Boy Scouts from Windham’s Troop 805 spend a week aboard a
45- foot schooner sailboat off the coast of Maine. The three adults and eight
Scouts left from Buck’s Harbor on the Alamar and sailed up past Mount Desert
Island and explored many coves and islands between there and North Haven.
The trip was for older Scouts and they learned a lot
about sailing from how to hoist and lower the sails, to raising and propping
anchor and how to steer and chart a course, according to Scoutmaster Chuck
Libby.
“We’d done a trip like this once before under the
direction of Captain Tedd Gifford. The boys wanted to do it again,” Libby said.
Gifford has been sailing most of his life and enjoys teaching the Scouts.
“Sailing builds character. It provides an experience they
may not have had otherwise. It builds confidence. It gives them an appreciation
for the beauty of their state and the coast of Maine. It teaches them to fend
for themselves but also to be part of a team. They learn many skills including
cooking, cleaning, navigating, tying knots, and the art of sailing,” said
Gifford.
The boys had the chance to swim off the boat and explore
islands that very few people get to see. For one Scout Mackerel Cove on Swan’s
Island was his favorite stop. They saw porpoises and a sea lion or two.
Libby compared staying on a boat like hiking, where you
sleep in a different location each night and “every day brought new
challenges.” The space was tight, but they made it work often sleeping on deck
for the cooler air and more space.
“It’s all about the boys. They did everything. The adults
are right there to make sure they’re safe, but that’s it,” Libby said.
