The Lookout Sea Scout Podcast

“Your host Chris DeBetta has a conversation with Katie Notbohm about working with Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, and Venturing and the importance of visibility [the blue uniform].”

Jack Lehmann shares his recap of Winterfest 2024. 

Nick discusses the upcoming National Virtual Sea Scout Academy and his involvement in making it happen.

Join us for an interview with 2023-2024 National Boatswain Evan Nazareth, where he shares his Scouting adventures.

Immediate Past National Boatswain Cassidy Christian (2021-2022) interviewed National Boatswain Jewell Norris (2022-2023) for her Scouting adventures, from her Trail to Eagle, to her paddlesports SEAL course, and goals for her term. 

The Lookouts Podcast interviewed the Sea Scouts from the Decisive on Kauai.

National Boatswain Aven and National Boatswain-Elect Cassidy sat down to discuss their Sea Scout adventures, their experiences earning Eagle, and the future of Sea Scouts BSA. 

What is Sea Scouts like in Puerto Rico? Our host Jennifer held a Zoom call with a Sea Scout Ship in Puerto Rico to discuss their activities and adventures. This entire interview is in Spanish. Here is a translation of the transcript in English: Jenifer: Hi, everyone. Hello everyone. Welcome to the Lookout podcast Reef Point Check. For today's episode we have Sea Scouts of Puerto Rico. We have Ship 192 here, which is from the Puerto Rico council and I am so excited to have them here. Please introduce yourselves.Alicia: Hello everyone, my name is Alicia. My position on the Ship is shieldman, secretary. She left them with my other classmates to introduce themselves.Carlos: Hello, my name is Carlos.Rosario: My name is Rosario and I am the Boatswain's Mate of the Crew.Speaker 5: My name [unintelligible 00:00:43] and I'm Boatswain's Mate of the program.Janet: Hello, good night everyone, greetings. My name is Janet, I am the leader of the Ship and Crew 192 in Puerto Rico.Speaker 7: Good evening, my name is [unintelligible 00:00:55] and we are working with the Boatswain’s Mate.Joana: My name is Joana and I am the Yeoman.Speaker 9: My name is [inaudible 00:01:05], my position is webmaster of Ship 192.Jenifer: Can you give us a map of your boat, can you give us information about who you are and what have you done being part of the Sea Scouts?Janet: Yes. Hello, we have been around, now in 2021 we will celebrate 11 years of being founded. Our Skipper is called Gume, our group was founded by a leader called Xiomara Torres, currently she is not in our group because she belongs to other units. We have maintained the group, we are already-- Some young people, we were like 10 or 11 in the group, but many of them with the situations that began to study at the university, others working, have had to-- Many continue their path as adults and not all because of their studies and that can be kept in the group.Currently we are some six or eight young people and with the pandemic and that here despite everything we have remained active, holding virtual meetings, we have tried to keep moving forward. I understand that despite everything we have been able to advance a lot in the group.Jenifer: Thank you very much. Obviously, as you know, COVID has impacted us all. How have you had to change the way you meet or the way you do activities due to COVID restrictions?Alicia: We are currently using Google Hangouts. This semester from January onwards we have been meeting on Mondays, and the semester we would meet on Tuesdays, if I'm not mistaken.Jenifer: Right now they are not meeting in person, right?Alicia: No, only what we have had like this-- That we met in person was in December for the delivery and advancement and patches, but from there on out we have not met in person. We are trying to see if we can, making arrangements to see if it can meet in person but we have not yet had an answer on that.Jenifer: Thank you. Now speaking more about you in Puerto Rico and the Sea Scouts in the United States, do you think there is a difference between the Scouts in Puerto Rico and the Sea Scouts in the United States?Alicia: Yes, there are definitely differences because I find that in the United States they have more availability of things, there are more groups, the groups are larger because we are about 12 young members and in the United States they have the facility to be more big. There are many more groups because in Puerto Rico there are only two, that helps you, but in Puerto Rico it does not benefit us here, it is good for you, but for us that part that there are not so many groups is not so good.Speaker 9: Here in Puerto Rico we currently only have two ships, which is the 192 that is ours and the 27, therefore, we do not have many colleagues with whom we can advance the ranks.Jenifer: Do you want to h

Sea Scouts Cassidy and Harvey Zoom with SR Area 3 Boatswain Georgie to discuss how Ship 1701 planned successful activities after stay-at-home orders were issue because of Covid-19. 

The following interview with Donald Blum of Sea Scout Ship Gryphon in the Pacific Skyline Council was originally recorded on September 25, 2011 for the Sea Scout Centennial. Donald Blum has been in Scouting since he was a Cub Scout in 1937. He is a Quartermaster Sea Scout who joined the Sea Scout Ship Challenger in 1944. Mr. Blum has been a Skipper, a Mate, a Council Vice Commodore, and Council Commodore. Join us to hear Mr. Blum share his sea stories from the San Mateo Council, which merged with the Stanford Council in 1994 to form the Pacific Skyline Council. Don shared memories of volunteers, Sea Scout events, a cruise to Hawaii on a troop transport in 1950, and traditions right out of the Sea Scout Manual. 

Ron and Jordyn sat down with National VOA President Tyler Grey and National VOA Vice President Samantha Troiano to discuss Scouting, cooking at VenturingFest, and sporks. 

William Riley grew up as a Sea Explorer from Maryland. Mr. Riley is now a commercial marine surveyor after spending twenty years as a U. S. Coast Guard officer. Izzy and Harvey visited with Mr. Riley on his career for a discussion on vessel safety. 

Bob Johnson grew up in Sea Scouts in San Diego before World War II. His Sea Scout Ship was on the Star of India, a museum ship that is still active today. Mr. Johnson shared his sea stories of sailing to Antarctica on multiple tall ships and other adventures at sea. 

Ron and Jordyn host Sea Scouts from Trinidad to hear their sea stories. 

Skipper Ken Shupe is the only SEAL instructor who took SEAL as a youth. Martha and Izzy sat down with Skipper Shupe to discuss how to prepare for SEAL, what to expect, and how SEAL can help Sea Scouts. 

The Man Overboard hosts sit down with the incoming Northeast and Central Region Boatswains to discuss their Sea Scout adventures and their upcoming terms. 

Sea Scouts Martha and Izzy discuss the history of the Boatswain's Pipe, types of calls, and tips on making Boatswain's Pipe Lanyards. 

Skipper Robin Pope shares on the water safety tips about kayaking. 

Dawn Riley is a legend in the sailing world. She was a Sea Scout in Sea Explorer Ship 147 of North Star Sail Club in Harrison Charter Township, Michigan during the 1980’s. She has sailed in the Whitbread race; she is the first woman ever to manage an America’s Cup team; first American to sail in four America’s Cups and two Whitbread Round the World races; served as the President of the Women’s Sports Foundation (2003-2004); serves on the board of the U.S. Sailing Association; and is the Executive Director of the Oakcliff Sailing Center in Oyster Bay, N.Y. Oakcliff is a high-performance training center for sailors who have progressed beyond traditional coaching methods that has that has prepared teams for the Olympics, America’s Cup and other sailing competitions. Dawn joined our hosts Martha and Izzy to share her many adventures on the water. 

Martha and Izzy explore Sea Scout history by reading the 1912 logbook of the Pioneer, first Sea Scout Ship, and the Sea Scout Ship Porpoise from 1936. It is a dive into Sea Scout cruises and activities from Sea Scouts in Boston from an earlier time.