patch presentation, and reflection. Some crews like to bring Hawaiian type shirts for this…we may do the Limbo.

Crews often ask about spending money. $100.00 per person is adequate unless you want to buy a lot of souvenirs or eat lunch and/or dinner off the boat. Fishing licenses are included for all participants on Coral Reef vessels.

EQUIPMENT LIST & IMPORTANT INFO REGARDING YOUR ADVENTURE

The sea will EAT ANYTHING that can fall or blow off including your glasses, sunglasses, favorite hat, and unbreakable mug. If you forget to bring clips, strings, etc., we have several types of personal gear fasteners in the Ship’s Store. All of your stuff, except pad and sleeping bag, should fit in a bag the size of a pillowcase. If you can’t stuff it in a small bag, you have too much stuff! Do not bring suitcases (especially with wheels) for on-the-boat storage, due to space limitations a soft duffel bag works best. The Sea Base has lockable storage for those items you won’t actually need on the boat like uniforms, extra travel clothing, suitcases, etc. Storage is limited, however, so bring only what you need.

BEING PHYSICALLY FIT

Every participant in the Florida Sea Base High Adventure program needs to be physically fit for the strenuous demands that will be placed on their body. You will be in the water a great deal, so go swimming often with your crew at your local pool. Do some light exercises to increase your stamina. You will be frequently lifting your body in and out of the water onto boats and docks. Get in shape! Stay in shape! People weighing over 300 pounds are not eligible to participate in Sea Base Adventures.

WHAT TO BRING

NOTE: Make sure you can successfully pass the BSA Swim Test.

NOTE: Make sure your name is on the crew roster your leader is going to send us.

NOTE: Don’t forget to bring a photocopy of front and back of insurance card.

PARENTS

Do not send mail. Sea Base offers programs to hundreds of Scouts on the sea, on the land, and on an island. We cannot deliver mail from home to Scouts unless it is mail of urgency, i.e. glasses, medicine, etc. left at home. In case of an extreme emergency, contact can be made with the following numbers: 305-664-4173 Days or 305-664-7766 Nights.

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