Ship 100, the “Viking” Honored With BoatU.S. and the Sea Scouts, BSA
2016 National Flagship Award
The Boats Owners Association of the United States (BoatU.S.) and Sea Scouts, BSA recognize Sea Scout Ship 100 the “Viking” of San Francisco Bay Area Council and Golden Gate District as the recipient of the 2016 BoatU.S. and the Sea Scouts, BSA “National Flagship” Award. BoatU.S. created the award in 2002 to mark the 90th anniversary of Sea Scouting. It is presented in recognition of excellence in program quality, youth achievement, and adult commitment. It is because of these attributes, as reflected by the “Viking’s” exemplary program of seamanship and youth development, that we honor them with this award.
Congratulations go to the Viking’s crew, especially their 2015 Boatswains, Louise Hendzel and Miranda Huson, their current boatswain, Sofia Mack, and their Skipper, Tamara Sokolov. The many dedicated crew, volunteers, and parents of SSS Viking have all played pivotal roles in achieving their many goals for 2015. Sea Scout Ship 100 the “Viking’s” name will be inscribed on a perpetual trophy at the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas. An identical trophy will be presented to the Ship, along with a special Flagship flag.
Chartered by The San Francisco Sailing Whaleboat Association, Sea Scout Ship 100 currently has an all-female membership of 20 youth and 10 adults. The Ship is home-ported in the beautiful San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, providing a close tie to a National Park whose mission of bringing historic ships to life for current generations aligns closely their own. Viking’s main vessel is an historic wooden whaleboat built by the US Navy in 1938 and the young ladies of Viking keep the boat maintained and actively sailed – often winning top honors in annual historic sailboat races.
Ship 100 experienced a banner year in 2015. Highlights included attending several regional events such as 5 Sea Scout Regattas, Safety at Sea, and the Western Region Flagship Ceremony, where they were awarded the title of WR Flagship in a ceremony, presided over by their boatswain, Miranda Huson, who also holds the title of 2015 WR Boatswain. At the Ancient Mariner Regatta the young ladies of Viking were the first female ship ever to win the rowing race final, and they also won the Navigator’s award, demonstrating their skills in piloting, navigation, and seamanship.
Ship 100 meets 2-4 times a week to sail, conduct advancement training, row, and work on boat maintenance projects, and the senior members of the Ship meet once a month for Quarterdeck meetings to plan and discuss activities and goals for the Ship. They hold several overnight trips such as advancement retreats, camping trips, Wooden Boat Shows, Council Venturing Camp weekends, overnight sailing trips and a snow trip. Community service is an integral component of the Ship’s program, with the crew participating in 13 service projects and color guard ceremonies in 2015. Six of those community service events were Quartermaster Projects, planned and coordinated by senior crew members of SSS Viking.
Annually, Ship 100 holds a two-week super activity, their Summer Cruise through the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. On this cruise the members of Viking prepare all aspects of each daily sail, divide their crew up into separate boat assignments for their 2 boats, sail all day, plan and prepare their meals, and lead group discussions over dinner every evening. In 2015 Ship 100’s Summer Cruise was attended by 18 youth members and 7 adult volunteers.
Ship 100 lays a strong emphasis on advancement. When a new member joins Viking, they are immediately assigned to a crew, and it’s their crew leader’s responsibility to teach them their apprentice requirements within the first month of their membership. In 2015 they had 7 new Apprentices, 3 girls achieved the rank of Ordinary, and 6 made Able rank. Last spring 2 members, Kaitlin Brawley and Elisabeth McKee passed their Quartermaster Bridge of Review. Miss Brawley was awarded her rank at the Western Region Bridge, and Miss McKee later at our own annual bridge. In the winter Marissa Bunting and Mira Kelly-Fair passed their QM Boards and they will be awarded when they’re back in town from college. In 2016 we anticipate having 2-6 more Quartermaster candidates. Ship 100 holds weekly evening meetings for advancement training, focuses on on-the-water training on weekend days, and holds at least one annual Advancement Academy. These Academies are held at local BSA camps where a select group of scouts working towards the same rank come together for intensive advancement-focused retreats which include leadership and team-building activities.
Youth and adult leaders are active scouters across a range of functions. Adult members fill roles such as Vice President of Membership for San Francisco Bay Area Council, Member of the Executive Committee for the Board of Directors of SFBAC, and Committee Members of Regional Sea Scout Regattas. Youth members staff the waterfront activities at San Francisco Bay Area Council’s summer camps and two crew members hold the title of Western Region Boatswain and Western Region Boatswain’s Mate for Area III.
Ship 100 is very proud to represent Sea Scouting nation-wide in 2016, and firmly believes that a strong program is one that focuses on all aspects of Sea Scouting, from boating to advancement, service, leadership training, and friendly competition. To see more on Ship 100, visit their facebook page at www.facebook.com/SSSViking.
Join us in congratulating SSS Viking Ship 100 for this great honor!
The 2016 National Flagship Fleet was selected and wishes to recognize the following Sea Scout Ships for their outstanding programs for this past year:
- Sea Fox Ship 9, Alameda Council, Alameda, California
- Decisive Ship 11, Aloha Council, Kauai, Hawaii
- Columbia Ranger Ship 361, Baltimore Area Council, Marriottsville, Maryland
- Heatwave Ship 450, Las Vegas Area Council, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
- Cricket Ship 876, Longhouse Council, Liverpool, New York
- Response Ship 911, Capitol Area Council, Austin, Texas
- Dragonlady Ship 1942, National Capital Area Council, Arlington, Virginia
Congratulations to each of these ships for their great programs in the past. We look forward to their continued involvement with the Sea Scout program around the country.
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