Scouts on Shardana: Youth Sailing Adventures on the Chesapeake Bay

By Captain Davis Jones

Shardana has a long history of sailing with Scouts of all types: Sea Scouts, “Land” Scouts, Boy and Girl Scouts.  We usually sail 3 – 5 weeks a year with trips booked by individual Troops or through Camp Rodney as part of their High Adventure Sailing program.  These trips are usually 5 days but have extended as long as 8 days for a Sea Scout trip all the way to Onancock, Virginia.  Capt. Davis is an Eagle Scout, a Small Boat Sailing Merit Badge Counselor, and has been an adult leader of Sea Scout Ship 1942 for over 30 years.  All of our captains love to work with kids and are natural teachers excited to share their love of sailing with a new generation of sailors.

While every charter varies depending on the crew’s expectations, typical trips include sailing (obviously), fishing, swimming, cooking, and exposure to the Bay’s unique history and natural beauty.  Some Troops come as an alternative to the BSA Sea Base in Florida and the Bahamas.  The Chesapeake can be a much more economical and lower stress destination than flying a crew to Miami or Marsh Harbour for a similar sailing experience (ok, their water is clearer than ours).  We have hosted Troops from a close as Delaware and as far as Illinois.

While our boats are limited to six passengers, we can accommodate larger troops by enlisting a second boat for up to 12 total.  Shardana often sails with Captain Joe Musike on Sol Searcher, especially on trips arranged through Camp Rodney.  We have also worked independently with larger Troops that booked Shardana with Capt. Andrew and rented a “bare boat” that Capt. Davis led.  We have also been on trips with Sea Scout Ships that either don’t have a cruising size vessel or have their own fleet but needed an extra boat during their Long Cruise.   

Where to go

Shardana at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

We design each trip based on where the crew wants to, what they want to do, weather, and wind direction.  Typically, we split the trip with a night ashore in St. Michael’s, MD, at the Maritime Museum where Scouts can dig into traditional boat building and history of the Bay.  The other nights we anchor in more remote locations like Dividing Creek on Wye Island or the Rhode River with a guided hike at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.  If interested, we can also stop in Annapolis where Scouts may be interested in a tour of the U.S. Naval Academy.  We can adjust the daily schedule mid-trip to accommodate for longer or shorter sailing days or weather changes.

What to do

Swimming while at Anchor

Our goal is to make sailors out of the Scouts by building their interests and abilities, so they want to continue safe and enjoyable boating.  We have a fishing license for the boat and are happy to have you troll off the back (just watch the back-cast in the rigging!).  We also allow swimming following the “Safe Swim Defense” protocols and fully comply with “Safety Afloat”.  Want to learn to operate a powerboat? We can teach mini-motorboat boat classes on our dinghy.  While Shardana is not exactly a small boat, we can teach Small Boat Sailing Merit Badge, except for the capsize requirement. 

Scouts learning navigation skills

We also teach navigation, knots, sail trim, and can go through the engine and systems that make the boat work.  One group wanted to work on the “50-miler Award”, so they learned to chart their trip to verify the distance under sail and cleaned oyster spat as part of their service project.

What to eat

Each group is responsible for menus, shopping, and preparation under guidance from their adult leaders and the captain.  Cooking on a boat is more like cooking at home than on the trail, but careful preparation is still required.  Shardana has a full galley with a gas stove and oven and a grill out back.  Over the years, our captains carefully and objectively judge the competition between Troops for the Top Chef award.  Of course, there are also opportunities to dine ashore either for pizza or the Bay’s bountiful seafood.

How to book

Troops can book directly online at www.shardanasailing.com or can call 215-238-1365 to talk to Capt. Andrew or Capt. Davis to plan your trip.  Our standard rate for a 5-day trip is $4100 but we can offer a 5% discount for Scouts that book early.   If your Troop is local to Washington, DC, or Philadelphia, PA, one of us can come to a meeting over the winter for pre-trip training or simply to answer questions that youth and parents may have.  We understand unique planning difficulties with Scout trips and a 50% deposit will hold your week until full payment is made 2 months before the trip.