OSWEGO, NY – At its meeting Monday night, the Physical Services Committee cleared the way for a new youth group in the Port City.
Daniel Whaley requested use of the McCrobie Building to hold meetings for “the best kept secret in the Boy Scouts of America today – Sea Scouting.”
Whaley is the skipper of the Sea Scout Ship Division 174 in Rochester. His wife, Patricia, is the first mate.
They would like to use the upper level of the building for meetings once a month, with occasional overnight meetings.
“It is a very positive, reinforcing program,” the skipper told the committee. “The groundwork is already under way. The H. Lee White Marine Museum has agreed to charter our new ship in Oswego. It is a great little facility for us to train our scouts.”
The training involves naval history, seamanship, leadership and community service, he pointed out. They will also be trained to assist at the marine museum with tours of the facility and vessels.
“We have, hopefully with our contacts, many avenues for these kids to go out and open doors. My job is to open those doors for them and guide them through that door,” the skipper said.
He isn’t bringing the Rochester group to Oswego; a separate unit will be organized in the Port City, he explained.
They are a completely different group than the Sea Cadets, which has been under way in Oswego for the past several years.
“We are under the Boy Scouts, into sailing and more of a nautical program. They are more into the military,” he said.
The Sea Scouts can wear modified Navy uniforms. The Navy and Coast Guard support the program.
The cadets have their own rank advancement program and learn life-long leadership skills as well as fellowship and patriotism.
“The program is open to men and women between the ages of 14 – 21,” the skipper said. “It is a very positive and reinforcing support program for young people of today.”
The two most important steps in starting up a ship are finding a chartering organization and securing a meeting place, he noted.
The marine museum is on board as the chartering organization, he said. And, they’d like to meet in the McCrobie Building.
To maintain the ship, they need two rooms to set up a supply area and to perform administrative duties, he explained, adding, “The success of our ship relies heavily on community support.”
The Boy Scouts of America have their own liability insurance that covers everyone who is enrolled in the ship, he told the committee.
The committee forwarded the request to the full council for consideration.
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