Scouting the waters

Jasmine Lee

Life on land is dry.

So the teens of the Newport Beach Sea Scouts have chosen the sailor’s

way.

“It’s just a kick,” said 18-year-old Sarah Hill. “We’re doing what a lot

of kids want to do.”

Hill, a five-year veteran of the scout program, offered through the Boy

Scouts of America, has become a skilled sailor -- as capable on the water

as she is on the land. Hill is the boatswain, or leader, of the Triton

crew of more than a dozen girls.

Not only can she navigate the 38-foot Triton, she can fix problems with

the motor and make sure there is enough oil in the engine. Hill recently

earned the title of Quarter Master, the equivalent of an Eagle Scout and

the highest Sea Scout ranking.

The scouts teach high school and college students about the art of

sailing and the science of boat maintenance. It is a chance for boys and

girls to earn their sea legs in a structured program, said Mike Stewart,

the skipper of the Del Mar, the 43-foot boys’ sailboat.

The local chapters meet twice a week. On Wednesday evenings, class is in

session at the Sea Scouts Sea Base on Pacific Coast Highway. The lessons

range from knot tying to nautical etiquette to safety rules. During the

summer months, the study session is cut short for sailing.

The students run the show, deciding what lessons to study, said Barbara

Harada, the skipper of the Triton.

“I love to see them exercise their abilities as young adults and hone

their leadership abilities,” said Harada, whose daughter, Ann Maris, is a

member. “That’s what this program is all about. They get to be the boss

and have a lot of fun.”

However, because teens get older and move on, membership sometimes ebbs

and flows. Harada said she would like to add some more members to her

crew of 13.

The Del Mar, with only about half a dozen members, needs a boost, Stewart

said. He would like to double, maybe triple, his crew.

Students between 14 and 21 can join Sea Scouts. No prior sailing

experience is necessary, just a willingness to learn and a love of the

sea, Stewart said.

Saturdays are for sailing. It can be tranquil, sliding along on the silky

sea, said Hill, who is an 18-year-old student at Orange Coast College and

leader of the Triton crew.

Often the weather is just right for relaxation.

“Once you reach a couple hundred yards, a mile, off the shore, the water

just becomes so blue,” she said. “It’s so pretty and sometimes we see

dolphins and they swim along with us.”

It can also be grueling.

The constant crashing of the ocean, the saline sting of sea water and the

relentless rays of the sun. When the waters get rough, the skills learned

in the classroom kick in. It is a thrilling challenge to handle the boat

in the middle of a storm, said Jim Larrenaga, a 16-year-old Corona del

Mar High School sophomore.

“It teaches you discipline,” Larrenaga said. “In tough situations, when

things get hectic, we have to take charge.”

The members of Del Mar and Triton also do community service and work

around the sea base, earning their keep by doing chores. The Boy Scouts

organization provides the boats, but no funds for gas or maintenance. The

Sea Scouts relies on donations to keep the program going, Harada said.

Donations make it possible for the scouts to sail to Catalina Island or

to Santa Cruz Island, near Santa Barbara.

During those trips, the Del Mar crew keeps a log of funny things that

happen, like who talks in their sleep and who gets seasick, poking

good-natured fun at each other.

The crew and skippers all remarked: the scouts share a camaraderie that

is uncommon among land dwellers.

Twice a year, the scouts compete in regional skills tests, and both

girls’ and boys’ crews do quite well said Harada. Because of low

membership, both crews sometimes combine to compete as one team, calling

themselves the Tri-Mar.

Especially because most teenagers are notoriously difficult, it is

remarkable how the Sea Scouts work and play, together -- on the land and

on the water.

“There is no way to describe it,” Harada said. “It is awe-inspiring.”

For more information about Sea Scouts, call (949) 642-6301 for boys, and

(714) 968-4999 for girls.