New Lakes Region Sea Scout group prepares teens for water adventures as well as leadership

LACONIA – Just what is a Sea Scout Ship? Local organizers hope to give young men and women a chance to find out, as Sea Scouts Lakes Region begins leadership training and maritime skills in preparation for fun on the water next spring.

Commodore for the Daniel Webster Council Brendan McNeill said Sea Scouts is a lesser known Scouting America program compared with Scouting America Troops, Cub Scout Packs and Venturing Crews, but has been in existence since 1912. Recently, Sea Scouting also became the official youth program for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

“We’re excited to have a Ship — the equivalent to a Scout Troop — in the Lakes Region and we hope that teens, whether they have experience in scouting or not, will check it out,” McNeill said. “It will be a blast, and while you’re having fun with your friends, you’ll also be learning valuable leadership, safety, navigation and maritime skills.”

Brian Beihl, organizer of the new Sea Scout Ship, moved to Alton Bay in 2020, and asked among his scouting colleagues to find out whether Sea Scouts had ever been active on Winnipesaukee.

“I was shocked to learn, with all the sailing, power boating and sea kayaking on the bigger lakes, and kayaking and canoeing on the smaller lakes and local rivers, that a Sea Scout unit was never organized here,” said Beihl, a former Scoutmaster and current unit commissioner.

Sea Scouts are co-ed and for older youth and young adults, ranging from age 14 to 21. For decades, Sea Scout units primarily offered sailing and powerboating, but a Ship can now include kayaking, sea kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddle boarding, and SCUBA. Beihl hopes Sea Scouts Lakes Region will be all of those.

“We are incredibly lucky to have everything here: The lakes, the ocean, multiple white water and flat water rivers, islands we can paddle or sail to, all right in our own backyard,” Beihl said.

The organizers are in conversations with a potential chartering organization, but will be looking for a no-cost meeting place, boat and equipment storage, and sometime in the future, donated sailboats which can accommodate eight or more Scouts. In the meantime, Sea Scouts Lakes Region will concentrate on smaller sail and power boats, sea kayaks and canoes.

For more information, visit facebook.com/seascoutslakesregion or email seascoutslakesregion@gmail.com.