Sea Scouts

Bill Ficker's list of maritime accomplishments is long, but at a luncheon Wednesday he reminded attendees about one that event organizers forgot: early adopter of stand-up paddleboarding. "I'm a little hurt," joked Ficker, an America's Cup winner and architect who was being honored with the 2012 Good Sea Scout Award from the Newport Sea Base. The 84-year-old then showed off a picture of himself as a boy, gliding across a wide open Newport Harbor, using what he said was a kayak paddle.

Danette Goulet NEWPORT BEACH -- It was the mid 1930s and they were young Sea Scouts off on an adventure to the South Pacific. Each year, 25 young men in the Sea Scouts, the nautical program of the Boy Scouts of America, would set sail with the M.S. Stranger for a seven-month voyage with Captain Fred E. Lewis. They were learning everything there was to know about sailing. They were seeing the world and getting paid $10 a month -- which for a young man during the depression was quite good, said John Blaich, a former Sea Scout.

Submitted by Jane Bayer Each year, a select group of Sea Scouts are gathered in a few areas across the nation to participate in the SEAL (Sea Scout Advanced Leadership) training program. SEAL is an intense, nine day venture designed to educate young adults in becoming skilled leaders of their crews. Five scouts from places such as Virginia and Texas flew into Newport, California, and sailed off on Windward Spirit, a 41' Formosa ketch, cruising the California coast and Catalina Island.

Ahoy. When you read about local sailing champions, what comes to most people's minds is which yacht club the sailors hail from. Now you will have to include the Sea Scouts, who earned a reputation as national champions. Members of Newport Sea Base's Sea Scout Ship 711 have just earned two national sailing championships at Chicago's Columbia Yacht Club from Aug. 4 to 9. An unselfish volunteer adult leader, Mike Steward, who himself has taken very little credit for his Sea Scout Ship 711 accomplishments, has for years taught numerous boys seamanship, self respect and the Sea Scout's duty to our country.

Deepa Bharath It was a voyage that changed many lives. Sixty-five years ago, Allan Fainbarg was a wide-eyed Sea Scout. He was offered food, board and $10 a month to sail aboard the motor ship Stranger for a year to collect exotic animals for the San Diego Zoo. "I begged to get on the ship," said Fainbarg, 84, a longtime Lido Isle resident. Today, 30 of the old-timers will meet at Fainbarg's home and reminisce about their days aboard the 221-foot yacht that was a Newport Beach landmark for many years.

To traditional yacht clubs on the East Coast, Opening Day signals the melting of ice from its harbor. Newport Sea Base's celebration Saturday aptly signaled the start of the season with sun and high winds. Director Shana Bannert Aguirre said she checked the weather daily, concerned after Friday's rain. Hundreds of locals came out to support the Open House, which offered free events such as pontoon boat rides around the bay, tours of the Sea Scout boats and free burgers and hot dogs cooked up by the Newport Beach Firefighters Assn.

When most people set sail for Catalina, it's a journey with relaxation in mind. But when a group of Sea Scouts and instructors shoved off from the docks at the Newport Sea Base on Thursday morning, it wasn't for a cruising trip. For the Sea Scouts, who traveled from all across the United States, the trip was part of a five-day advanced leadership course, called SEAL. They will work hard, sacrifice hours of sleep and return with skills they can pass on to their Sea Scout units at home.

The tall ship Argus will soon depart the Newport Sea Base to undergo $1.5 million in repairs to become seaworthy again. The ship will get an official send-off at 11 a.m. today from the sea base, 1931 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach, and will leave with the help of a tug boat around 6 a.m. Tuesday. Argus has hosted hundreds of Boy Scouts learning to sail, but the vessel was taken out of commission in early 2006 after a U.S. Coast Guard inspection showed wood rot and iron sickness, which can cause a ship to leak.

Mike Stewart is a proud skipper. And rightly so. Stewart's ship is the Del Mar Sea Scout ship ? a Boy Scout troop on water ? and it's considered the most skilled in the country. In May, the Del Mar Scouts won the 2006 BoatU.S. National Sea Scout Flagship Award, a prestigious honor that's a first for this ship, one of the oldest in the area. On the Del Mar ship, young men ages 14 through 21 learn everything about sailing and the sea ? tying knots, navigation skills, rope climbing and radio communication.

Living on a boat for the last four years with her family, Devon Fehn has developed a sturdy pair of sea legs. The 16-year-old Sea Scout from Maryland spent the last year proving it so she could make the trip out to the Newport Sea Base and participate in the prestigious Sea Scout Advanced Leadership Training. Devon and five other girls ages 16 to 19 from across the country converged for a week of intense training on the water. They began as strangers, but after spending six days in close quarters, have banded together as a unit.

Bill Ficker's list of maritime accomplishments is long, but at a luncheon Wednesday he reminded attendees about one that event organizers forgot: early adopter of stand-up paddleboarding. "I'm a little hurt," joked Ficker, an America's Cup winner and architect who was being honored with the 2012 Good Sea Scout Award from the Newport Sea Base. The 84-year-old then showed off a picture of himself as a boy, gliding across a wide open Newport Harbor, using what he said was a kayak paddle.

Picture some of the most thrilling moments in sports. The buzzer-beating jump shot in basketball, the game-winning touchdown in football, the walk-off home run in baseball. Now imagine a two-person sailing team taking on grueling 20-knot winds and choppy ocean waves, along with competing against 20 teams from eight different countries over a seven-day, 21-race period. And picture that gauntlet of a week coming down to the last race, and that team winning it by the slightest of margins.

To traditional yacht clubs on the East Coast, Opening Day signals the melting of ice from its harbor. Newport Sea Base's celebration Saturday aptly signaled the start of the season with sun and high winds. Director Shana Bannert Aguirre said she checked the weather daily, concerned after Friday's rain. Hundreds of locals came out to support the Open House, which offered free events such as pontoon boat rides around the bay, tours of the Sea Scout boats and free burgers and hot dogs cooked up by the Newport Beach Firefighters Assn.

COSTA MESA - Anyone would think just completing 80 miles in eight days culminating with climbing Mt. Whitney with about 55-pound packs would be special enough. Not Boy Scouts Aaron Schott, 17, Michael Williams,15, or Jack Donnell,15. The three each snuck their dress uniforms and an American flag into their packs, to do something special - and possibly never done before - at the top of Mt. Whitney. Aaron, dressed in his Sea Scout uniform, Michael in a Venture Crew uniform and Jack in a traditional Boy Scouts uniform, hastily performed a flag ceremony in front of the dozens of people trying to beat the black storm clouds coming their way at the top of Mount Whitney.

When World War II utility boat Old No. 9 finally went to dry dock in 2002, it’s understandable if you thought it would never be heard from again. After all, through its 61-year history, Old No. 9 had gone through face lifts, modifications and changed countless hands as it aged, each owner telling themselves they’ll fix it up. And each time, Old No. 9 was passed on to someone else. Passed along to someone else, that is, until it was steered into John Matthews’ capable hands with the Boy Scouts of America’s Sea Scouts base in Newport Beach.

Submitted by Jane Bayer Each year, a select group of Sea Scouts are gathered in a few areas across the nation to participate in the SEAL (Sea Scout Advanced Leadership) training program. SEAL is an intense, nine day venture designed to educate young adults in becoming skilled leaders of their crews. Five scouts from places such as Virginia and Texas flew into Newport, California, and sailed off on Windward Spirit, a 41' Formosa ketch, cruising the California coast and Catalina Island.

The Rotary Clubs of Newport Beach (Sunrise) and Costa Mesa are organizing the inaugural Newport Beach Lobster Fest. The event, which organizers hope will be annual, will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Aug. 2, at the Newport Dunes Resort. The Lobster Fest is a family-friendly event providing attendees a delicious dinner of freshly cooked Maine lobsters (flown in the night before) with top-grade tri-tip, delicious sides and beverages. Adults ticket prices start at $75. For the children, there is a kids’ menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, sides and drinks cooked on the grill by local Newport Beach firefighters.

NEWPORT BEACH — Dave George is only 20 years old, but he’s already a seasoned sailor — not to mention a mentor for the next generation. The Cal State Fullerton student serves as the boatswain of the Del Mar, one of the sailboats docked at the Newport Sea Base. He also has seven and a half years of experience in the Sea Scouts, an offshoot of the Boy Scouts of America, and Saturday morning and afternoon, he joined fellow crew members in giving tours of the Del Mar to families.

Orange County Sea Scouts awarded its first Good Sea Scout Award to a local publisher and boat-show producer at a luncheon Tuesday that raised more than $20,000 for the Newport Sea Base. Mayor Steve Rosansky presented the Sea Scout award to Duncan McIntosh and officially proclaimed Oct. 23 Duncan McIntosh Day in Newport Beach. McIntosh, along with his business partner and wife, Teresa McIntosh, is co-publisher of Sea Magazine, Go Boating Magazine and The Log Newspaper; and co-producer of the Newport in-the-Water Boat Show, Lido Yacht Expo and Marina del Rey Boat Show.

Living on a boat for the last four years with her family, Devon Fehn has developed a sturdy pair of sea legs. The 16-year-old Sea Scout from Maryland spent the last year proving it so she could make the trip out to the Newport Sea Base and participate in the prestigious Sea Scout Advanced Leadership Training. Devon and five other girls ages 16 to 19 from across the country converged for a week of intense training on the water. They began as strangers, but after spending six days in close quarters, have banded together as a unit.