Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Teens from Sea Scout Ship 100, SSS Dominion, honored with national flagship award

MANASSAS, Va. – Sea Scouting is a specialized program from the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) that improves youth boating skills with on-water practice, outdoor, social, and service experiences, and shares knowledge of our maritime heritage. There are about 6,500 teens, about one-third female, participating in 550 "Ships" nationwide. But if you want to know who is the best Ship in the country, that honor goes to Sea Scout Ship 100, SSS Dominion, of Manassas, Virginia, which was recently bestowed with the 15th Annual Sea Scout National Flagship Award.

The prestigious award, created by Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) in 2002 to mark the 90th anniversary of Sea Scouting, recognizes excellence in program quality, youth achievement and adult commitment.

Chartered by the Freedom Museum (an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution) in Manassas, SSS Dominion was formed in 2012 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Sea Scout Program in BSA. With 20 active scouts, SSS Dominion maintains a very active and diverse program supporting youth around the western suburbs of Washington, D.C.

The Ship meets weekly, either at Manassas Airport or Dominion Boathouse where it stores its small boats and gear and runs a fleet of seven boats from 22 to 46 feet, including a Morgan ketch. Members have sailed the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay, cruised at night, completed many senior leadership programs, hosted American Heart Association First Aid and CPR courses, and participated in food drives with the St. Lucy Project, which serves as the "Food Bank of Food Banks" for the Northern Virginia area.

SSS Dominion also provides senior leadership to the Chesapeake Flotilla Winter Training at Catoctin Mountain Park in Thurmont, Maryland. In March, the Ship provided "Landship" ceremonies for the Northeast Region Bridge of Honor in Swedesboro, New Jersey. And when an unexpected electrical outage left one of the Ship's prized boat engines underwater and near ruin, the Scouts successfully rebuilt the motor.

To learn more about Sea Scout Ship 100 SSS Dominion. visit www.ship100.wordpress.com. To learn more about the Sea Scouting program and how you might become involved with the program in your area, go to https://seascout.org and check out the website.

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About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):

Celebrating more than 50 years, BoatUS is the nation's largest organization of recreational boaters with more than a half-million members. We are the boat owners' voice on Capitol Hill and fight for their rights. We are The Boat Owners Auto Club and help ensure a roadside trailer breakdown doesn't end a boating or fishing trip before it begins. When boats break down on the water, TowBoatUS brings them safely back to the launch ramp or dock, 24/7. The BoatUS Marine Insurance Program gives boat owners affordable, specialized coverage and superior service they need. We help keep boaters safe and our waters clean with assistance from the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Visit BoatUS.com.