The Annual Family Bike Trip to Martha's Vineyard

Dear Scouts,

​The scouts and families enjoyed the annual bike trip. This year the destination was Martha’s Vineyard, which is part of our 3-year rotation between Cape Cod Rail Trail, Nantucket and the Vineyard. Next year the trip goes back to Nantucket where we set up at Camp Richards.

Trip Report – Annual Family Biking Trip to Martha’s Vineyard
Our Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) Cameron led the bike trip putting leadership into action with help from Jonah and Lincoln as troop guide. These boys do a great organizing, assembling and tracking our plan at all times. Also good work from the Patrol Leaders Alexander and Eric B, who also had their hands full with planning and running the patrols.

While waiting for the ferry, I noticed that the S/V Cramer from the Sea Education Association (www.sea.edu) was just in from a student trip out to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Captain Chris Nolan, who provided the troop with a zoom introduction to sailing and seamanship during the Sea Base preparation sessions, was on hand to provide a brief tour of the ship. We all had a chance to get on board, and I hope this was especially fun for the Sea Base crew. Cramer is 134’ brigantine with gear and oceanographic equipment to go anywhere in the world. She has a sister ship named the Robert Seamans which operates in the Pacific. I’m an alum of the program along with my daughter Kaleigh and I also participate on the board of advisors. 

They offer limited high school and college programs, combining learning ashore and then at sea. I’ve heard it said that farmers, sailors and scouts are the groups of people that are independent, capable, and always ready to help. I think that is true.

After departing our short Cramer visit, the troop got on the ferry with bikes and day packs. This coordination of tickets, cars and arrangements was accomplished with excellent honcho oversight by Julie Jones and the many parents that helped drive up and down to Woods Hole. Thank you for doing all this and making this opportunity possible. Many hands make light work and this is what makes our troop go and scouting opportunities possible! Thank You!

The scouts biked to camp, set up and then biked to East Point Beach. The water was cold and the skies cloudy, but all enjoyed the short trip. Sunday was the real biking experience, where two groups set out; one group biked long and fast, and the other went less aggressively, but both met up in Edgartown. That went well, and then one group headed out with the goal of doing a 50-miler and the other group set out to enjoy Chappaquiddick Island, the Myoti Japanese Garden and the beach. Later, we again broke into two teams, with one heading directly back to camp and the other taking the northern route to the beach and the so-called Jaws bridge. We parked our bikes under the sign that clearly said no jumping of diving off the bridge . . . and because a scout is obedient, we observed all the rules.

We met back in camp for the second campfire program. Lincoln led a vespers practice and at the end of the night it sounded 100% better than the night before. I can say the adult food was terrific, the campsite was very nice (we were good neighbors) and the scouts did a great job of setting up camp, tables, preparing food, cleaning up and observing the quite hours.

I think we can continue hone up our biking skills, including maintaining spacing. This seems easy but can be hard to do and we need more practice as a group. Last years trip was cancelled because of rain so we were glad to be back having bike trips.

All in all, it was a great trip and a terrific way to see scouts in action and working together.

Do your good turn, daily!

YiS,
Mr. Duggan, Scoutmaster