In the Depths of Sailing, Kristen’s Award Story

Meet Kristen, a Silver Award participant, and Scout from Ontario. Kristen joined the Award to have a goal to work on during the pandemic and to challenge herself to reach new heights and discover new passions.  

Getting Started  

“In 2021, on a nice spring evening, my mom and I went to a garden center and met a friend of hers. My mom’s friend told me about the Award and that her children (who were also Venturers) completed their bronze level. When I got home, I instantly started searching up the Award and its requirements. A couple of weeks later, I found myself signing up for the Award. I asked my Scout Leader, who I’ve known for a long time if he would be willing to act as my Award Leader and he accepted. When I started my Award journey, I was the only Scout in our group working towards this incredible achievement. As of now, there are 2 of us and hopefully, in the future, many others will follow our lead. 

Scouts Canada 

Scouting has always played an essential part in my life. I started at the age of 8 and am still a member of Scouts Canada to this day. I am currently in my last year of Venturers and moving up to Rovers next year. Numerous Scout leaders have made a positive impact within the group and are seen as role models for the youth, including myself. All in all, the Award and Scouts Canada share a common objective/focus: to guide youth into becoming the leaders of today. 

Adventurous Journey 

In the summer of 2022, I participated in a week-long sailing adventure with Brigs Youth Sail Training. We sailed from Kincardine, ON, to Windsor, ON. Through this experience, I met new friends who were Award participants. One of my favourite experiences was residing on the vessel. 

During my journey, I set a goal to sail from Kincardine to Windsor along Lake Huron, St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, and the Detroit River. While traveling on the water, I wanted to learn how to navigate, work the helm, set the sails, and understand the terms/commands used onboard the vessel. I also wanted to adapt to living aboard a vessel for an extended period. Along the journey, we got taught or showed how to navigate, set, and douse the sails and the commands used onboard the vessel by our Petty Officers and our Watch Officers. The captain showed me how to helm (steer the boat), and it was an excellent feeling to be in control of the vessel. I learned how to navigate, and I showed curiosity & wanting to learn more in-depth, so they showed me how to write ship logs. The crew members, including myself, worked together and helped each other when setting/dousing/tacking the sails or sweating the lines.  

Practice Adventurous Journey  

My adventurous journey was incredible, but it took some preparation. Thankfully the Award encouraged me to make a practice journey before going out for real! I practiced the knots I learned in Scouts, packing my bags and making them as ultralight as possible. And I also did on-site training, like learning how to use a marine toilet and basic sailing skills.  

My goal during the practice stage was to learn and acquire basic sailing skills and vocabulary for the vessel, develop my sea legs, and use different methods to get over potential seasickness. Unfortunately, on the first day on the water, I got seasick. I eventually overcame it by using various techniques like looking up at the sky while lying down on my back, looking at the horizon, and taking naps. I got taught basic sailing skills and vocabulary by the Petty Officers. Once I learned the skills and terminology, I tried my best to use them so they would come to me naturally.  

Adventurous Journey Memories  

It’s pretty cool to say after only a week, the people I was sailing with turned into my best friends. I also really enjoyed seeing the stars at night on Lake Huron – they were immaculate & very bright. It was quite an unforgettable sight. I will never forget traveling in a way I haven’t traveled before. I felt free while sailing in the open water. 

Next Steps  

I’m looking forward to working towards learning Dutch for my silver skill section. I’m excited to be able to connect with my heritage, my maternal grandfather is from the Netherlands. I’m also attending the Haarlem Jamborette (an international scout camp) in 2023, located in the Netherlands. I’m hoping by then I could converse with some native speakers when abroad with my scouting family.  

Join the Award 

You should join the Award because you get to learn new things about yourself that you wouldn’t have known otherwise. You also get to meet new friends and have lifetime experiences when working towards a common Award. The Award challenges you to set and achieve goals, with the help of your Award Leader you are able to leverage your opportunity to the fullest potential. And once you complete a level of the Award, the feeling of accomplishment is well worth all the effort!” 

• Kristen, Silver Award Participant

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