For more than a century, the Sea Scouts have turned to the water to seek life lessons and invaluable skills. The program was recognized as a branch of Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts of America) in 1915. Its mission: to foster good citizenship and develop responsible and caring adults through education in boating, water safety, and maritime heritage.

Troy Dauler, Air Force veteran and San Francisco Bay Area native, first heard of the Sea Scouts through his father, who had been a Sea Scout in his own youth. (Dauler himself is an Eagle Scout.)

“My dad was always talking about Sea Scouts,” Dauler remembers, adding that after moving to Venice with his family four years ago, “I was shocked to find out there was no Sea Scouts ship down here.” (A “ship” is a local membership unit analogous to a Scout “troop.”) Dauler feared that once his son and daughter aged out of local sailing programs for kids, their nautical education would be in danger of running aground.

And that’s how Dauler became the skipper of Fortuna, Ship #1777, the first Sea Scouts ship in the Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte tri-county region. A ship’s skipper and skipper’s mates are part of the adult leadership of a ship, serving as the primary trainers and advisers to the Scouts, while the ship committee steers much of the group’s clerical responsibilities (such as financials and record keeping). Although each Sea Scouts unit operates with supervision and support from rigorously vetted and trained adults, Dauler emphasizes that each ship is a youth-led organization first and foremost.

“The crew is ages 14 to 21, coed, and they meet weekly to sit down together and plan out their activities based on what they want to accomplish as a group,” Dauler explains.

Michaela Fijas, a 17-year-old junior at Riverview High School, currently serves as Fortuna’s boatswain, the ship’s most senior youth officer. She’s passionate about sustainability and loves the outdoors, with sailing being one of her favorite ways to be in nature.

“I really love the strategy and mind work it takes to sail,” Fijas says. “You can’t always just kick back and relax. You have to be attentive to the shape of your sail and where the wind is, as well as just how fun it is to be looking out on the water, experiencing the elements and everything.”

Fijas joined the Sea Scouts last August to become more proficient with larger sailing vessels.

“I’ve sailed dinghies, which are the smaller boats, but I fell in love with the keelboats and really wanted to get involved with keelboat sailing. Sea Scouts was just an amazing opportunity to do that,” Fijas says. She and her crew have been learning the ropes on the Star Chaser, a 1979 30-foot Lippincott sailboat gifted to the ship last year.

“I’ve gotten a lot more proficient working with the winches, the heavier equipment, and more complex tools on a keelboat, as well as learning more of the safety procedures and what goes on on a larger boat—because there’s more to consider,” Fijas says. But what she’s learning from Sea Scouts goes above and beyond sailing.

“I feel like the confidence and the skills I’ve gained transfer over into my studies and my schoolwork because it shows that I have the ability to jump into anything I put my mind to,” Fijas says.

The Star Chaser moors at the historic Fisherman’s Wharf Marina in Venice just a few steps from the Dockside Waterfront Grill, part of the Gecko’s Hospitality Group local restaurant family. Gecko’s surprised the Sea Scouts with a substantial donation that supported the ship’s initial restoration efforts on the Star Chaser.

“Obviously, we’re very passionate about the Sarasota waterways,” says Fiona Farrell, chief operating officer for Gecko’s Hospitality Group. “One of our main pillars for philanthropy is supporting children and their community service efforts throughout Sarasota– Manatee. So this just was a natural fit, and they were right here, right outside of our dining room!”

SHOWING SUPPORT

After the Star Chaser took a heavy beating in last year’s storm season, Gecko’s support for Ship #1777 continued this spring in a craft cocktail sponsored by Don Q Rum. The “Deep Lagoon” blends Don Q Pasión and Cointreau with blueberry, passionfruit, and citrus in a punch that locals and spring breakers love to crush. Plus, it comes in a mocktail version so that the Sea Scouts can enjoy it, too! Gecko’s contributes one dollar per cocktail sold to Ship #1777. Thanks to a match by Don Q, the cocktail raised $1,600 within five weeks of hitting the menu.