Coral Reef Sailing
Our Scout Troops spent five nights on the SeaBase Coral Reef Sailing adventure in July-August 2023.
Introduction - What is this Map?
Our Scout Troop took several crews to the Boy Scouts of America's Florida National High Adventure Sea Base ( https://www.bsaseabase.org/ ) and this is our story.
There's a longer write-up of how this map came to be ( https://blog.tectonicspeed.com/2025/01/more-adventures-with-gis-storymaps.html ), but the basic version is that it shares the map of our adventure and the pictures that were taken in a way that everyone can see.
This ArcGIS StoryMap was created using free tools. I've documented in the sections below a few things about how it was created in the ArcGIS StoryMaps tool. The longer blog post about this map describes additional struggles I had with the first step (drawing the route), but once I was into the StoryMap part of the process, it was wonderful - and I wound up making more of these maps.
- Europe Pictures: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/30304a1eae9b4591a2c3028a560ca96a
- River Bend Forest Preserve: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/bc9fb2202e464cbfbd47e5ea7138fa4f
I hope you enjoy the pictures and the story, and are inspired to share your own adventures.
- Sanford
July 26-27 - Camp Sawyer
Camp Sawyer is a Scout camp located at mile marker 34, a lovely location on appropriately named "Scout Key". We arrived in the afternoon after a day of flights and buses and stayed for two nights.
This part of the StoryMap uses a "Sidecar" to just show some pictures. I used this option because these are not directly part of our trip route - so there was no need to use the "Map Tour" feature.
The first thing everyone wanted to do was go swimming and try out our masks and snorkels.
We were right at the beach, staying in the luxury tents which (sort of) had Air Conditioning. Here an Assistant Scoutmaster shows off a shell he found, then left behind - to leave no trace.
Taken soon before we left, here the group crams in some last minutes of screen time before phones were locked away. This was taken in the shelter where we ate and cooked - you can see a grill on the right.
July 28 - Sea Base
On July 28, the Sailing crews arrived at SeaBase to gather our gear, meet our captain, and head off on our Adventure.
Here you can see a Map Tour component. This is the "Media Focused" version - so the pictures are larger than the map. In the next section, we'll flip to the Map Focused one.
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The Calm Before the Calm
The boats for our two Crews: the Second Star (left side in front, with blue sail covers) and Bold Response (foreground, middle-right). There were no storms on our trip, and in fact we were plagued by a lack of wind... not ideal for sailing!
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Bold Responders
The Crew of the Bold Response poses in the shelter where we went through gear checks and (whew!) passed.
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Nice Shirts!
The Crew of the Second Star poses outside the SeaBase buildings where the Scuba crew stayed.
July 29 - On the Water
We slept on the boats and awoke on the water on July 29.
Our first day on the water was a rough one for the landlubbers from Illinois (by day two they had their sea legs.) We also suffered from a strong sun and the "Heat Dome" that covered the US at the time. Limiting sun exposure and drinking water became survival skills!
Here is the Map-Focused version of the Map Tour, with smaller pictures. Double-click on the images to enlarge them.
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Somewhere on the ocean...
The "H2O Bro" is a daily position that rotated through the crew. The H2O Bro is charged with reminding everyone to drink water. Our patrol leader is shown here, leading by example.
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Another Place in the Ocean...
Working the rudder is something each Scout got a chance to do, and it helped with the seasickness.
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In the Water
Red pins mark our dive locations. Lots of fish to see, but also some huge jellyfish! Two Scouts were stung on the trip, but vinegar was on the packing list and worked well.
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Staying Out of the Sun
Sun protection helps, and rest is crucial. Getting a bit of both at the same time...
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Land Ho!
The crew of the Bold Response keeps watch over the bow while drying off.
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Fishing at Sunset
Anchored in the bay after a long day, we fished from the side of the boat, holding the line without a fishing rod.
Blue pins indicate places we slept.
July 30 - A Great Day
Day one was hard, but after a good night's sleep everything looked better.
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Dawn bloomed bright
The bridge of the Second Star, taken at the end of an overnight Anchorwatch shift. (We took turns on two-hour shifts watching over the anchored boat at night.)
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Snorkeling
We could climb right off the boat and snorkel.
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Barracuda!
We weren't alone at the snorkeling spots.
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We Got One!
Zzzzzzzhhhh went the line, and we knew we had something big.
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Look At Him!
Our captain said this was the biggest Snapper ever caught on his boat.
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He Didn't Get Away
Look carefully at his tail and you'll see a fresh bite. The Captain said he was probably bitten while we reeled him in - so we almost lost him... or caught something even bigger.
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At Indian Key State Park
The first land we'd stood on in two days!
Indian Key State Park commemorates an early settlement with an economy based on shipwreck salvage: https://www.floridastateparks.org/IndianKey
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The End of a Great Day
With our bellies full (notice the fish, cooked in tin foil!), we sat around and laughed over the seasickness goggles with four lenses, purchased by a well-meaning parent.
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The End of a Great Day
The goggles were a hit with the crew, although their medical properties were unproven.
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The End of a Great Day
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The End of a Great Day
July 31 - Change of Pace
After two full days on the water, our destination today was the Marina. We docked in the afternoon, giving us time for a swim, showers, and a lovely sunset.
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Getting ready to snorkel
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Home Sweet Marina
Docked at a marina, ready for the pool... and the snack bar.
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A Chance to Relax
Sitting by the pier watching a beautiful sunset.
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And Fish!
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At the Dock
August 1 - An Active Day
It was our last full day on the water, so we did it a lot in one long day.
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Another Gorgeous Sunrise
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Working on Knots
It's not a Scouting trip without knots...
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Reef Diving
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Reef Diving
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Cannon!
This area had shipwrecks! Cannons and bits of ships were visible in the sand.
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Long Day in the Sun
We traveled a long distance in the afternoon...
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Ultimate Warriors
Stopping at a shallow area, we played Ultimate Frisbee in the water, and made a friend from another Scout Troop.
August 2 - Out of the Water
Our last day of the trip saw us waking up on the water, returning to dock, driving to Key West, flying to two airports, and finishing with a two hour drive, returning at midnight.
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Our Sibling Troop
Returning to SeaBase, we saw Troop 2119 freshly back from their own adventure.
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Cleaning the Cabin
Below deck at the dock, the Scouts clean up.
Do You Want More?!!!??!
One final slideshow... just a few more pictures to share. You don't need to listen to the Roots track of the same name, but if you want to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba3yV86OOIM
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