Sea Scouts (Scouting Ireland)

The Irish flag, consisting of green, white, and orange.

After Baden-Powell’s book “Scouting for Boys” appeared in 1908, Scout Groups started spontaneously throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Some Groups, including 1st Dublin Troop, Boy Scouts (founded 15th February 1908 by Capt.Richard P. Fourtune RNR) included boating in their programmes from the beginning, and B-P soon recognised that this was an excellent variation of the Scout programme.

Sea Scouting was officially recognised in 1910, and B-P wrote the first introductory pamphlet “Sea Scouting for Boys”. Later B-P asked his brother Warrington, a well known yachtsman, to write a handbook for the new section, and “Sea Scouting and Seamanship for Boys” was published in 1912.[3]

The first Sea Scout Troops in Ireland were registered in 1912, in Bray and in Ringsend (1st Dublin Troop mentioned above), where B-P then appointed Lieut. Henry J.Rundle RN, Officer-Charge, HM Coastguard Malahide, as the 1st Commissioner for Sea Scouting.

Other Troops developed in Dublin in the succeeding years, in most cases alongside HM Coastguard Stations. In 1914 the first inter-Troop rowing race for the Wood-Latimer Cup was held. This event was the start of the Annual Sea Scout Regatta and continues to this day, making it one of the oldest Scouting events in the World.

With the outbreak of World War One, many Sea Scouts and their leaders joined the Royal Navy, often as Signallers or Coast Watch.

In 1915 the Dublin Sea Scout Troops were grouped together in the Port of Dublin Sea Scout Local Association, and they were allocated “Port of Dublin” numbers, a custom that still continues. The annual Seamanship Competition for the Fry Cup started in 1918 with the presentation of a handsome silver cup from Major-General Sir William Fry to the Port of Dublin Sea Scouts. The event continues to the present day and is regarded as Sea Scoutings most prestigious cup to claim.

29 Dublin Sea Scouts attended the 1st World Scout Jamboree in London and were accommodated onboard HMS Sharpshooter.

With the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922, saw the exist of HM Coastguard from Ireland. This had a huge negative impact to many of the adjoining Sea Scout Troops. In addition, with the growing sense of Irish Nationalism, Scouting was seen as a very British organisation. To that end, the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland were founded in 1927, and started a Sea Scouting programme a year later, basing the organisation of the Boy Scouts of America model. This was a Senior Section, over 14 years of age who formed themselves into ‘Ships’ or Units. By the late 1930s CBSI had about 10 Ships (Units) in the Dublin area, and Ships in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Wexford, a total of 14. These Ship were also given ‘Port Numbers’ alongside their UK Boy Scout Association counterparts.

World War Two broke out and by its conclusion all CBSI Sea Scouting Units have closed and only 1st Port of Dublin (Ringsend) and 4th Port of Dublin (Dodder) remain.

1948, the Boy Scouts of Ireland is established and becomes independent of the previous British Association. This will later be renamed as the Scout Association of Ireland. A period of growth starts within Sea Scouting in Ireland; x2 troops in 1948, to x4 in 1958, x12 in 1968, x38 in 1978. The first of these Troops outside Dublin was 1st Wexford (New Ross) in 1965. The very rapid growth between 1968 and 1978 was a mixed blessing, and a number of troops did not survive for very long, mainly due to problems of back-up support and of maintaining adequate supply of Leaders.

In the mid 1970s the former lightship, “Albatross”, was acquired as a Sea Training Centre. This was a great boost to training and was an activity centre where troops with little equipment could send Scouts for boating experience. She was moored in Dun Laoghaire Harbour for many happy years. In 1976, the Irish Sea Scout Standard Boat, the “BP-18” was designed by Kevin McClaverty, and has proved to be an excellent general purpose craft for Sea Scouts.

The BP-18 was designed to accommodate a Watch (Patrol) and could be sailed, rowed or fitted with an outboard engine, making it a very versatile boat that could fit around the needs and skills of each different Sea Scout Group.

Over 40-years later, x28 BP-18s can still be found floating in the lakes, rivers and coasts across the Country.

In the 1980s, CBSI remove Sea Scouting from their programme and develop a Water Activities Centre at Killaloe on Lough Derg on the Shannon. In 1985, SAI published a new series of handbooks covering the nautical requirements of the Sea Scout programme (Sea Training Handbooks, Parts 1 & 2), and also a Sea Scout Leaders Handbook. These books are a wealth of information and are used a base standard for the next decades.

From 1998 to 2002, SAI complete a very detailed examination of the Sea Scouting programme. This included a country-wide survey of all Sea Scout Troops, with questionnaires for each Scout and Leader on training schemes and programmes, uniform, activities and competitions. A committee was established to examine the Sea Scout Programme in detail, using the Renewed Approach to Programme (RAP) method recommended by World Scouting. This was a lengthy process involving 9 stages, with masses of paperwork. The new programme was designed, and a new advancement Badge Scheme was devised to implement it. The new Sea Scout Programme was launched in 2002, and includes a completely revised Progress Scheme, balanced between ashore and afloat, with a wide choice of activities.[4]

Following the merger in 2004 of SAI and CBSI to create Scouting Ireland, a lengthy programme review process commenced to review every aspect of youth programme delivered by Scouting Ireland. In 2010 the ONE Programme became the programme of Scouting Ireland and is used in all 5 Programme Sections. As a result, Sea Scout Groups now deliver a Sea Scouting programme to all their youth members, from age 6 to age 26. This takes the shape of the Nautical Training Scheme, a programme accessible to all Sea Scouting and Scout Groups.

Merged content from History of Sea Scouting (Scouting Ireland) to here.

Since the launch of the one programme Sea Scouts follow the same scheme as the rest of Scouting Ireland with a focus on water activities. The Scout section follow the spirit of Adventure with Tom Crean the famous Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer.

From an activity perspective the Scouts have Adventure Skills badges. There are 9 skills, Sailing, Rowing, Paddling, Emergencies, Camping, Pioneering, Backwoods, Hillwalking and Air with 9 levels within each of these skills. Other skills can be pursued with Special Purpose Awards which allow the Sea Scout to incorporate activities like snorkeling, power-boating and pretty much any activity that the individual Scout wishes to follow.

Further to these skills there is a Nautical Training Scheme which allows for the maritime ethos essential to a progressive nautical symbolic framework to be successfully implemented. This training scheme is open to all members of Scouting Ireland wishing to further their maritime knowledge. The badges are progressive and lay out the steps that the young person will take on their journey through the nautical symbolic framework.

There is also a Chief Scouts Award for each section. At the Scout, Venture Scout and Rover Scout Sections these are linked to the Bronze, Silver and Gold An Gaisce – The President's Awards.

The emblem on the ensign is that of the Scouting Ireland association, whereas the emblem on the pennant is a non-fouled version of the Scouting Ireland Sea Scout and Water Activities logo.

• Sea Scouting - Scouting Ireland
• Report Sea Scouting in Scouting Ireland 2004