September 21st, 2019

Please attend Court of Honor this Tuesday at the Scout House - 7:30.

Sailing & Fishing Trip highlights by Fred McWilliams: By all accounts, the Fishing and Sailing Trip this year in Newport was a resounding success. New this year was the addition of fishing to the already popular trip. The scouts woke up early on Saturday (5 AM) to a very long day starting with a 3-hour fishing trip extending to the mouth of Narragansett Bay off of the ragged point and working our way back to just off of Ft. Adams. The fish in play that day were Scup and Black Sea Bass and many were caught and kept for dinner that evening. Following this, we walked over to IYRS School of Technology and Trades, which was originally a boat restoration school and has since expanded to include other trades that are related. There we had our pack lunches.

For the afternoon we headed over to “Sail Newport”, which we had 5 boats ready, 4 of which were skippered by our adult leaders and volunteers and one by a “Sail Newport” skipper. The winds were perfect allowing for some exciting sailing while each scout was able to take the helm and practice fundamental skills or hone their existing skills. Many of the scouts were first time sailors, so when the boats were heeling a certain level of apprehension ensued and after a bit, it became an exciting part of the experience as the water was lapping the gunnels. After 3 hours of sailing followed by group picture taking, it was now past 5:00 PM. The next item on the agenda was to go over to Ft. Adams for a tour, but at this point and after 12 hours of great fun, the scouts wanted to head back to camp and cook up the bounty of the sea. Panko-crusted fish and fish tacos were some of the meals prepared and all of the bounty consumed by the crew. Everyone slept well that evening.

On Sunday morning and rather than having a full packed day, the scouts opted for exploring parts of the Ft. Getty installation after breakfast. All in all, it was a great trip with 20 Scouts and 7 Adults helping. Many thanks to those adults that helped transport, cooked and skippered the craft.