(l-r) Retired Admiral Charles Wurster, USCG and current Commodore US Sea Scouting, Cody Stansky, 16, Jupiter, FL (skipper), Bill Koch, CEO Oxbow Corporation and underwriter of the event, Andrew Britton, 16, Palm Beach Gardens, FL (crew) and Bob Mazzuca celebrate the Centennial; the boys, members of Sea Scout Ship 777 of West Palm Beach, raise the silver William I. Koch International Sea Scout Trophy.
by Angela Olsen
Over 80 young men and women gathered in New London on Friday, August 6th, at the Coast Guard Academy in honor of the fifth William Koch International and United Sea Scout Cup 2010 Regatta Awards Ceremony. Robert “Bob Mazzuca,” the Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America, (BSA) traveled all the way from his headquarters in Texas to address the young men and women. The Sea Scouts are from over ten different countries, including the US!
This year marks the centennial of the BSA, and the Sea Scout program, founded in 1912 is also approaching its centennial in 2012. The Sea Scouting program is under the BSA umbrella, but the focus is to take youngsters out of the camping element and teach them valuable life skills on the water. Bob, who boasts 37 years of service to the BSA as the Chief Scout Executive, speaks of the strong reputation of the Sea Scouts, “That impresses me, but it doesn’t surprise me.”
He went on to say, “Whenever I encounter Sea Scouts on my travels, I see young men and women who are truly passionate about sailing and the lessons it can teach. And I don’t just mean skills like tacking and knot-tying and piloting. I mean skills like teamwork and discipline and leadership, skills that are just as valuable on land as they are on water. Sea Scouts instinctively understand that if they’re not just learning to harness the wind, they’re learning to harness the future. They realize that if they can handle the surprises the sea throws at them, they can handle the surprises that life throws at them!”
Founded in 1912 by Arthur Carey in Waltham, Massachusetts, the intention was to start a Scouting program which used sailing not camping as its primary attraction. Bob says, “He wanted to turn out good sailors, but more importantly, he wanted to turn out good citizens!”
There are marginal costs affiliated with joining this program, but there is also assistance for youngsters who cannot afford those fees. There is a fabulous website at www.seascout.org
Posted on August 18th, 2010 | category: Achievers
