Sea Scouts Wallenpaupack

05/02/2024

Retired….

This was one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make, but with a heavy heart great dismay, I have decided to retire from scouting. After 53 years from first joining, holding every leadership and adult mentorship positions on the unit level, I have decided to give in to all of those so-called “scouters” who have tried to get me out for over a decade.

With NEPA council choosing to not recharter Sea Scouts Wallenpaupack, literally killing the Sea Scout program in northeastern Pennsylvania, which has actually taken the Sea Scouts ‘sails out of the wind’ (as opposed to the wind out of their sails). This move has destroyed the Sea Scouts will and desire to even care if the Ship gets rechartered by the end of the year.

Since we are not an official organization any longer, doing any sort of recruiting is not allowed. Don’t know how they expected us to recruit; Council expected the Sea Scouts to talk to their friends, which they have for the last 4 years even though Sea Scouts Ship 52 has been asking, pleading, begging and bargaining to get help to get the word out that the Sea Scouts are in council, with no avail, avoided phone calls, ignored email requests and every excuse under the sun. If the Sea Scouts were a cub unit, we probably wouldn’t be where we are now.

In a nutshell, I will always be available to teach, mentor or talk with youth, just not under the guise of the BSA or NEPA council.

03/26/2024

(Former) Sea Scouts Wallenpaupack would like to extend wishes, hopes and prayers come true to all of the victims, search and rescue, leaders and coordinators with the FS Key bridge collapse.
It’s a shame to close a unit (and program) designed to give our youth all of those introductory skills that put our future leaders, search & rescue, sea bearing youth directly into these positions for the next disaster.
Failure to plan is a failed plan.

02/29/2024

Happy 1st Anniversary or Happy 4th Birthday (almost) Ship 52. Since we are officially shut down until we get more youth members, we are announcing an open enrollment for youth 14-20 years old. Any interested youth wishing to have fun, learn not only water oriented activities, but also life and leadership skills that will help everyone throughout school & life, please reach out to us.

02/23/2024

Are you still on the fence about joining Sea Scouts Wallenpaupack? Hopefully this will help! Join for the entire year; join for the summer, the choice is yours.

02/21/2024

02/16/2024

Sea Scouts, BSA is a unique 112 year old program under the Boy Scouts of America, for young men and women ages 14 to 20 which combines the hiking and camping of Scouts, BSA; the high adventures of Venturers, BSA with the added marine and maritime experiences on, in, around and under water. Sea Scouts are mentored in life skills like leadership, communication and moral values. Sea Scouts also learn how to plan, organize and execute outings and events from inception to closing colors.

Sea Scouts Ship 52 of Lake Wallenpaupack was formed February 29, 2020; we have served our community with over 150 hours of community service every year including food drives, road and river cleanups, helped veterans, homeless and disadvantaged for the past 4 years all while the Sea Scouts were working on advancement. Our high adventure activities have been in our Ship as well as Sea Scout Ships and BSA Troops throughout 6 states.

Regrettably and highly disappointed, on February 13th, our council informed us that they are not rechartering Sea Scouts Ship 52 because we have 2 primary Sea Scouts and 4 cross registered BSA Scouts primarily registered with their individual BSA Troops. Not only did council shut down the Sea Scouts unit, but because Ship 52 was the only Sea Scout Ship in council, they effectively shut down the Sea Scouts program within council. They have given the Ship the option to get 3 more primary Sea Scouts and they will grant a new charter. Mind you, that it took 2 years to get enough young people interested in Sea Scouts to first form the Ship, but because of the delayed disappointing news from council, we have less than 10 months to recruit and no program to show interested parties. It is very disappointing to the Sea Scouts themselves, some who have been working on advancement requirements for the past 4 years, some of whom are halfway to Quartermaster, the equivalent of Eagle Scout, to be thrown away because of a decision that they had no say in.

Being the Skipper (otherwise known as Scoutmaster of a Sea Scout unit) I have been in Scouting for roughly 52 years. I had mixed emotions about just retiring from Scouting and fighting to restore Ship 52. Then I realized, this isn’t my decision, since the Sea Scouts have ownership of their unit, it was up to them. Our Scouts all decided to fight to save the unit and do what we can to recruit young people to return the Ship to its glory and go back to helping the community.

We have asked multiple times over 4 years for help to receive none, so we are reaching out to the community to help save the Sea Scout program within council.
If you know any youth in Northeast Pennsylvania, 14-20 years old that are interested in joining Sea Scouts, please reach out to me or the former Sea Scouts is Ship 52.

For more information on what Sea Scouts are about, check out the link below and if you have more questions, again, feel free to contact me.

We need your help!
Yours In Sea Scouting
Sea Scouts Ship 52 of Lake Wallenpaupack

Sea Scouts provide limitless opportunities and exciting challenges that you won’t find anywhere else. It is a place to grow and learn, find adventure...

02/11/2024

Back on water soon!

02/08/2024

02/01/2024

Sea Scouts Wallenpaupack were watching Northeastern Pennsylvania Boy Scouts of America on Facebook Live.

01/10/2024

▶️ Watch this reel https://www.facebook.com/share/r/NEzPJt6EmHVyq8SC/?mibextid=UalRPS