Skippers and other Sea Scouters:

Please discuss this Sea Scout Academy opportunity with your Sea Scouts. This is an opportunity we have not had for at three years, a chance to have a combination of hands-on and academic classes that lead to your Texas Parks and Wildlife Safe Boating certificate, the Small Boat Handler bar, and the seamanship parts of Apprentice, Ordinary, Able and Quartermaster. The price is right! The $40 fee covers five meals, two nights berthing, and supplies. There will be an additional $10 fee for those who enroll for the TPWD certificate.

I have attached the Boarding Manual, Schedule, Registration Forms, a comparison between the TPWD course, Small Boat Handler, and advancement requirements, and a map to Camp Mohawk.

Let me explain and comment on our plan. It is done this way to maintain some order, but skippers can ask for variations if they need it, and we will try to accommodate you.

If your youth want to earn the TPWD certificate and Small Boat Handler bar, enroll in TRACK 1 if they are recruits, and TRACK 2 if they are Apprentice. If they are Ordinary or above and still need the TPWD class, we will do that and then send them to the Able and Quartermasters classes in TRACKS 6-8 that they desire.

If your youth don’t want the TPWD certificate, and are recruits needing their customs/courtesies, safety and knots, sign up for TRACK 4.

If your youth are Apprentice or have their Apprentice customs/courtesies, safety and knots, sign up for TRACK 5.

If your youth are Ordinary or almost Ordinary, sign up for TRACK 6 if they need navigation and piloting. If they need other lessons (TRACK 7), you will have to tell us what they need so we can find instructors to teach them. Go over their advancement needs and select the lessons that will be most difficult for them to get in your ship.

If your youth are Able or almost Able, sign up for TRACK 8. If what is scheduled in track 8 is not what they need, let us know so we can find instructors to help them.

Youth in tracks 6, 7, and 8 all have some classes where they are supposed to teach youth who are recruits or Apprentices some of the Ordinary and Able skills. Before the first of January I expect to send out a list of the classes, adult instructors, and their email/phone so that your Able and Quartermaster candidates can contact them to arrange to teach. Tell your candidates that they should not expect to just walk in and teach, preparation and coordination are required! They need to start preparing to teach now.

Again, if any of your youth’s classes need special tailoring, please contact me and I will try to help. However, if they just have one or two classes overlapping with what they have done, we would prefer that they remain with their track so they can help those youth who are learning the skills.

Adults, both teaching and not teaching are all lumped into TRACK 0, a catch-all and free-for-all track. You may go where you want to go to meet your needs. There will be adult classes for TPWD, Venturing Leadership Specific Training, Sea Scout Officer Specialized Training, Youth Protection Training, Venturing awards, and Crisis Afloat. You may also go into any Sea Scout class you wish. We only ask that when you are a guest in a Sea Scout class that you follow the directions of the instructor, whether that instructor be an adult or a Sea Scout.

If you have questions or comments, please feel free to email me or call 832-467-1998.

We are also working right now to have more on-water activities up at Kemah. For ships nearby (mostly SHAC and BAC), we should be able to have Saturday morning and Monday afternoon sessions. As you express the need for on-water activities, we will schedule those during the SSA.

George Crowl
Chairman

Academy Registration Form

TPWD