Taryn Mann and Jacob Sauceda earned the rank of Able in the Aloha Council, Boy Scouts of America Sea Scouting program Wednesday and were honored during the Spring Bridge of Honor awards ceremony at the Kaua‘i Veterans Center in Lihu‘e.
Taryn Mann and Jacob Sauceda earned the rank of Able in the Aloha Council, Boy Scouts of America Sea Scouting program Wednesday and were honored during the Spring Bridge of Honor awards ceremony at the Kaua‘i Veterans Center in Lihu‘e.
Commodore Larry Richardson of the Kaua‘i Sea Scouting program said with the attainment of the rank of Able, Mann and Sauceda are the island’s first Able sea scouts and currently have the highest ranking in the state.
Richardson also announced Krista Bolton and Matthew Wilcox earning the rank of Ordinary and Rhys Heely-Ray earning the rank of Apprentice.
The Sea Scout rank system starts with Apprentice, Ordinary, Able and Quartermaster, the Quartermaster being the highest rank and equivalent to the Boy Scouts’ Eagle award, states an online source.
An Apprentice shows basic marlinspike seamanship skills, safety and basic ideas, while a Sea Scout needs to know the Ideals of Sea Scouting, be an active member for six months, learn special skills relating to boats, marlinspike seamanship, piloting, communicating, swimming, safety and cooking to earn the Ordinary award. The Ordinary candidate must also complete three of seven electives including close order drill, signaling in semaphore, boxing a compass, yacht racing, sailing, ornamental ropework, and engine maintenance.
To attain Able, the Sea Scout must be able to explain and demonstrate a complete knowledge of seamanship skills, earn the Lifesaving merit badge, complete a long cruise, and must be a petty officer on his or her ship.
“I’m very proud of all our scouts,” Richardson said. “It is a huge accomplishment, especially for our two Able scouts. Taryn will continue on to Quartermaster and Jacob graduates this year and will go to the University of Arizona in the fall.”
Richardson said the Sea Scouts of Kaua‘i will be traveling to California to compete in the “Ancient Mariner Regatta,” May 24 through 29.
“This is the first time ever that Hawai‘i is represented at the Ancient Mariner Regatta,” Richardson said. “The Ancient Mariner Regatta is the biggest Sea Scouting event in the nation and is held each Memorial Day weekend onboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet on San Francisco Bay.”
He said they are definitely going, with tickets already purchased aboard Alaska Airlines from Lihu‘e to Oakland.
Once in California, the scouts will stay the night at Sea Scout Ship Albatross’ Sea Base, Richardson’s old ship, before cruising aboard the Albatross to the USS Hornet, a four-hour cruise through San Francisco Bay.
Once aboard the USS Hornet, the Sea Scouts will live and compete with 500 other Sea Scouts from across the nation before returning home.
“This promises to be the experience of a lifetime for our Scouts,” Richardson said. “Once we return, we’ll go on our annual summer cruise for about seven days.”
