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e prepared. The Boy Scout motto might also apply to sailing, as visiting Scouts from Orlando, Florida’s Troop 200 found recently. The scouts and their leaders came to Pamlico County for a week of kayaking, camping and sailing classes at Oriental’s School of Sailing.

Chris Daniels with some of the scouts and their leaders, driving home the importance of tying a proper bowline to the sail.

Oriental’s Sailing School owner Chris Daniels, Jim Nixon, Jim Edwards, Simon Whitehead and Ross Pease taught the visitors the basics of sailing, such as how to tie a bowline, and making certain that that halyard is tied securely to the sail. (Several instructors were heard to say that if a halyard fell to the deck, the lightest member of the crew would have to climb the mast to return the halyard aloft..)

The all-purpose bowline.

The scouts — and their leaders — took sailing classes at Oriental’s School of Sailing for a day or two and then capped it off with a sailboat race.

Scout leaders sorting out which halyard is which.

Another important lesson: judging where the wind is coming from.

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Tying off the bitter end.

Jim Nixon’s students learn about securing still more lines —- this time, over the cleat — as Simon Whitehead’s crew departs from the dock.

Freeing the docklines that hold the boat to land.

Jim Edwards and several of the Scout leaders head toward the river to try out what they’ve learned.

The Scouts on Jim Nixon’s boats steer toward the river to do the same.

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Three boats near the start of the Friday sailboat race.

Bows passing.

Scouts sailing with Chris Daniels’ on Kava.

Another crew of new sailors.

The crew aboard Simon Whitehead’s boat.

Posted Wednesday August 19, 2009 by Melinda Penkava