Welcome to Mariners 936!
Thank you for your interest in joining the Mariners 936 Sea Scout group. Here is a quick overview to help familiarize you with our program, and to direct you to resources where you can find up to date information on the history of our Mariners ship as well as details about upcoming events.
Our schedule:
Mariners has a Fall and Spring season. Fall runs from September – November and Spring runs from February – April. During our season we have meetings every Wednesday evening and typically have regularly scheduled Saturday activities. Our Wednesday evening program runs as follows:
6:30pm: Arrival and Announcements
7:00-8:00pm: Meet with team to practice on competition skills
8:00-9:00pm: Rank Advancement instruction
Competition:
Each season culminates in a weekend-long competition with other Sea Scouts from California. This is a highly anticipated event by our youth and something for which they train all season. In the fall we attend the Southwestern Rendezvous event in Port Hueneme and in the spring we attend the Ancient Mariner Regatta (AMR) in Alameda ( San Francisco). Â Lifelong friendships and memories are formed at Rendezvous and AMR.
Rank Advancement:
There are four ranks which can be earned within Sea Scouts; Apprentice, Ordinary, Able and Quarter Master. Quarter Master is the Sea Scout equivalent to the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Scout rank and is a very prestigious accomplishment. The timetable to achieve each rank is roughly as follows:
- Apprentice: One full Season
- Ordinary: Two full Seasons
- Able: Three full seasons
- Quarter Master: Varies
Pogeys:
All new recruits enter the program with the title of “Pogeyâ€. This refers to their position as a first season Mariner regardless of age upon entry into program. The “Pogey†title is held until after attendance of first competition.
Elected officers and teams:
Sea Scouts is a youth-run organization with the Mariner youth electing their leadership. Each season elections are held on the first meeting of the season when a Bosun and Bosun Mates are elected. The Bosun serves as the president of the ship and leads the Bosun’s team and the Bosuns Mates lead additional teams. The Bosun is also responsible for appointing additional youth leaders. The elected and appointed leaders are referred to as the “Quarter Deck.â€Â The teams will work together to prepare to compete at AMR and Rendezvous.
Sailing & recreational trips:
In addition to competition and rank advancement, we work on building hands-on sailing skills through formal instruction, open sailing days and racing events. We have an extensive fleet of vessels available including 14’ Lasers, collegiate 420‘s, large cruising sailboats and kayaks. We also have access to the 118 ft. Tall Ship, “Spirit of Dana Point†and a 9 day cruise is offered each summer aboard this ship. During this trip and other weekend trips to Catalina and the Channel Islands, our kids take responsibility for preparing meal plans, creating and running a watch schedule, navigating and steering the ship. All activities take place under the watchful eye of US Coast Guard licensed marine officers and trained adult advisers.
Swabbie:
Most Saturday mornings from 9:00am-12:00pm there is supervised boat maintenance activities where youth can earn credit , at $11/hour, for performing routine maintenance on our Mariners vessels. Swabbie credit can be applied towards season dues and/or competition or cruise fees. Check website or Facebook page for current scheduled activities.
And Finally:
Through a combination of leadership training, practical classroom learning, competition events, team building, sailing, racing and meeting new friends, our Mariners youth develop a wide range of maritime skills and memories which will last a lifetime.
We hope this helps provide a brief overview of our program. As always, please use our website and Facebook page as a resource or email us your questions at info@mariners936.com
Welcome aboard!!