The Yankee

Built in 1983, the Yankee was built as a replica of an old privateering vessel. A Gaff-rigged two masted schooner, she has a steel hull and seven working sails. John Remington Watson is our owner and captain and is assisted by our co-captain, Dana Ochstein. We have two Sea Base mates on board, Jason and Robert.
Today was our first day at sea, and we made a straight line to western dry reef from port in Key West. All swimmers had a great first experience at snorkeling and fish spotting on the reef. Everyone is eating well and we've had no casualties or losses. We are tired, but looking forward to tomorrow.

The Yankee!

Yes, this is killing me, Dave!

Gear Packed in the vans

We've loaded our food and gear in the vans. We're off the the shipyard to meet our captains and get ready to make way.

Nighttime at Sea Base

We all passed the swim test and had our snorkel lesson. We even made it to dinner. The boys have some free time to explore the base, see the ships and spend $ in the Ship Store.
Tomorrow morning will be full of activity so not much from us until we are under way.

Ship's Surprise

Can't wait to show you our vessel tomorrow. Appropriate name for a NJ Troop.
We shared our bus ride with Troop 281 from Dallas, PA.

Swim Test

We're running late, but we're in the water for the swim test. Snorkel lesson follows.

Lunch at Shula's

We're at Shula's about 10 miles from SeaBase. They weren't ready for 45 scouts, but they'll manage. Burgers all around! ( we're with another troop from NE PA.)

Welcome to Florida

We've landed!

The Trip Begins

Troop 523 is all on board the aircraft and we are all accounted for. The boys are starting to wake up! We will let you know when we arrive at Fort Lauderdale later this morning.

T minus 12 hours (and counting)

Some other things to bring and not bring and other burning questions...

Bring underwear (thank you Sergio)
Bring your T523 seabase shirt and hat (if you bought one)
bring an extra cap or hat for use in key west (or not, it's not a requirement)
No need to bring the class A shirt and neckerchief. Our uniform will be our scout shorts and our class B shirts. Make sure you are in your scout shorts and class B tomorrow at 4:15 at SJV.
 

No need to have their own snorkel gear. Upon arrival, we will all take the swim test. We will then be issued gear for snorkeling and have a lesson.

Last Minute Packing

Some things you may not think to pack; headlamp- it is dark out on the water, and you need to find your way around just like a campsite, anti-fog for your mask- plenty of suggestions on the Internet for making a home version, just make sure to pack it in the bag with your other liquids. If we think of anything else, we'll be sure to post... 55 hours and counting...
Sunglasses, sunscreen, towels...

Welcome Aboard Mr. Menafro!

New member of the crew will be joining us on Monday.

Campfire

Regards,
Tom

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Email MSG

From iphone

Regards,
Tom

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Test mobile email

Regards,
Tom

Sent from my iPhone

Testing Resources

I am testing my various tools to make sure we can post to the blog.

Weather Outlook

We are a couple days away from our 2012 high adventure trip to Sea Base in Florida. The weather outlook is for sunny skies and temps in the mid 80's. Looking forward to great sailing and snorkeling weather! Any last minute questions?

Weather Outlook

We are a couple days away from our 2012 high adventure trip to Sea Base in Florida. The weather outlook is for sunny skies and temps in the mid 80's. Looking forward to great sailing and snorkeling weather!

 Any last minute questions?