Commodore’s Corner- August 2018
What are the recent changes to the Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary?
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary (CGAux) and the Boy Scouts of America recently completed the update of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). The MOA was formally signed at a ceremony on August 25, 2018 at a national annual CGAux meeting in Orlando, FL. Members of the national Sea Scout leadership represented Sea Scouts at the signing ceremony.
CGAux and Sea Scouts have long enjoyed a partnership promoting boating safety and other areas of mutual interest. The new MOA provides for even closer cooperation between the organizations. Here are some highlights:
- CGAux will provide seamanship and other types of training, shore-side and underway, to Sea Scouts and other BSA members.
- CGAux will use Sea Scouts, BSA as their official youth development program.
- CGAux Flotillas/organizations are authorized and encouraged to become charter partners and provide adult leaders for Sea Scout Ships (units).
- Sea Scout youth and adults may become members of CGAux by following the normal requirements for membership. The CGAux entry age is lowered from 17 to 14 for registered Sea Scouts.
- Regular BSA youth protection policies will be followed as described in the agreement.
News Flash: Sea Scouts in Action!
Sea Scouts from Ship 9, Alameda Council, while on their summer long cruise in San Francisco Bay, located and rescued a missing kayaker who was the object of a Coast Guard search and rescue mission. The Sea Scouts had monitored a Coast Guard radio request for all vessels in the area to maintain a lookout for the missing kayaker. At 2:30 a.m. the lookout aboard the Sea Scout vessel Pegasus spotted the man clinging to his inflatable kayak. The Sea Scouts on watch, using techniques they practiced in man-overboard drills, approached the victim, quickly pulled him from the water, administered first aid for hypothermia, and later transferred him to a Coast Guard vessel for return to shore and further treatment. While in the care of the Sea Scouts, the victim said that he had fallen out of his kayak at about sunset, into the 60-degree water, without a lifejacket, and he was unable to re-board. When the alert Sea Scouts rescued him, he had been in the cold waters for six hours. Without the help of the Sea Scouts, the victim may not have lived to see the sunrise. BZ!
I’m helping start a new Ship and we have lots of questions about uniforms. Where can we get good information?
Many of the most common inquiries on SeaScout.org are about uniforms and insignia. There are several sources for information about The Official Sea Scout Uniform (which was introduced in 2012 as the New Century Universal Uniform):
- The BSA “Guide to Awards and Insignia,” No. 620572
- The Sea Scout Manual https://seascout.org/manual-resource-center
- Fact Sheet titled “Official Sea Scout Uniform”
https://seascout.org/download/new-century-universal-uniform-fact-sheet/
The current version of the BSA “Guide to Awards and Insignia” seems to be out of date. When will it be republished?
We expect a new printing to be available early in 2019. Your national Sea Scout leadership has already provided detailed input for this update. In the meantime, you can rely on the Sea Scout Manual and the Fact Sheet mentioned above.
We’ve been getting confusing answers from our local Scout Shop and even ScoutShop.org about stock numbers and availability of the basic insignia we need for the Official Sea Scout Uniform. What’s going on?
Whenever a new emblem is created or an old emblem is re-issued, a unique six-digit stock number, or SKU, is assigned. For example, the recent re-issue of a variety of emblems on black backgrounds, the redesign of the Long Cruise Badge and arcs, or the redesign of unit numerals from royal blue background to black background. National Supply Group is finishing up the transition for these new stock numbers.
Can you provide the new stock numbers for the basic insignia we all need?
Here are the stock numbers you’re looking for (all with black backgrounds):
641401 Sea Scout Universal Emblem
641602 Sea Scouts Uniform Strip
641604 Sea Scout Unit Numeral 0
641605 Sea Scout Unit Numeral 1
641606 Sea Scout Unit Numeral 2
641607 Sea Scout Unit Numeral 3
641608 Sea Scout Unit Numeral 4
641610 Sea Scout Unit Numeral 6/9
641611 Sea Scout Unit Numeral 7
641612 Sea Scout Unit Numeral 8
641603 Sea Scout Apprentice Emblem
648583 Sea Scout Ordinary Emblem
648584 Sea Scout Able Emblem
616989 Sea Scout Quartermaster Emblem (restricted)
633337 Sea Scout Quartermaster Knot (restricted)
639675 Sea Scouts Trained Strip Emblem
The Long Cruise Badge has been redesigned with a merrowed edge–so there is now only one version–with no background selvage. The red and white segments, or arcs, have also been redesigned so they will form a circle around the badge.
648391 Sea Scout Long Cruise Emblem
648393 Sea Scout Long Cruise Segment Red
648392 Sea Scout Long Cruise Segment White
Also, on ScoutShop.org you will find a complete selection of round badges-of-office for youth and adults specifically designed for wear on the Official Sea Scout Uniform.
What about insignia for the legacy traditional Sea Scout uniforms, are those still stocked on ScoutShop.org?
Yes, there is a substantial inventory of those insignia available for sale on ScoutShop.org or through your local Scout Shop.
Submit your question to commodorescorner@seascout.org or click here https://seascout.org/cc/submission/. We’ll answer the most frequent or urgent questions in a future edition of the Commodore’s Corner.
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