Scouts from Boy Scout Troop 236 of Long Valley NJ, bleary-eyed from a short night of sleep, loaded a bus at Our Lady of the Mountain at 3:30 am headed to Newark Airport to embark on a trip of a lifetime to the high-adventure Sea Base camp in the Florida Keys. This brave crew ditched their phones and land-lubber creature comforts in exchange for a bunk on the schooner “Bloody Pirate,” and the promise of exploration and adventure. “From the first moment I was excited “Bloody Pirate” was a traditional sailing ship with manual ropes and pulls and by the end of the trip it felt like home,” said Lucas Rowland, one of the 18 Scouts on the 83 ft boat. Sea Base is a high-adventure Scout trip offering weeklong sailing adventures for Scouts from all over the US. This Scout crew cooked, cleaned and sailed for six days in the Florida Keys while learning about the ocean, vibrant sea life and navigation all while traditional sailing and sleeping in the tight quarters of the vessel. “It was awesome to be able to catch fish large enough to be able to eat what you caught and to be able to use the tail later to fish for sharks was a definite highlight” said Sean Carpenter. It was not all fun in the sun though, the crew learned valuable life skills while building friendships that will last forever.

If you are interested in learning more about high-adventures and Scouting, check out Troop 236 in Long Valley and Mt. Olive. The Troop is open and welcoming and no prior Scout experience is required. The Troop meets the first three Mondays of every month at at 7:30 pm at St. Marks Church in Long Valley. For more information about Troop 236 please visit: http://troop236bsa.org/ Scouting is a great way to make awesome friends while learning life skills and serving the local community.