Coral Reef Sailing with Troop 23
Two eight men crews from Troop 23 spent Spring Break sailing and camping on 40-foot sailboats in the Florida Keys.Our trip began with an early 4:45 AM drive from Birmingham to Atlanta on Saturday morning, March 17th for a 10 AM flight to Marathon Key, FL. It was just a short commute to the BSA Florida National High Adventure Sea Base on Islamorada Island. After arriving at Sea Base each crew went through orientation, swim test, and snorkel testing before storing their gear and food for the week on the sailboat.
The first night was spent in the safe harbor at Sea Base, and we got an early start Sunday morning for our sail down to Key West. The winds were 20 to 25 knots, which was good for sailing, but the ride was rough. However, with the aid of Bonine both crews found their sea legs, and motion sickness was a non-issue for the week. We gained experience in raising and trimming the sails, and also snorkeled on some of the many reefs in the Florida Keys. The reef fish were very colorful and the boys were really impressed with the barracuda in and around the reef. That night was spent anchored in a safe harbor.
At night we took turns on 2-hour shifts of anchor watch to make sure the boat didn’t break from its anchor location and drift with the high winds. Also, we took turns sleeping above and below deck during the weeklong trip.
The next morning we arrived in Key West and spent the afternoon touring the sights including the Southernmost point in the continental United States. We especially enjoyed the street performers at the Mallory Square Sunset Festival. After spending the night in the marina at Key West we began our sail back to Sea Base on Tuesday morning trolling for fish along the way.
We found the trolling to be slow, but we bottom fished in the evening, and at night when were anchored in the harbors and had some success there. We caught a 40” Bonnethead shark one night and enough Lane Snapper to grill for supper on our last night at sea.
We made it back into Sea Base on Thursday afternoon, unloaded the boat and got every thing cleaned up for a Luau style dinner on Thursday night. We spent the night in the barracks at Sea Base before returning back to Birmingham thru Atlanta on Friday. Overall this was an exciting trip that combined the fun activities of sailing, snorkeling, and fishing with the unique outdoor environment of the Florida Keys into a great memory.
Community Service - Lakeshore Foundation - Wheelchair Soccer
Several of our scouts had the opportunity to volunteer at Lakeshore for the National Power Soccer Tournament. 19 teams from around the country came to Birmingham to compete for the National Championship. I think this was an “eye-opening” experience for our Scouts. Learning about diversity and recognizing how lucky they are. They were amazed at some of the abilities that these physically challenged people had.
May Camp Out - Warrior River Fire Dept
May was a trip to the WRFD to earn the Fire Safety Merit Badge. Learning about fire fighting equipment and safety were interesting but water battles with the hoses, priceless!
April Camp Out - Coosa River Canoe Trip
The April camp out was a trip to Wetumpka to canoe on the Coosa River. 17 canoes began the approximately 4 mile journey and by the time we docked, only 4 canoes had not turned over. Class 2 rapids were a bit much for our paddlers
Welcome to Troop 23 - Blog Site
We now have a new feature to our Website. The Troop 23 Blog. This is where we will try to put interesting updates of our various activities. Check it often!
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rch
Scoutmaster Notes
Check this Category for notes from the Troop Scoutmaster
Welcome
Welcome to the Troop 23 blog site. Check here often for updates on Troop Activities.