NAWILIWILI — Coming ahead of a 10-day cruise, the Kauai Sea Scouts were thrilled with a visit by Dewayne Kong, manager of Matson Navigation Sunday. “We just got back from Costco where the Scouts got provisions for the cruise,” said
NAWILIWILI — Coming ahead of a 10-day cruise, the Kauai Sea Scouts were thrilled with a visit by Dewayne Kong, manager of Matson Navigation Sunday.
“We just got back from Costco where the Scouts got provisions for the cruise,” said Paul Curtis, the Boy Scouts of America, Aloha Council Kauai Executive. “The Scouts will be on their ship, the ‘Decisive,’ for 10 days, circum-navigating the island of Oahu.”
Kong, the manager of the Matson Nawiliwili Port, said he just got in a grant for $1,000 to help the Sea Scouts with its program.
“It’s hard not to say ‘yes,’ when it comes to helping the youth,” Kong said. “The Sea Scout program, part of the Boy Scouts of America Venturing program, is for boys and girls who want to learn and improve boating skills and other water-based activities, including kayaking, canoeing, sailing and rowing.”
During the boating seasons, Sea Scouts learn to maintain and operate their vessel, focusing on learning the safe and proper methods of handling boats. They also learn about buoys, lights, how to take advantage of wind and tides, and how to drop anchor or approach a dock, states the BSA website. Sea Scouts also promote knowledge of maritime heritage.
“This trip will take about 12 hours to get to Oahu,” said Larry Richardson, commodore of the Kauai Sea Scouts. “We did a trip previously, and it took about 15 hours to cross the channel. But we were going slow. For this trip, we have radar, a (Global Positioning System) with a plotter, all of which were given to us.”
Those new additions to the Decisive will offer new learning opportunities for the nine Scouts and three officers who will make the 10-day cruise.
“We leave at first light Monday, or perhaps even before first light, now that we have radar and GPS,” Richardson said. “We also have a visitor, Clovis Tessier of the Gryphon in Redwood City, Calif., who wanted to make the cruise with us.”
He said most, if not all, of the crew will spend Sunday night aboard the Decisive before casting off early Monday morning.
Currently, the Kauai Sea Scouts, charted through the Kauai Police Activities League and operating under the auspices of the BSA, Aloha Council, has a membership of around 10 Scouts.
“We’re always looking for new Scouts,” Richardson said. “Interested people are welcome to drop in on our weekly meetings on Wednesdays at the K-PAL Youth Center (located behind Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital) in Kapaa from 6 to 8 p.m.”
• Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
