Advertisement The Scouts left Brice Prairie for the Twin Cities airport at 9 p.m. June 11, leaving plenty of time to make the 6:30 a.m. June 12 flight. The majority of the boys weren’t interested in sleeping at the airport, choosing instead to investigate the facility.
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Local Boy Scouts Jordan Griffing and Austin Mulac steer the schooner Sarah G in the waters around the Bahamas during a recent expedition. Others from Troop 21 who made the journey included troop leaders Jay Hesselberg and Glen Danielson and Scouts Steve Imgrund, David Trautmann, Jordan Griffing, Cole Bjornstad, Austin Mulac, Louis Corcoran, Mark Hernandez, Jacob Matl, Kelley Okoren and Justin Danielson.
Photo by Jo Anne Killeen |
However, once on the plane, they slept most of the way to Miami, where they caught another flight to Marsh Harbor in the Bahamas.
Scoutmaster Jay Hesselberg was trying to document the trip by taking pictures and videos when a large Bahamian Security guard approached him making a slicing sign across the neck obviously indicating he should stop filming, which he did.
From the airport, the group took two taxis for an interesting ride to Conch Inn Marina / The Moorings. Locals mostly drive on the left side of the road or whereever else they like. Captain Newell and First Mate Jesse were there to greet the Scouts aboard the 80-foot schooner, called Sarah G, which was to be their home for the next week. Troop 21 would be the working crew as the schooner set sail around the Abacos Islands on their high adventure.
Captain Newell explained that everything on the schooner has its specific place in order to keep the ship neat and safe. The duties and responsibilities assigned the Scouts included the following: Three masts to hoist sails up and let down with the main mast the tallest at 58 feet, the jib sail, anchor crew, water and ice, all meals made by scouts, steer the craft, canopy up when not under sail, ladder, captain’s coffee, clean up, nightly anchor watch and more.
The anchor watch consisted of two boys on two-hour shifts throughout the night to make sure the schooner didn’t get into trouble from high winds, drifting or other craft in the area.
In between all the work, the Scouts got to fish, swim, explore underwater wrecks, snorkel on coral reefs, explore settlements and absorb lots of sunshine. Sleeping quarters were simple: they found a vacant spot on the steel deck and slept under the stars and hoped it didn’t rain.
The two main settlements the scouts visited were Man-O-War Cay (pronounced KEY) and Hope Town. At Man-O-War Cay, the boys enjoyed what is known as “sticky buns” — cinnamon rolls the size of pie plates made at a local retired couple’s home for more than 25 years.
Hope Town was the original settlement in the area. It also is the location of the Elbow Reef Lighthouse, originally built in 1864 with a visibility of 17 miles. It is one of the last manually operated lighthouses run on a petroleum vapor burner.
The boys got to catch and eat some of the local food. A mutton snapper was large enough to feed all 14 aboard the Sarah G. Along a rocky shoreline, the Scouts collected a bag full of red tooth and white tooth periwinkles, quarter-sized snail shells. Once you boiled them up, you pulled out the snail from its shell, cleaned them out and popped them into your mouth. Not bad, for most of them anyway.
Another local “treat” the Scouts were willing to try was conches. Most people recognize the conch shell, which can be cut off on one end and made into a horn. The captain cleaned a conch one scout found. All tasted a raw piece, and the rest was made into a salad. Scouts also sampled the juice and meat from fresh coconuts.
Snorkeling on coral reefs offered a spectacular experience. The Scouts found starfish the size of hub caps and jellyfish the size of quarters. Other marine life the Scouts found included, dolphins, sting rays, barracuda, nurse shark, lion fish, hermit crabs, coral crabs, sea turtle, an array of coral fish and crustaceans.
“It was a magnificent trip,” said Hesselberg, who also expressed gratitude on behalf of Troop 21 to all who supported the troop’s fundraisers, to make the once-in-a-lifetime trip possible.
