Coast Guard Tech Talk: Understanding Electronic Nautical Charts and Their Uses
Academy Introductory Mission (AIM) Application
Academy Introductory Mission (AIM) Information Night
Coast Guard Tech Talk – 08/27: Lessons Learned from Boating Accidents
Coast Guard Tech Talk – 7/23: US Coast Guard Helicopters
Coast Guard Tech Talk – 6/25: Satellites and Weather
Coast Guard Tech Talk – 5/28: AUXPAD—Paddle Safe: Evidence Based Padding Safety from the American Canoe Association, Part 2
Six Sea Scouts Selected to Sail Aboard the USCG Barque Eagle
Coast Guard Tech Talk – 4/23: AUXPAD—Paddle Safe: Evidence Based Padding Safety from the American Canoe Association
Coast Guard Tech Talk – 3/25: From Sea Scouts to the Maritime Academy to the High Seas
Welcome!
Sea Scouting is the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s official youth program and is a Boy Scouts of America program for young men and women, ages 14 (or 13 years of age and completed eighth grade) through 20. Sea Scouts provide a program for religious, fraternal, educational, and other community organizations to use for effective character, citizenship, and mental and personal fitness training for youth. As part of this training, Sea Scouts are expected to develop personal religious values, learn the principles of American heritage and government, and acquire skills that will prepare them to become successful adults.
The advancement scheme for Sea Scouts places an initial emphasis on nautical skills before encouraging the youth to take a major role in planning activities in the unit. Young men and women ages fourteen through twenty who are willing to abide by the requirements of BSA membership, including agreeing to live by the ideals expressed in the Scout Oath and Law and Sea Promise are eligible to join a Sea Scout Ship. Ships are administered by volunteers with the assistance and support of some paid professional staff.
Any Sea Scout who is at least 14 years old or Sea Scout leader may also choose to become full members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary by following the normal application process.
We also participate in a program to recognize all BSA Eagle Scouts, Venturing Summit Award recipients and Sea Scout Quartermasters as well as Girl Scout Gold Award holders. See their respective pages for more information.
The national Auxiliary-Sea Scout Youth Development (AUXSCOUT) Program Standard Operating Procedures (revised 21 OCT 22) outlines how Auxiliarists are to work with Sea Scout youth and adult members, whether or not they are also Coast Guard Auxiliarists. National program oversight is provided by the Auxiliary’s Youth Programs Division. All Auxiliary Districts have District Staff Officers – AuxScout (DSO-AS), most divisions have Staff Officers – AuxScout (SO-AS), and flotillas that have direct, sustained, and constructive engagement with a counterpart Sea Scout Ship have Flotilla Staff Officers for the AuxScout Program (FSO-AS). Organization support details and job descriptions for Auxscout are available on AuxBWiki.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions are available HERE. Any questions not answered on AuxBWiki or the SOP may be directed as follows:
* Questions from District Commodores and District Chiefs of Staff should be directed to Ron Blaisdell, Youth Programs Division Chief, DVC-SY
* Questions from all others in D1N, D1S, D5N, D5S, D7 should be directed to Arnie Geller, BC-SYA. Be sure to copy your DSO-AS and DCOS on your email.
* Questions from all others in D8C, D8E, D8W, D9C, D9E, D9WR should be directed to Bart Knapp, BC-SYW. Be sure to copy your DSO-AS and DCOS on your email.
* Questions from all others in D11N, D11S, D13, D14, D17 should be directed to John-Michael Zimmerle, BC-SYP. Be sure to copy your DSO-AS and DCOS on your email.
* Questions about starting a Sea Scout Ship should be directed to Mike McBride, BA-SYSA.
Coast Guard Auxiliary Youth Programs
YouTube Channel
Coast Guard Tech Talk: Understanding Electronic Nautical Charts and Their Uses
Our speaker is Mr. Edwin Martin. He currently serves on the National Staff of the Prevention Directorate as the Division Chief, Navigation Systems. Managing the Private Aids to Navigation, Chart Updating, and Bridge Administration programs. He has served in several Flotilla and Division Staff Officer positions, and Lead Oceanography Merit Badge Counselor for the Coast Guard at Scouting America National Jamborees. He is currently the AUX 06 C School Coordinator responsible for the CG Auxiliaries advanced Navigation System training.
Coast Guard Tech Talks are brought to you by the National Sea Scout Committee and the Coast Guard Auxiliary
Coast Guard Tech Talk: First Aid for Sea Scouts
Our speaker is Robin Pope, Ph.D., PA-C, FAWM, currently serves as Deputy Director of the USCG Auxiliary’s Recreational Boating Safety Outreach Directorate. Dr. Pope has more than 3 decades of experience in paddling education. He holds the American Canoe Association’s highest possible instructor ratings in both swift water rescue and whitewater kayaking and was recently named a “Legend of Paddling” by the ACA.
Brought to you by the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the National Sea Scout Committee
All-Hands AuxScout Training 16 FEB 25
Quarterly AuxScout All-Hands Training which was held on Wednesday, February 16, 2025.
Coast Guard Tech Talk: Invasive Species in American Waterways
Coast Guard Tech Talk: Working with Volunteers Across Generations
Our speaker is Commodore Dale E. Fajardo . Commodore Dale Fajardo joined the Auxiliary in 2010. He has been elected a Flotilla Commander, Division Vice Commander, Division Commander, and District Captain-Prevention for District 11 North.
On National Staff, he served and completed a tour as a member of the Auxiliary National Executive Staff as the Assistant National Commodore for the Force Readiness Command (ANACO-FORCECOM). Currently, he is the President and CEO of The Auxiliary Association.
On the Prevention side, he holds the Auxiliary Marine Safety (Trident) Device and is a Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Examiner. For Response, he is qualified as Boat Crew and as a Telecommunications Operator.
Professionally, he is the Vice President for Education for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and leads the Academy’s clinical education, professional development, and publication programs.
Commodore Fajardo holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Hawaii, and a Doctor of Education from the University of Southern California.
During his free time, he enjoys being on the water (preferably under sail), going on the air with amateur radio, listening to jazz, and traveling to Hawaii (and other interesting places) with his wife.
How to obtain a Coast Guard charter for an Auxiliary-chartered Sea Scout Ship
Auxiliarist Bruce Johnson walks you through the process for obtaining a Coast Guard charter for a new Auxiliary-chartered Sea Scout Ship. This will provide your flotilla or division with a simple, step-by-step guide for requesting a Coast Guard charter that accompanies your BSA charter from Scouting America.
HELPFUL LINKS for further reference
Coast Guard Auxiliary Youth Programs https://auxscout.com/
AuxBWiki http://tinyurl.com/AuxBWiki
Chartering a Sea Scout Ship http://auxbdeptwiki.cgaux.org/index.php?title=Chartering_a_Sea_Scout_Ship
AUXSCOUT Standard Operating Procedure ("SOP") https://wow.uscgaux.info/Uploads_wowII/BX-GROUP/SOP_BSX_1102D_2022_10_20_AUXSCOUT_PROGRAM_POST_VERSION.pdf
Checklist for Organizing a Sea Scout Ship https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bvcue8n127l9nxus8m5xl/Checklist-for-organizing-a-new-Sea-Scout-Ship-2022-10-02.pdf?rlkey=l14pek3g3my65f1gb329eg7lm&dl=0
Suggested format for a flotilla or division requesting permission to charter a Sea Scout Ship https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/f1gge7ty4p4v4g8qa0kaq/Suggested-format-for-a-flotilla-or-division-requesting-permission-to-charter-a-Sea-Scout-Ship.docx?rlkey=gfa1yocxpehfz70hv034g0ue8&dl=0
Sea Scouts BSA website https://seascout.org/
New Unit Organization Kit https://seascout.org/new-ship-organization-kit/
Best Practice Library https://seascout.org/best-practice-library/
Local Council locator www.scouting.org/discover/local-council-locator/
Unit and Membership renewal www.scouting.org/resources/unit-and-membership-renewal/
AuxScout YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@AuxScout
Sea Scouts YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@seascoutsbsa
Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/auxscout/
Coast Guard Tech Talk: Submarine Telecommunications and Power Cables
This presentation on Submarine Telecommunications and Power Cables will cover a brief history of submarine cables, cable types, cableships, cable plows, engineering and at sea installation and repairs.
Our speaker is Hiram Escabi. Mr. Escabie is currently an electronics engineer and the weather balloon program manager for the National Weather Service, has worked in private industry for 24 years and the US Government for 17 years. Mr. Escabi volunteer’s his time with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Gaithersburg Flotilla 24-08 and holds various National, Division and Flotilla positions.
Coast Guard Tech Talks are brought to you by the National Sea Scout Committee and the Coast Guard Auxiliary
Youth Programs Staff and DSO Meeting 2024 10 13
Coast Guard Auxiliary National Youth Programs Division Staff and DSO Meeting – October 13, 2024
Coast Guard Tech Talk: Update on Electronic Marine Charts and How to Download Them
Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) are vector data sets that support all types of marine navigation. Originally designed for large commercial vessels using a sophisticated navigational computer called an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), ENCs are now also being used on simpler electronic chart systems and “chart plotters” on many types of ships and by recreational boaters. NOAA ENCs help provide real-time ship positioning, as well as collision and grounding avoidance.
Our speaker this month is Christie Ence of the NOAA Marine Charts Division