After two weeks, five islands and plenty of time at sea, Kauaʻi’s Sea Scouts returned home this summer with a boatload of stories and an invitation for more teens to come aboard.
The Kauaʻi Sea Scouts recently completed a cruise aboard their 63-foot yacht, traveling from Kauaʻi to Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānai and Maui before returning to the Garden Island.
Now, the Scouts are opening their doors once again for a free recruitment open house from noon to 4 p.m. on Aug. 29 at the Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor next to the Coast Guard station.
The open house will give prospective members and their families a chance to tour the yacht, meet the scouts and adult leaders, enjoy a complimentary lunch, and get a vibe for the program.
“It was incredible,” Guilligan Mate Tom Worthen told Kauaʻi Now.
(Photo Credit: Kauaʻi Sea Scouts)- (Photo Credit: Kauaʻi Sea Scouts)
The vessel was donated to the program earlier this year and already has been taken out several times, but the five-island cruise was its longest voyage yet. The team went from a 40-foot trawler to a 61-foot yacht with a dishwasher, a BBQ, three bathrooms, air conditioning and a microwave.
Worthen added that having three refrigerators, a washer and dryer, and sleeping accommodations for everyone made the trip “comfortable.”
This new journey also gave the scouts an unusual opportunity to see parts of “Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi,” said Worthen. “Most people never get the chance.”
The program currently has 20 Sea Scouts and four adult leaders, and it’s open to boys and girls ages 12 to 18, aimed at teens who love the ocean and want to learn a new skill or simply seek an adventure beyond the classroom.
“Most of the kids get sick at first, but once we anchor, the fun takes over. And they keep coming back, so it must be more fun than the seasickness,” Worthen said.
To join, learn more about the open house, or attend a Kauaʻi Sea Scout meeting, click here.
